2009 Bear Hunt taking Shape

Go to: http://www.maximumdraw.com/videos.html and watch John Tyler’s Bear Hunt.



"MAKE A WISH" WISCONSIN BEAR HUNT WITH JOHN TYLER DIKE – 2009”



Brigid O'Donoghue

Jon’s (from MI) bear tag was handed down to him by Tom Hanson of Bruce, WI. Ted Thums and his hunting group guided the successful hunt. Jon attended the hunt with his Dad and nurse.



Ted called me first to share the good news of Jon’s 180 pound bear. Than Joseph called and told me all about his son’s hunt. Each story was spoken from their hearts telling how Jon overcome a multiple of serious challenges to obtain his wish.



Congratulations Jon on your successful bear hunt! Life sometimes can deal you a bad hand, but when life becomes overbearing you need to look back on the memories of your bear hunt; that will help you cope.

God bless you!



Brigid O’Donoghue

Zach’s (from MN) bear tag was handed down to him by Jeffery Rach of Kaukauna, WI. His hunt was guided by George Hrdlicka and his hunting partners Brent Evitch, Mike Paul Jr., and Bud and Brad Smith from North Carolina.



George said, “Zach held his composure better than any adult I have ever seen.” He told me how meaningful Zach’s hunt was for him as well as his hunting partners, and asked to be put on the guide list for next year.



Zach has a life threatening illness, but it doesn't stop him from enjoying the sport of hunting. I have to say it was breathtaking when he called me and told me how much fun he had. His mom too was very happy her son’s hunt was such a success.



I knew you could do it Zach, and I hope to see you and your family in July! God bless you!



Brigid O’Donoghue

Nick’s (WI) bear tag was handed down to him by Marvin Kummer of Pittsville, WI. Nick’s bear hunt was guided by his father. Fathers always make a great hunting guide and this was no exception!



When Glenn called and told me his son had gotten his bear with his crossbow; I told him I had already heard! Good news travels fast!



Nick was in an accident which left him paralyzed. Instead of letting obstacles get in his way; he reaches outside of his boundaries and making outstanding achievements.



Congratulations Nick; you're awesome!! God bless you!



Brigid O’Donoghue

Just an update 20 bear down and more hunts to come! : )



Brigid O'Donoghue

Jake’s (from MN) bear tag was handed down to him by Kelvin Guess of Michigan City, IN. His hunt was guided by Jeremy Moore and his hunting group.



Here is an email Jake’s father sent me:

“Dear Brigid, Jake had the most wonderful experience bear hunting in Wisconsin!!!! It started out on September 15, 2009 when Jeremy Moore met us at his friend Ryan's place. There are no words to explain just how great these guys are or the other people in bear camp. They welcomed us into their house and treated us just like family. What we thought was going to be a one day hunt turned out to be 8 days of bear hunting and those guys refused to give up until Jake got his bear. Finally, Jeremy contacted his friends with the bear hounds and they treed a bear yesterday and Jake ended up harvesting the bear. Jake has not stopped smiling or laughing since yesterday morning!!! I cannot thank you and all the people involved in your organization enough. Once again there are no words to describe just how wonderful you and the folks involved in your organization.

Thank You Truly Doug”



Congratulations Jake, you are an awesome hunter!! You have learned through the years with your health to never-never-never give up!! God bless you!



Brigid O’Donoghue

Max’s (from WI) bear tag was handed down to him by Dave Noble of Menomonie, WI. The hunt was guided by Carrie and Brian Cassellius and their hunting group. Carrie told me their hunting group consisted of 8 to10 families. All those who attended were excited to be part of Max’s hunt.



Max attended the bear hunt with his sister Dakota and dad who said, “Max shot a really nice bear over the weekend. We had a great time, and I thought you might like to see a photo or two.”



Carrie said, “Max was cool, calm, and collective and had a perfect shot,” she went on to say she had tears rolling down her face she was so happy for him. She told me the guys in her hunting group are “hard-core-hunters,” but Max softened up all of them.



Max has a life threatening illness and spent a great deal of time in the hospital. It can be very trying on a family to have a child in a hospital for long periods of time. Looking forward to this bear hunt has helped Max and his family deal with the medical struggles by giving them something positive to look forward to during that long period in the hospital.



Congratulations Max and God bless you and all your new hunting friends!



Brigid O’Donoghue

Twenty-two kids are smiling now that they have realize their dream wish and each has harvested a bear. More to come...



Please keep the families and guides in your prayers.



Brigid O'Donoghue

Benjamin’s (WI) bear hunt tag was donated by Jeff Ternes of Random Lake, WI. His hunt was guided by Mike Wells. Ben attended the hunt with his parents and siblings, Jacob and Sara.



Arlene (mom) told me the hunt was a great experience for the whole family. The family waited back at camp during the hunt and Arlene said, “even though we weren’t with Ben it was still very exciting and we (family) felt we were with him.”



Benjamin harvested his bear with a “sip and puff tube” which operates by sucking on a straw. A very special thank you to Andy Bishop (USSA) who supplied us with the Adaptive Equipment needed in this hunt.



Congratulations Ben! After watching you at the gun range in July I knew you would have no problem handling that equipment!! We are all so very proud of you! God bless you!



Brigid O’Donoghue

Twenty-four bear down!! USSA has now broken its 2007 world record when it harvested 23 bear.



Please continue to keep the families and guides in your prayers.



Brigid O'Donoghue

One more down........Bridget just shot a 200# bear. I will post her pictures soon as I get them.



Brigid O'Donoghue

Hey John, a newspaper reporter interviewed me the other day and asked me how we got into bear hunting. I told her how you set up our first bear hunt in MN in 2004, and then it took off from there. Remember????



God bless you John!



Brigid

Jeremiah’s (from LA) bear tag was handed down to him by Jeffery Johnson of Spencer, WI. His hunt was guided by Russ and Jenny Smith of Hayward, WI.

Here is the email Jeremiah’s dad sent me:



“Brigid, I wanted to get this email out to you and let you know how wonderful of a time that Jeremiah had on his hunt. He was able to get his bear on the first day, and in the first 25 minutes of being on his stand. Our hosts, Russ and Jen, were great and made Jeremiah feel special and part of everything from the moment we got there. After Jeremiah got his bear, we then went on bear hunts with dogs and watched them get several bears this way. Jeremiah was so excited the whole time. He was always eager to wake up early and get going on a new adventure. And he stayed up late every night, watching bears and foxes in the back yard. Russ also treated Jeremiah to a great day on the lake for Jeremiah’s first time ever, to cast and reel in a rod and reel by himself. He also caught his first fish ever while we were there.



Jeremiah had an awesome time, and one that could never have happened without you, your group of alliances that you’ve made, and the man who donated his tag to make this happen.



We want to thank you, the man who donated his tag, and everyone else who was a part of this, for making Jeremiah feel normal and a part of what everyone else enjoys in life.



Thank you so much, Michael “



Congratulations Jeremiah on your successful hunt! You let NO obstacles get in your way and you are an inspiration to us all. God has blessed you in so many ways!



Brigid O’Donoghue

Zac’s (from WI) bear tag was handed down to him by Dennis Seis of Antigo, WI. His hunt was guided by Perry Frahm and his hunting group.

Here is an email from Zac’s mom:



“Hi Brigid, Here are some of the pictures from Zac's bear hunt on Saturday, October 3,2009 in Rhinelander WI. We got to Perry Frahm's house on Friday evening. We woke up at 4:30 am on Saturday morning and headed up to Rhinelander where Zac was going bear hunting. There were quite a few guys who helped out with their dogs and about 10:30 am the call came that there was a bear treed. We drove to where the bear was treed and drove back into the woods to about 108 feet away and walked in the rest of the way. This was my first time to see Zac actually hunt and it was so exciting, however, I do know that I am not a hunter and will leave that up to my husband and boys. Zac saw the bear in the tree and started to cry as did I, but he got the gun and shot it. Thank you for the use of the special gun which made it easier for him to shoot it.



The bear was so gorgeous in the tree. It is sure something to see the animals in their natural environment. Thanks to Pete, who helped Joel get Zac out to the tree and then drag the bear out with Perry and get Zac back out to the truck. Thank you Fritz for using your dogs to track the bear and tree her. We can't thank you all enough for an exciting and successful hunt for Zac. The bear is presumed to have weighed between 125# to 150#. Thank you so much Brigid for all you do for our children and for us. I can't even begin to tell you what it means to see our child's face when he shot the bear. He accomplished something that we never thought possible with his disease. Thank you for making his wish come true.

God Bless and Love

Dori, Joel, Zac and Nate”



Zac, never give up the sport of hunting; as you get older you will gain a deeper understanding to the meaning of “enjoying the great outdoors”! Congratulations on an awesome bear!



Brigid O’Donoghue

Natalie’s (from MN) bear tag was donate by Steven Dopp of Middleton, WI. Her hunt was guide by Patrick Novesky, a Conservation Warden of WI DNR in Forrest and Oneida County. Natalie has battled a life-threatening illness, which has given her a greater perspective on life. Never worry about yesterday, just live today like there is no tomorrow!!



Below is an email from Natalie’s mom:



“Dear Brigid, Thank you so much for arranging Natalie's bear hunt! She had a great experience and got her black bear on Sept. 24th! I sent a photo just a bit ago to you as well. The local newspaper will be doing an article on her about this so I'll send you the link when we see it. A nice plug for your organization! I'll be in touch with you about that”!, Connie



Congratulations Natalie! I bet your dad was teary-eyed; they get that way for their little **** (at any age).



God Bless you!



Brigid O’Donoghue

One week left for the bear hunt and 27 bear harvested.



Some of them are enduring an uphill battle with their health and getting them to their hunt has been difficult. Please continue to pray for these special youth hunters.



God bless you all!

Brigid O'Donoghue

Chad’s (Oklahoma) bear tag was donated by Rodney Bleim from Round Lake Beach, IL. His hunt was guided by Galen and Linda Liebzeit and the Wildcat Bunch.



Chad has a life threatening illness and travel to WI (23 hours) alone on a Greyhound bus. When he arrived in Abbotsford, WI Linda Liebzeit and I were waiting for him at the bus depot. I gave him a big hug and wish him good luck on his hunt.



On September 18th Galen called and told me Chad harvested a 135# bear.



Linda sent me the pictures of Chad’s hunt with this note, “I don’t know if Galen told you? Chad’s bear took 2 hrs to get out of the tree after he shot the bear. Guys ended up climbing the tree to get it out-It was really quite something to watch 40 feet stuck in a tree. What a hoot!! “



Chad, it was very brave of you to travel alone, but the fellowship at your bear hunt, and memories etched deep in your heart were worth the 46 hours you rode in a bus! God bless you and congratulations on your successful hunt.



Brigid O’Donoghue