| Ben’s Wish |
| By Sam James |
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| We could see the tips of their antlers sticking up over the grassy hill. I knew if we couldn’t see their heads that they probably couldn’t see us. We kept low to the ground just in case. I eased up to an old fence post and told Ben to use it for a rest. Dan was right behind us with the camera. He stayed behind a small cedar tree and we used the old fence line for cover. The setup was perfect! I squeezed on the cow elk call and it let out a surprisingly good long cow-like squeal. I saw the tips of the largest bulls antlers turn and look directly at us. Then his rack got larger and larger. He was coming right at us and coming fast! The bull was closing the distance at a fast walk but was facing directly toward us. I kept whispering to Ben to wait. He was much calmer than I was! Not seeing a cow elk, the bull finally turned to circle down wind. As he cleared a small thorn tree, I again squealed on the cow elk call. He stopped and looked directly at us. He was about 75 yards away and broadside. The words “now” had barely left my mouth when Ben fired. The shot was perfect and the bull turned and only ran about 20 yards. As we walked up to the huge massive rack, I could barely feel my legs. I was walking on air. When I looked at Ben I could tell he felt the same way. The smile on his face told the whole story. It was the end of a perfect hunt! |
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| Ben Bushjost has been diagnosed with Leukemia. He is the first child in our program to be from Callaway County and currently attends Fulton High School. He loves fishing, hunting and any activity related to the outdoors. He is an avid whitetail hunter and has always wanted to pursue and take a large trophy elk. In most ways, Ben is just like any other child. He dreams of days a field and fun times with his friends and family. He had been looking forward to this hunt for a long time. |
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We started the weekend with a barbeque for friends and family on Saturday followed by a scouting trip through the hunting area to see if we could locate some bulls for the next morning. We saw several nice ones and Ben said he had a little trouble sleeping that night. So did everyone else. When I arrived at the cabin the next morning, Ben was already up and dressed! We headed out long before daylight. We chose to hunt a stand on a small hill overlooking a swamp where several large bulls had been spotted the afternoon before. It was foggy and the first hour went by without seeing a thing. I called periodically on a cow elk call and tried to bugle like a mature elk bull. Be n and Dan said it sounded like a hyena. Miraculously, 3 large bulls responded to the calls and emerged from the swamp at about 300 yards. They circled down wind and came in to about 100 yards. They seemed to get a little nervous that no other elk were around and went into some near by cover and disappeared. That’s when we decided to climb down from the stand, loop back around and try a stalk. The fog had burned off and the sun was starting to climb. The hunt was on! After taking the bull, we field dressed it, and headed back to the cabin for a huge country breakfast. It was a great day and one that we’ll all remember our entire lives. Thanks Ben, for letting us make your “Safari Wish” come true. |
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| The Central Missouri Chapter of Safari Club International started the Safari Wish program and has been providing hunting and fishing trips for ill children since the first one in December of 2000. Since then, the dreams of 6 children have been fulfilled. If you would like to contribute time or money to this or any other of the great programs offered by our local chapter, please give Drake Dawson ( ) or Larry Dotson (642-6401) a call. Your support is greatly appreciated and your contributions work here in our community. |
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