LIFETIME MEMORIES

ARTICLE BY DAN CHASON

I‘ve known Bill Petrus for over 40 years and consider him a close friend.  He and his wife Lori own TP Outdoors in Monroe and Bill is the host of TP Outdoors Adventures Television Series which airs on most local channels in Northeast Louisiana for almost 12 years.  There are a lot of things that I’ve seen put a sparkle in Bill’s eyes but few compare with his annual Wounded Warriors Hunt and his Handicapped Hunt. This year it was held at Mercer’s Whitetails in Richland Parish. Festivities included meals furnished by Sheriff Gary Gilley and the Richland Parish Sheriff’s Office and Catfish Charlie’s in Monroe. Hunters were allowed to shoot management does and were even asked to shoot predators as a bonus.

One of the hunters was Tyler Jones of Eros, Louisiana. Tyler was afflicted with Arnold Chiari malformation and spina bifida at birth.  Has had over 32 surgeries and is a paraplegic who is confined to a wheelchair. But being confined hasn’t stopped this young man from hunting. His obsession with New Orleans Saints football, video gaming and none other than Elvis Presley keep his days full. That was until he was convinced to go to a MedCamp of Louisiana summer camp where he met and later married the love of his life.  Now after being married 4 years, he lives to enjoy his wife and family. Tyler started hunting at an early age. His dad, Chris outfitted him with a shooting stick and Tyler is able to shoot and shoot well.  In fact to date, he has taken 7 deer.  His hunt in his words:

“My sister Elanie Jones and I showed up for the first hunt and were really excited.  We (Elanie, Ethan Hall and me) got into this big box stand and saw an 8 point buck, still in velvet and two bobcats.  That was really cool. I didn’t get a shot at a doe so Mr. Bill called and invited me back for the second hunt.  We went to a different spot and a doe did come out. I fired and she dropped.  Since there were other hunters out, we waited. All of a sudden I saw movement and here came another doe with a spike. Ethan texted Mr. Jeff and they let me shoot again.  I dropped her in her tracks.  What a hunt!”  I will never forget that experience.

Our second hunter highlight is on Josh Butler. Josh is a veteran of the US Army. On August 9, 2018 he was a victim of a home invasion.  He was stabbed 24 times (including both eyes) shot in the back with a crossbow, suffered fractured ribs and a cracked skull, leaving him completely blind, deaf in one ear and only partial hearing in the other. You may ask how a blind man shoots a gun? To hear Josh tell it the concept is simple: “Trust your spotter. Having had the military background as a military policeman, trusting your team mate is the key to success.”  I asked him how his handicap has affected him and he chuckled. “The only thing I can’t do is swing a hammer.  In fact my friend took away all the hammers I owned. I can weld; I redid my whole shop from woodworking to electrical and even plumbed it. I can do just about anything I put my mind to.”  That was apparent on the Veterans Hunt and I’ll let Josh tell his side:

“The first weekend I hunted, I only saw bucks and had a doe on me right at dark. I passed on a late shot as I don’t want to shoot at a deer and wound it. So I just enjoyed that great food that the Sheriff fed us and visited with old friends and new ones. The next week, Bill Petrus called and asked if I could hunt on the next weekend. I’m sure his ears are still ringing as I was excited to be invited again. My spotter on this round was Dustin “Duck”  Campbell who I visited with while we were eating Catfish Charlies. I had the hot spot that morning and we told Bill.  By the time I got back to the stand, Bill had snuck another ground blind in down from me. We picked at Bill but it was fine as I wanted my friends to have a chance, too. I waited as Doug told me there was a deer in my lane and it was a big doe. I had to slide my rifle out the left side window very carefully.  I shoot a 450 Bushmaster with an Omega scope and it is very accurate.  I got set up and had my spotter Doug in my ear ’…little left…back to right….whenever you are ready.’  That’s the hard part to not wiggle after getting the okay to shoot.  I squeezed the trigger and the deer went down, shot right through the neck.  We waited on Bill and the camera crew who walked up and said, ‘Why did you shoot a coon Josh?’ My stomach almost went through my throat and Doug didn’t say anything. I’m thinking surely they didn’t pull a rotten joke on me and I shot a coon!  The bad feeling passed soon as the high fives started as we got to the deer.  I not only had killed a doe, I killed the largest doe taken either weekend.  It was a hunt of a lifetime for me.”

Both hunters were thankful for the hunt but reiterated WHY we hunt. The friends we meet, the fellowship and most of all the appreciation shown by the hard work that everyone put in to make these hunts possible.  To hear them recalling their hunts made me feel like I had been there myself. To witness men who have lost things that we cannot appreciate is a testimony to the goodness in people. Thank you to all the folks who put this together but especially to Jeff Mercer, Bill and Lori Petrus and to all of the guides, workers and participants.  There is good in this world and it is refreshing to see outdoorsmen helping each other.  Hats off for a wonderful event and memories of a lifetime.