By Dan Bielawa, Berks County, Pennsylvania

Last year our 13 year old son Emory was diagnosed with an osteosarcoma, or bone tumor in his left leg (September 11 to be exact). After extensive chemotherapy treatments and major reconstructive surgery, followed by more treatments, he is on the road to recovery. During one of our many visits to the Hershey hospital we learned of the Hunt of a Lifetime Foundation. HOAL is a nonprofit organization with a mission to grant hunting & fishing adventures and dreams for children age 21 and under who have been diagnosed with life threatening illnesses.

Emory’s dream hunt started with a caribou hunt in Alaska, but came together as an elk and moose hunt in British Columbia “even more awesome”. Last minute passports were needed and arrived the day before we shipped out, thanks to the assistance of Senator Bob Casey’s office. Having never hunted and only having been on a plane once, this was quite an adventure for Emory (and Dad). We went from about 85 degrees in Lancaster to the mid thirties upon our arrival in Fort St. John BC. From there we drove 3.5 hours north along the Alaskan Highway to a remote airstrip where we were flown by tiny plane even further out into the wilderness to the Prophet Muskwa lodge at Sleeping Chief Mountain.

From thereon it would be all horses- crossing rivers, climbing up and down snow covered mountains and busting trails through spruce forests. Who would have known that within the first hours of that first morning we would encounter elk? Even our guide Marty was surprised. Soon after crossing the Muskwa River and entering the woods, we heard a nearby bugle and quickly dismounted, throwing out some cow calls, but no response. After the initial excitement wore off we got back on the horses and headed towards a small clearing. Immediately upon entering the clearing 3 cow elk ran across and then, we heard a loud bugle- the bull was close behind.

Frantically getting Emory off his horse and into position, Marty called again and this time was answered- up close and personal. The bull started heading our way and in the fog couldn’t see where we were hidden. It all happened so fast, but Emory’s training paid off with a well placed shot to a nice 6×7 bull at 55 yards. Marty was so excited he jumped up and down, hooting and hollering while Emory and I looked at each other in disbelief. After many pictures and expressions of happiness, we harvested the meat and prepared the cape and antlers for transport. Since it was so early, we continued our adventure in search of moose and in hopes that a Grizzly wouldn’t steal our game. We were happy to see the bundle still intact on our return trip.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch… celebrations were in order upon our return. Some hunters had hunted hard for days without seeing a good bull. Apparently, our experience was anything but typical. Although Emory didn’t connect with a moose, we had much more adventure trying, including an overnight stay in a remote camp well guarded by thieving grizzlies. Our sincere thanks go out to HOAL and their many sponsors and supporters. It truly was a Hunt of a Lifetime!