A local disabled man had his dream of going turkey hunting come true, thanks to a local hunting guide and other volunteers.
Adam MacDonald, of Presque Isle, suffers from Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a condition that has weakened his muscles and resulted in his being confined to a wheelchair. Though he’s hunted deer before, MacDonald has always wanted to go turkey hunting. Thanks to Scott Cyr, of Fort Fairfield, that dream was made a reality earlier this year.
“Planning for this trip started over the winter when I found out about Adam’s wish. I had talked with several local landowners about access locally and had planned to hunt some of the nearby farms with the zone being opened for the first year up here. When last-minute word was given that our zone opening would be postponed due to severe winter mortality (of the turkeys), I had to do something that comes naturally to most hunters, ‘adapt’ and come up with plan B,” said Cyr.
He said he had to keep in mind that traveling to the southern part of the state might be difficult logistically, given MacDonald’s limited level of mobility.
“I made contact with Crown of Maine NWTF chapter members/volunteers Bruce White and Brian Johnston and discussed what I wanted to do. They instantly jumped on board and began the process of scouting areas, making landowner contacts and helping me develop a plan,” he said.
Cyr also made contact with Paul House, who runs the “House in the Woods” program in Lee for disabled vets.
“That was to see about using the track wheelchair he has. He also, without hesitation, agreed to let us use the chair. This allowed us to access areas that Adam could not get to with his standard electric wheelchair,” explained Cyr.
The plan hit a few scheduling snags leading up to the hunt, including MacDonald’s wheelchair-accessible van being in the shop for repairs, and getting everyone’s schedules to come together added to the logistics.
“Things finally came together and the hunt was on — or so we thought. The night before the hunt Adam’s mother contacted me, very distraught, and told me she couldn’t find Adam’s hunting license and didn’t know what to do. It looked like the hunt would be on hold once again,” said Cyr.
After giving it some thought however, Cyr said the only thing he could come up with was to contact local Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Warden Alan Dudley and see if he could offer any assistance.
“I explained the circumstances to Warden Dudley and he came through and together we developed a plan. He’s a great example of the Warden Service’s willingness to help sportsmen and I can’t thank him enough,” he said.
The morning arrived and the trek to southern Aroostook turkey grounds started early.
“We were about a half-hour away and I get a phone call from Bruce asking where we were because he had spotted a Tom turkey nearby to the area we would be hunting and he was gobbling up a storm. So we talked on the phone and developed a plan for when we arrived. Upon arriving, things were kind of hectic and rushed because we knew the turkey probably wouldn’t stay in the area much longer,” Cyr said.
“We snuck up to our area and began the set-up process. Once we set up, the calling started in hopes that we could draw in the elusive Tom. Well, as many a turkey hunter knows, plans don’t initially always happen as you hope,” continued Cyr.
He said it was probably about three hours before they heard the first distant gobble and the game was on.
“We worked what we thought was one bird for about 30-40 minutes, before we finally got our eyes on not one bird but four — one hen and three big Tom turkeys. The Toms were following the little lady and stayed just out of range and walked past. We continued to work the birds and got the hen to come check out our calls; she walked past us within about 10 yards,” he said.
Cyr said they were in hopes that she would “keep the Toms ‘in tow’ but just before he walked into our setup, something spooked him and he was gone.”
“The little lady slowly walked away from us and stopped about 40-45 yards away and the next thing you know, here comes three Toms headed right towards her. They put on quite a display fanning out and strutting their stuff,” he said.
It was at that point that Cyr got MacDonald prepared to take a shot.
“I had Adam get ready and told him ‘when they get in the opening, get the sights on one and take the shot,’ and he did. All the birds jumped in the air and ran off — clean miss,” he said.
Although not successful, Cyr said he was pleased with the way everything came together.
“Adam experienced what many first-time turkey hunters have — including myself, this year in fact — defeat at the hands of the misplaced shot. Some may see it as an unsuccessful day in the turkey woods, but Brian, Bruce, Adam and I all agreed it was a very successful day indeed. We got a hunter into the woods for his first turkey hunt, we saw birds and learned/viewed behaviors and memories were made. How is that not a success?” said Cyr.
Cyr said he’s been on a few hunts with disabled persons and every one of them offered different challenges.
“But nothing compares to the challenges most of them and their families face on a day-to-day basis. I find it so rewarding to be able to help them experience what is easily taken for granted. Take the time to help new hunters, especially disabled and youth hunters get in the turkey woods; you won’t regret it,” said Cyr.
“Please support or join your local NWTF chapter. These are just some of the ways we give back to the community with monies raised. And thank you to those who’ve supported our efforts,” Cyr said.
