First hunt, biggest buck

Matt Ward, 15, bagged this buck in November on a trip with “Hunt of a Lifetime,” which grants hunting and fishing dreams to youth with life-threatening illnesses. Ward was born with spina bifida. (Baker City Herald/Submitted Photo)

“I told Matt’s that’s the biggest deer I’ve ever seen,” says Mark Ward.

Matt, 15, shoots a mischievous smile at his dad, then sorts through photos on the table that show his prize, a mule deer buck with seven points on one side and six points on the other.

“First deer hunt and kill,” Matt says.

His adventure was courtesy of Hunt of a Lifetime, a nonprofit that grants hunting and fishing wishes for children age 21 and younger with life-threatening illnesses.

Matt was born with spina bifida, which means “open spine.” This condition occurs when a fetus’ spine doesn’t close entirely during the first month of pregnancy.

Matt’s case is considered “moderate” severity, said his mom, Lisa. He must use a wheelchair, but he does have use of his upper body and arms to move his chair under his own power.

But before that elk hunt, in mid-October, Clay McEnroe stopped to ask Mark if Matt would be interested in a deer hunt.

McEnroe has been a volunteer guide with Hunt of a Lifetime since 2005. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife issues five tags each year for these wish-fulfilling expeditions.

McEnroe had a hunt all arranged for November, but that boy, from Arkansas, cancelled because he didn’t want to fly.

So McEnroe had a hunt but no hunter.

“I called Danny (Benson, Oregon ambassador) and said there’s a young man I really, really want to take hunting,” McEnroe says.

He got the OK, then approached the would-be hunter.

“Clay came by one day and asked if Matt would like to do it,” Mark says.

The Wards submitted the required paperwork, including a doctor’s note documenting Matt’s condition. He was accepted, and Hunt of a Lifetime sent him a new rifle, a Savage 7mm-08, and ammunition in a special box bearing Matt’s name.

Hunt of a Lifetime outfits the young hunters with donations from companies like Cabela’s, Nosler, Savage Arms and others. Private donations also pay expenses for those who have to travel for their hunt.

Matt’s adventure began at 6 a.m. Nov. 14. The hunting party included Matt and Mark, McEnroe and his son, Taylor, Joel and Trace Richardson, Joe and Coleman Lay, and Dan Blankenship.

“It wouldn’t have happened without Clay and those guys,” Mark says.

Before each hunt, McEnroe calls local ranchers to see if they will grant permission for these special hunts.

They headed to Medical Springs first, but didn’t see a buck. Next they went to Keating, and it was on Motherload Road where Matt saw his buck.

And he was the only one who saw it.

“When we first pulled up on the road, I was looking down the canyon and saw does and him trailing. Everybody else was looking the other way,” Matt says.

Taylor McEnroe, a high school junior, and Trace Richardson, a senior, were sent off to herd the buck back toward the truck.

“He came right down the road,” Mark says.

Except the buck crossed the road behind the truck, where Matt sat ready with his rifle.

The buck did come back.

“We just swung the pickup around and ka-boom,” Mark says.

“I didn’t have a very long time to shoot,” Matt says.

His shot was good at 208 yards, but the buck still took off, McEnroe and Richardson hot on his trail.

“Clay and Dan were like a couple of Greyhounds,” Mark says.

They tracked the wounded buck a couple miles, and eventually made it back with the prize, thanks to help from a four-wheeler.

“Matt made a super shot — the deer just made it farther than we thought,” McEnroe says.

The hunting party got Matt and his wheelchair out in the sagebrush for photos, even coating the tires with snow.

Of course, the hunt is only a part of the whole experience, but Matt didn’t have to get his hands too dirty.

“I let Clay do all that,” he says with a grin, when asked who field-dressed the buck.

His day was over at 7:30 p.m. — a successful one-day hunt.

Except the hunt is part of the fun.

“Unfortunately, it didn’t last long enough,” McEnroe says. “I told Matt that’s the curse of the deal — if you shoot well, your hunt’s done too early.”

The buck’s cape (the head, antlers and part of the chest) is being prepared in Klamath Falls by another volunteer with Hunt of a Lifetime.

When it returns, Matt knows just where it will hang.

“The new living room — Mom’s going to let us put it in there,” he says.

And hunting — well, he might be hooked.

“You know, there’s a three-month cow season for Catherine Creek,” he says to his dad.

Mark just laughs in the “we’ll see” way parents have perfected.