Hunt Journals

42 years old, married 21 years with one son, Macgregor who is 13.

It’s my son’s love for outdoors, hunting and guns that got me back into it about 4 years ago. Together, we have hunted everything from dove, pheasant, to  hogs and deer in that time.

I am a general contractor with a small business in contra costa county. T-5 paraplegic, shot in an attempted car jacking about 16 years ago.

I’m a fifth generation Nevadan who was born in Reno at Saint  Mary’s Hospital in 1964.  I attended Reno high school where I swam for two state champion swim teams.  I was injured in a diving accident in 1981 that left me a quadriplegic.  After approximately one year of rehab in Los Angeles, I returned to Reno and enrolled at UNR.  I graduated in 1987 and 1991 with degrees in electrical engineering.  I’ve been employed by NV energy since 1988.  I married my wife Shelley in 1994.  We have two daughters and one grandson.  I’m obviously blessed with wonderful family and friends that have made my injury no big deal to me.  My hobbies include hunting, camping, off-roading, and watching Wolf Pack sports.

Born with Cerebral Palsy and confined to wheelchair since the age of 5, Kevin has endeavored to overcome the challenges of living with a disability. Kevin went to college, earning his B.A. and M.A. in Geography. Kevin grew up around hunting culture and developed an interest in it, but was unable to participate due to lack of physical ability. It has only been within the last 5 years that he has been able to pursue hunting as a recreational activity. Through hunting, Kevin has improved his physical abilities and expanded his social circle.

Rick Cline owned and operated an excavation business prior to the accident that left him paralyzed. He was in Mexico doing some volunteer work. On the day before he and his party were to depart back to the states they went to the beach for some fun. Rick was out in the ocean and met a wave head-on, which knocked him into the ocean floor. “It didn’t hurt, but when I floated to the surface and couldn’t move, I began to panic a little.  There I was in the ocean, face down, thinking to myself, ‘What happened, did I break my neck?’ After realizing what happened I began to pray and hold my breath. I held my breath until I almost passed out, before a friend came to retrieve me from the water,” said Cline. A devoted Christian, Cline said his faith in Jesus Christ has sustained him through some pretty difficult times. “This opportunity has meant the world to me. The excitement you feel as a hunter is too hard to explain unless you have experienced it. As the rush of adrenaline takes over your body it is better than any other feeling. There I was, gun in hand… well gun attached to chair sighting my antelope through the television screen lining the shot up, and after two misses I finally calmed down enough to make the shot count on my third attempt.”  Rick was joined on his outing by Nigel Harrison, an N.O.W. board member and Tim Beaupre who was responsible for creating and building the gun rest and shooting mechanism that enabled Ricks success.

Lisa Mitchell-Rieger who was a safety trainer at a warehouse prior to suffering a right brain hemorrhagic stroke resulting in paralyses of her left side, had never shot a rifle when she was contacted by N.O.W. board member Larry Johnson. ‘I explained to Larry that I had never shot a rifle, ever. I wasn’t sure how the N.O.W. folks would react to a tag holder who has never shot. He explained that he would teach me prior to the hunt. He and I spent several hours at the range learning to shoot,” said Mitchell-Rieger. “I was excited and nervous; those were the two biggest emotions I felt on opening day.” Lisa was joined in the field by her shooting mentor and N.O.W. board member, Larry Johnson, and N.O.W. President, Chad Bliss.

The veteran hunter of the group was Brian Martinez, who in the past has harvested several mule deer bucks, numerous birds and waterfowl, but never an antelope. Martinez suffered his injury while riding bulls in his home town rodeo in Toole, Utah at the age of 17. “I have been disabled longer than I was abled, he explained. I don’t think I have slept but three hours in the last week, every time I close my eyes I start to think about this hunt and then the anxiety gets the best of me.”  There may not be an adjective that can describe the emotion Martinez was feeling prior to the hunt. Martinez was joined during his outing by his younger Brother Bryce Vorwaller, Water Rights Administrator at Newmont , Matt Murray, N.O.W. board member and Newmont’s Sr. External Communications Representative, Austin Hughes, and Jay Presti, the Host of “Blue Collar Adventures.”

Dan is an avid gun collector with vast ballistic knowledge.  He loves hunting, target practice, and even does competition shooting.  Since his Antelope hunt with us, he’s also bagged a doe Antelope and a four-point Mulie and continues to pursue his passion for the outdoors.

Will – It’s always a chore to pull Will away from the books.  He takes his life’s situation seriously and knows he needs to buckle down with schoolwork so he can make a lucrative living and take care of himself in the future.  That said, his dad tries every chance he can to get him out to do challenging things.  They even team-rope together, with Will strapped to Dad in the saddle!!!

NOW touched Jim’s life in a profound way as he found himself truly inspired by his hunting partner, Larry’s zest for life, and by the new way he found to make use of his own years of hunting experience. He continued to volunteer with NOW each year, and expressed more than once how this program gave him something to live for and a purpose greater than himself. Sadly, Jim passed away in March of 2012. He was grateful to NOW for getting him out doing what he loved, and for giving him the chance to help others do the same.

Larry was an avid motorcycle enthusiast who did not let his disability slow him down.  He attached a sidecar to his bike where he would keep his wheelchair while he rode.  He had never hunted before and saw this as a wonderful new adventure, and another of life’s great challenges.  Unfortunately, Larry passed away in 2009, but his family expressed a great appreciation for this awsome experience that he spoke of with enthusiam and excitement many times.