There are a lot of once-in-a-lifetime experiences people dream about every day. Since I was 7-years-old, mine has been to go on a Rocky Mountain Bighorn hunt. My family has been involved with hunting and fishing for many generations. When I became a father and had the opportunity to pass this tradition down to my son Gavin and my daughter Hailey, it created a special bond that cannot be explained. I hope that my children are able to pass this family tradition down to their own children someday. I was ecstatic when my son Gavin reached the age where he could join me out hunting. Gavin immediately fell in love with it. After tagging along with me to set up trail cameras and tree stands and then sitting in a blind for the first time, he was hooked.
I was first introduced to Worldwide Trophy Adventures TAGS when they were still Cabela’s TAGS about 15 years ago. After speaking with a consultant, they explained and assisted me with the application process and set up my profile. Honestly, what sold me was the fact that WTA TAGS floats the application fees, which ultimately provides the opportunity to apply in more states. It was a no-brainer for me. Not that we were putting in for every species in North America. We were targeting sheep, but the fee for New Mexico alone was $3,600 and we wanted to put in for five or six states. I didn’t have to front that amount and have all that money out there.
In December 2021, I spoke with my consultant, Jeremy Ivie, about the upcoming year and formulated a game plan for 2022 applications. Just before we hung up, Jeremy asked if I had any children. Jeremy then asked if I knew about the WTA TAGS Kids Apply Free program where TAGS waives their service fees for children under the age of 19. I had no idea, but I was interested. Jeremy said he would assemble Gavin’s profile since he was of legal age to hunt in most states. (Hailey will be next.) He pulled together a list of states where Gavin should apply.
This is where I owe everything to Jeremy. He persistently emailed me (I may have missed a few messages) and called in late January 2022 to warn me that Gavin was about to miss the deadline in some states. If not for his call, I wouldn’t be writing this today. Thankfully, Jeremy got the ball rolling.
At the end of our conversation, I asked Jeremy what it’s like to make the call when someone draws a Rocky Mountain Sheep tag. Jeremy stated, “It’s one of the best days of the year in the office.” I replied, “I really hope one day I receive that call.” We both laughed and agreed.
Later that night at dinner I explained the process to my wife Nicole, and Gavin and Hailey. Gavin asked about the odds of drawing. I said low, like winning the lottery, but you can’t draw unless your name is in the hat. (I found out later it’s 0.6%.) Gavin said, “Jeremy’s going to call us, Dad!” I prayed he was right.
April 20, 2022 is a day our family will never forget. We arrived at home from a family vacation. After we unpacked, I noticed my cell phone was still in airplane mode and I had a voicemail. It was Jeremy. He said he had a couple of questions and asked me to give him a call. I immediately thought that I hadn’t completed one of the applications correctly. I called Jeremy back and he said, “You drew! You drew!” The words everyone wants to hear. Gavin drew the Wheeler Peak tag. Honestly, it’s still a blur to me. I froze in complete shock. It felt like time had stopped. It was a father’s dream come true. Not only had my son drawn, but it was the Wheeler Peak tag, one of the most coveted in the country, and I’d get to accompany him for this amazing life experience.
I immediately called Gavin, who was hanging out with friends, and asked him to come home. He asked if everything was OK. I said, “Yes, I just want to talk to you.” The next 10 minutes felt like a lifetime. I met Gavin at our front door and gave him the news. “YOU DID IT! You drew a Rocky Mountain Sheep tag!” His face immediately lit up and he hugged me. Gavin said, “I told you we would draw.” We both laughed. Gavin then asked where we were going. I said Wheeler Peak, New Mexico, and he screamed, “Let’s go!”
The next morning the news still hadn’t fully sunk in. Jeremy called to congratulate Gavin and me once again and informed us the hunt would take place from August 6–15, 2022. He had also spoken with Eric Pawlak and Mark Peterson at his company and they offered to film the hunt. I asked Jeremy if he was kidding…he was not. I quickly accepted the offer! I was thinking about how awesome this all was. Not only would we be going on a once-in-a-lifetime hunt where my son would have the opportunity to harvest the most beautiful animal in the world, but the entire experience would be professionally filmed. Just incredible!
Jeremy recommended an outfitter, GT Nunn with Frontier Outfitters, the obvious choice in this unit. I was immediately on board and put down the deposit. Later that day I received another phone call from Eric Pawlak wanting to congratulate Gavin and me. I cannot say enough about WTA TAGS and how special they made us feel.
A few days later, I spoke with the outfitter and was immediately impressed. GT and I discussed details for the hunt. Most importantly, we discussed how this hunt would take place at 12,000–13,000 feet in elevation. We live in New Jersey, basically at sea level, so the elevation was a concern. I asked him what we could do to be in physical condition for these elevations. He recommended staying in Red River, New Mexico, a town next to Wheeler Peak, to get acclimated for a few days prior to the hunt. GT point-blank asked if we were in good physical condition. I mentioned being a career firefighter and Gavin’s sports schedule (baseball, basketball, and football). GT seemed happy to hear this. Still, 6–10 miles a day at altitude was going to be a challenge.
After officially booking the hunt, it was go time. Let the training begin. I put together a weekly walking/hiking routine for us. We also scheduled multiple trips to the range to get sighted in and comfortable shooting at long distances. The only thing left to get ready was our gear (pack, boots, clothing, etc.).
About a month later Jeremy called me to explain the details of the filming. I was introduced to Arron Bleise, our WTA cameraman. We immediately connected and discussed the plans for the hunt. Arron was interested in coming a few days early as well to get acclimated to the elevation. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of detail the WTA team put into this hunt.
On Wednesday, August 3 we arrived in Red River. What a beautiful town. We enjoyed two days of hiking and fly fishing. On Friday, August 5 we met the outfitter and his crew at base camp. We introduced ourselves, shaking hands with each one. I laughed when Gavin later said that the handshakes actually hurt. “Wow,” he said. “They have man hands. They shake hard and aggressively.”
We were finally there and the anticipation for the next morning was at an all-time high. We discussed what rams they had seen during the past couple weeks. Two of the guides, Willy and Dallas, were out scouting and made it back into base camp later that afternoon with great news. They had seen a bunch of rams and one was a definite contender. As a hunter this is the best news you can hear. The outfitter gathered us after dinner and laid out the game plan. We would leave base camp at 4 a.m. because he wanted to be on the mountain by sunrise. This was all music to our ears. We were ready to go.
Saturday, August 6, 3 a.m. was opening morning. I had maybe an hour of sleep; Gavin got a bit more. Base camp was alive. Everyone was up eating breakfast, drinking coffee, packing snacks and water, getting packs ready, and loading up the trucks. We departed base camp at 4 a.m. and arrived just outside of Red River at 5 a.m. We loaded side-by-sides and began our way up. About an hour later, which felt way longer, we arrived at our stopping point. Once we stepped out, we were met by the breathtaking view of Wheeler Peak Mountain range. Absolutely stunning, an amazing day with not a cloud in the sky. Now, it was really GO TIME!
Packs were on, our trekking poles hit the ground, and we were off, heading up one of the most beautiful mountains I have ever seen. On our way up, the mountain seemed alive with ewes. We stopped several times to glass and discuss a plan for when we reached the top. About 2½ hours later we arrived at the spot where we wanted to set up and glass. We weren’t there for more than 20 minutes when we located two rams. One looked to be a definite shooter. I remember thinking to myself, “You have got to be kidding me. We’ve literally been at this spot for 20 minutes and we already have a good ram spotted?” The outfitter looked over to Gavin and me and asked, “Are you ready to go shoot your ram?” Gavin replied, “Yes, let’s do this!”
We quickly formulated a plan and a route to get within what we were hoping to be a couple hundred yards.
After hiking a couple miles along switchbacks, we were in good position overlooking where we thought the ram would come. After 30 minutes a ram appeared to our right. It was the 5-year-old that was with the big one we were looking for. We watched as he fed uphill. The anticipation continued to build. Then it was two hours since we had gotten into position and we were still patiently waiting. The outfitter whispered, “There he is!” Right below us, out came what appeared to be a monster Rocky Mountain Bighorn. It was him, an absolute giant! He was 275 yards away and feeding in our direction. I was in the back of our group (15 feet away) and GT was right next to Gavin. He whispered to get ready and get into shooting position. This stud of a ram fed towards us for 5 minutes, which felt like an eternity. He finally quartered to us at 230 yards. He stopped, and Gavin squeezed the trigger. The ram jumped up and turned downhill. He went about 15 yards and stopped by a small pine tree. Everyone agreed that the shot was true, but where he stopped didn’t provide the best view. We then moved 150 yards, only to find the ram standing up. We quickly tried to get into position for Gavin to take another shot only to watch the ram fall and tumble down the mountain. Ram down! Ram down!
I am not a very emotional person, but after watching my 13-year-old son hike up the mountain with his gear, pack, and trekking poles to harvest this ram at 230 yards in the prone position, I was brought to tears as I hugged him. I felt like I was on top of the world. We shared a moment on that mountain that is indescribable and will live with me forever.
As we hiked down to this beautiful ram, all I could think about was how truly blessed we were to be there. It was a once-in-a-lifetime hunt with a storybook ending. As Gavin lifted the ram’s head we realized there was none of the ground shrinkage you might expect. It was the complete opposite. He was a stud of a ram. Over the next few hours we took what seemed like millions of photos and videos. Gavin filled his tag out and the outfitter and crew field dressed, quartered and caped the ram, packing the meat, hide, and massive horned head in packs. As the outfitter said, “Now the work really begins,” we started the 3½ mile hike back to the side-by-sides. It rained. As we walked, the full experience replayed in my head. It felt like a dream.
I was hoping we would be successful, but never in a million years would I have thought we’d be able to harvest a ram of this caliber. He rough scored 184 4/8 and with deductions came out at 183 5/8.
At first I hesitated to mention something about Gavin, but he would like to share in hopes that it inspires someone else with his condition. In 2013, Gavin was diagnosed with a rare eye disease called Coats’ disease. There are fewer than 1,000 cases in the United States. This eye disease involves abnormal development of blood vessels behind the retina which causes capillaries to break open and leak fluid, in Gavin’s case into his left eye. The fluid builds up and leaks fatty material into the retina. Gavin needed multiple surgeries, which were done by laser (cryotherapy). Nevertheless, he is legally blind in his left eye. After years of care by some of the top doctors in the country, he has some improvement with his peripheral vision in his left eye. At a young age, Gavin decided to tackle this disease and has never said “I can’t” about anything he has tried. We have always pushed him to be the best person he can be and never give up. I knew this hunt was going to be another life challenge that he would succeed in. I hope that Gavin’s story inspires people to go out and do it! No excuses, complaining, or “I can’t.” Just give it your all and do it.
I am proud of Gavin, of the kind of kid he is, and of how he handles the challenges he faces. I didn’t think I could be more proud of him, but I was bursting with pride when, after the hunt, the outfitter and crew congratulated him on working hard to get ready for the trip, handling the climbing, controlling the excitement, and pulling off a clean shot. They made Gavin one of them, one who belonged. As Jeremy said, “Sheep hunters are a different breed. They’re hard men who do hard things and a 13-year-old boy earned their respect.”
I would like to thank WTA TAGS and their employees, especially Jeremy Ivie, Arron Bleise, Mark Peterson, and LaNae Fehringer for all of their hard work and support. I would also like to thank our outfitter GT and his crew Bobby, Willy, Dallas, and Quadi for making this dream hunt a reality. Gavin and I are truly blessed for this opportunity and are so thankful to be able to share this moment with our family forever.
