Baker man aims to fulfill young hunters’ dreams

Clay McEnroe says it was “pure luck” that got him involved with Hunt of a Lifetime.

He first heard about the program from an employee at the Thomas Angus Ranch.

“He said they’re having a heck of a time finding help,” McEnroe said.

So he did some research and contacted the Oregon Chapter.

Hunt of a Lifetime is based in Pennsylvania. It was founded by Tina Pattison, who made countless phone calls to find an affordable moose hunt for her son, Matthew, who was battling cancer.

An outfitter responded and the tiny village of Nordegg in Alberta, Canada, rallied to give Matthew a moose hunt of a lifetime, at no cost to the family.

He died six months later.

That’s when Pattison decided to start a foundation to fulfill hunting dreams for children age 21 and younger with life-threatening illnesses. (She’d discovered that other wish-granting organizations shied away from hunting trips, and most were limited to those 18 and younger.)

In Baker City, the Sunridge Inn donates a room and meals for the hunter and his companion.

McEnroe’s offer for help was quickly accepted, and his first hunt scheduled.

“They gave me a call on a Tuesday, on Wednesday they were here,” he said. “We were done with my first two hunters Thursday.”

Since 2005, McEnroe’s 55 hunters have seen a 100 percent success rate — but that doesn’t mean the hunts are easy.

Accessibility is a huge obstacle with these young hunters, and McEnroe makes sure to find ground suitable for limited mobility or physical restrictions.

He says he couldn’t do any of this without the local ranchers and landowners, who grant permission for these special hunts.

“The ranchers have been unbelievable,” he said. “Almost everybody I’ve called and asked have said absolutely.”

He has contacts “from Sumpter to La Grande,” which comes in handy when the prey is elusive.

“We have enough plan Bs that we can go someplace else,” he said.

He scouts beforehand, with the help of his son, Taylor, and other friends.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife issues five hunting tags each year for Hunt of a Lifetime, and a private ranch in Riggins, Idaho, donates two elk hunts a year. Also, private landowners in Central Oregon offer hunts.

McEnroe makes sure that each of his special hunters knows the odds of bagging a prize — especially when they show up with a certain experience in mind.

“I tell them they watch way too much Outdoor Channel,” McEnroe said with a laugh.

He gets to spend four to five days with the hunters and keeps photo albums to document each trip. Ninety-five percent choose to hunt elk, and he makes sure to focus on the experience, not their illness.

“For the next five days, they’re not sick, they’re elk hunters,” he said.

And he makes sure to give them the hunt of their young lives.

“People ask me why I do it. Why wouldn’t you do it?”

Information: www.huntofalifetime.org