I'll just say this, In 98, I was darned near killed afterbreaking my back in 4 placesand was just 2mm from being paralyzed for life. The Lord spared me imo. Getting back to hunting a whitetail was a huge motive in my recovery. After getting out of the hospital in late October, I had to reteach myself to walk again. Myneuro-surgeon recommended walking a longer distance everyday. I would do just that andoutside. I begged him to let me hunt if I could walk, He said ok, but not until I could walk a mile and I would have to have someone pack my animal out if I got one. I found myself curling up in a ball in the woods sleeping/takingnaps frompain and exhaustion of walking again, I deeply wanted to hunt again.

Three weeks after leaving the Hospital (were I spent20 days)on Nov 15th, I slipped slowing down into a creek bottom on a traditional scrape line that I new of from years past. 1 hour after setting next to an old pine tree and many prayers, I killed the most important whitetail of my life. I can not explain what that moment felt like knowing that I could still hunt, that I still had my life and my legs.I realized during those days in the hospital and walking in the woods for therapy what was really important to me and hunting was one of them. My priorities from that point on changed forever.