You folks will love this.

January 21, 2003
Blindness doesn't stop teen hunter Danielle Shives drops her first buck
by ASHLEY GORDON
[email protected]

When 15-year-old Danielle Shives shot a five-point buck last November it was a feat, not because of her age but because she couldn't see her target.

Danielle is blind.

Danielle survived a brain tumor at the age of 2 but as a result of the tumor, she lost her sight.

She and her family, father, Bruce "Andy" Shives, mother, Sherry Shives, and brother Ethan Shives, 13, live in Big Pool. A sophomore at Clear Spring High School, Danielle is a straight "A" student.

The whole family does things together, including playing baseball and basketball. When Danielle plays baseball, her father pitches and tells her when to swing, but she doesn't play outfield.

Danielle plays basketball with the help of a motion-sensitive beeper on the basket in the family's yard.

So when Danielle's father and brother hunted, she wanted to take part in that activity as well.

"When she gets something into her head, she'll do it," said Bruce Shives, who said he has hunted for 30 years.

The whole family enrolled in a hunting safety class two years ago.

Steve Palmer, who works at the Outdoor Sports Program Inc., said that the hunting school provides many youth programs. He said he remembers the family requesting two years ago that their daughter go through the hunting safety program. The school slightly modified the class for her, but she had to read the standard hunting manual.

Danielle reads with the help of a Braille translator, a computer that scans reading material, and then translates it into Braille.

When she took the test, Palmer said "She aced it."

Palmer's gunsmithing company, Appalachian Mountain Products, made and donated a rifle with an offset sight for Danielle. The special rifle allows her father to spot the target through the sight, then give spoken directions to Danielle, who fires.

"She's quite a young girl," said Palmer who said he was impressed with her spunky attitude and her courage.

Ethan Shives has been hunting with his father about 10 times and shot a "spike" the last time he went out. A spike is a buck that is about a year old with horns that haven't yet turned into branched antlers.

It took Danielle two years to shoot a deer even though she had opportunities.

"She just wouldn't shoot a doe," said her father.

Danielle said that a doe wasn't good enough. She said she wanted a buck to out-do her brother and because she likes the antlers.

When she bagged the buck, Danielle said she was so excited that she cheered.

She said she'll continue to go hunting with her father, but she's not as motivated now that she has achieved her goal.

After high school, she hopes to go to college. She has considered becoming a kindergarten teacher. Her favorite subject is English, so she also is thinking about pursuing a career in journalism, if her dreams of being a professional wrestler don't come true.

She enjoys listening to all kinds of music and reading mystery books. Her favorites are Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, which are sent to her by a company that produces books in Braille.

Several local companies have also donated things to Danielle. In addition to the rifle that Palmer gave her, ****'s Sporting Goods donated a hunting outfit and Fairview Wildlife Studio, a taxidermy shop in Hagerstown, has offered to mount the buck's head for free.
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Copyright The Herald-Mail Co

Interesting article ,thanks for sharing .

all i can say is thats amazing...congrats to her for bagging the buck and for not letting blindness stop her!

uh,how the heck does a blind person aim? i mean come on, is this really safe? " ok,you need to aim a little to the right...now,watch out for that orange blob" what,does the guy aim for her and then she shoots? i dont think this is promoting safe hunting.

slayer

I'm one of the directors of the Outdoor Sports Program and I can assure you she is very good. She shoots from a bench rest and the rear rifle sight has been modified with an extension so that her dad can line up the shot. Her dad will set the sandbag and after she is in postion he stands behind her looking over her shoulder giving up/down, left/right instructions to get her on target. She'll hold the rifle rock steady and once he gives her the go ahead will shoot some tight groups.

Here is the link to the newspaper article. There is a photo of them in action.

http://www.herald-mail.com/?module=d...24&format=html

I also have an aquantance who has a very good friend and hunting partner who is completely blind. Some of you may know my aquantance as the Formal Sportsman....he produces camoflaughe tuxedos and much more. His friend Doug lost his sight late in his life and has since taken many animals including elk, deer and turkeys with the help of his partners eyes. I for one stand and applaud...!!!!!

Get involved, don't discriminate.

<font color=blue>Good Luck and Good Shooting</font id=blue>

<font color=red>Rob</font id=red>

Wirehair thats cool, it shows with the help of good people u can acheive almost anything, even baggin a buck blind.

deerslayer you may want to take a moment and read the article, my hat is off to this young lady and her family! We will hear more of this young lady, she will go far in life with her can do attitude!

The Tazman aka Martin Price
Proud father of a Devil Dog

Very inspirational story!There's a young woman who not only will succeed in life-she already has.Here's alink to another story and interview about a vision-impaired hunter and bowyer.Amazing!!
http://www.bowsite.com/bowsite/featu...iews/johnrook/

jim thanks, another inspirational story, I have to say I would never have believed it with a bow until I read that.

The Tazman aka Martin Price
Proud father of a Devil Dog