When I was young and broke, I booked a five species hunt in Alaska five years out to allow me to save for it. A lot happens in five years.  I was involved in a construction accident, broke my back, hip, arm and along with that, suffered some internal damage. I spent eleven months in and out of hospitals and lost my job. Doctors said I was lucky to walk again and that there would be many things I could never do again. Well, never say never. Fast forward 22 years and I had my first sheep tag in hand.

I was holding out to draw a tag in one of the “easier” units in Wyoming thinking that I could never physically handle a tough, backpack style hunt with lots of climbing. A few years back, I ran into some other health issues and had to change my diet and started exercising more. It was amazing how much better I felt. I started to think I could do some of these things that I was told I could never do. I knew my chosen unit was a tough hunt but I had the points, so I went for it. I trained much harder all summer. I am not a long-range shooter but worked on it every Friday all summer.