Hunt Journals 2022
Blake Smith’s Story:
Blake is a tenacious, 13 year old young man. He does not let anything get in his way when it comes to accomplishing his dreams and goals. Despite being un-diagnosed and having very limited muscles throughout his body, Blake along with support from groups like the Nevada Outdoorsmen in Wheelchairs™, and other adaptive organizations, he is always up to something exciting and adventurous. Blake has been on adventures and accomplished goals that at one time may have seemed to be only a dream or simply unattainable due to his physical limitations. He has successfully harvested big game with the help of his family, friends and adaptive hunting organizations. Blake currently plays the sport he loves the most, Hockey. He is the netminder for the Vegas Golden Chariots a local sled hockey team. Blake has become a sensation on YouTube through his channel “Chef Blake’s Belly Bustin Barbecue” where he smokes, cooks and demonstrates how to prepare over 50 unique recipes and creations, he continues to search and come up with new ideas and videos for his channel. Blake has the heart and soul of man, well beyond his years, people are instantly drawn to his kind heart and addictive personality.
Don Wixon’s Story:
From a young age, Don was either on horseback motorcycle/dirt bike or on his bicycle. If he wasn’t doing these things he would be at a stream or lake fishing.
On December 31 of 1990, he was out trail riding on his dirt bike and found a ditch he didn’t know about and didn’t quite make it over it. He ended up getting a helicopter ride to the local trauma hospital and that’s where his new life started. The accident made him a T 12 paraplegic. Needless to say. this caused a drastic career change for Don. He went from the construction industry to fitting people to custom wheelchairs for 12 years. The last 15+ years, he has been working at a nonprofit making homes accessible for people with disabilities. Don says, “God was telling me it was time to take my life in a different direction.” Until recently, Don still rode horses, motorcycles, ATVs. His main love is hunting and fishing.
Don has two children and five grandchildren that “have had to put up with dad’s/grandpa’s strange sense of adventure and way of doing things.”
Garrett Van Scyoc’s Story:
- Born and raised in Northern California
- Graduated high school class of ’99
- After high school, joined the USMC
- Enjoy hunting, fishing, working on guns. and playing cribbage
Konstantine Reutov’s Story:
Konstantine was born in Salem, Oregon. He was raised, along with 12 siblings in Gervais, Oregon on a small 13 acre farm where he still resides today .
Konstantine started hunting at the age of 12, and has been hunting ever since.
He has worked in construction and even commercial fishing up in Alaska for Sockeye Salmon.
In 2010, while visiting his 2 sisters in Canada, he had a motor vehicle accident. He was only 19 at the time and had broken his neck at the C-4 level instantly paralyzing him from shoulders down with no arm movement.
After few years later, he started to get back into hunting with a friend of the family. Konstantine along with his friend started to find appropriate equipment to help with his adventures.
Jim August (Taxidermy) helped him find a place in Oregon to hunt where he harvested a small buck.