Post by Bobcat on Sept 26, 2003 15:07:32 GMT -5
By BOB ANEZ - Associated Press Writer - 09/26/03
....makes you proud of hunters and brings a tear to your eyes........
HELENA — For much of his 12 years, John Belk has had a dream to hunt in Montana.
Now the Brandon, Miss., boy, dying of cancer, will get his wish without waiting for the state's regular hunting season — a three-week wait that his short life cannot afford.
The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission on Thursday unanimously approved the Belk family's request to allow him to hunt deer in southeastern Montana next week, before the regular rifle season opens Oct 26.
‘‘His dream is he'd be able to hunt in the West and have the opportunity to take a deer,'' said Chairman Dan Walker of Billings, who brought the issue to the attention of fellow commissioners.
He said the boy was completing a round of chemotherapy treatments and would be able to be in Montana next week. He has just completed the hunter safety education course required to get a hunting license and has obtained an outfitter-sponsored permit through Doonan Gulch Outfitters in Broadus, Walker said.
The commission agreed to let the boy hunt between Sept. 29 and Oct. 5 in the hunting district that covers the Broadus-Ashland area east of Billings.
Doctors have said young Belk may not be able to make the trip after that, Walker said.
He said the unusual privilege for the terminally ill boy is justified.
‘‘To me, it's an exception we just have to make,'' Walker said during a brief meeting of the commission by telephone conference call.
Delta Airlines has agreed to fly the family to Montana, and an organization called Catch-A-Dream, which grants once-in-a-lifetime outdoor experiences to children with life-threatening illnesses, helped with the arrangements, Walker said.
If the boy gets a deer, a taxidermist has promised to mount the animal within 10 days, he added. ‘‘There are people ready to kick in and get things done.''
A phone message left at the home of Belk's parents, James and Laurieanne, was not immediately returned.
Commissioner John Brenden of Scobey said the fish and game agency should do anything it can to make Belk's time in Montana memorable.
But Walker advised restraint: ‘‘I think that family needs privacy, and it's my hope this thing can be conducted in a sportsmanlike way. You just can't imagine how they must be suffering.''
Jeff Hagener, Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks director, said this was the first time in the memory of veteran employees that such an advance hunt has been allowed.
He said the agency sometimes gets requests from people with health problems wanting to obtain a hunting license, but the state cannot issue such special licenses. In this case, Belk already had his license, and only the dates had to be adjusted.
‘‘The time is getting shorter,'' Hagener said. ‘‘This is probably the only hunt this child will ever go on.''
....makes you proud of hunters and brings a tear to your eyes........
HELENA — For much of his 12 years, John Belk has had a dream to hunt in Montana.
Now the Brandon, Miss., boy, dying of cancer, will get his wish without waiting for the state's regular hunting season — a three-week wait that his short life cannot afford.
The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission on Thursday unanimously approved the Belk family's request to allow him to hunt deer in southeastern Montana next week, before the regular rifle season opens Oct 26.
‘‘His dream is he'd be able to hunt in the West and have the opportunity to take a deer,'' said Chairman Dan Walker of Billings, who brought the issue to the attention of fellow commissioners.
He said the boy was completing a round of chemotherapy treatments and would be able to be in Montana next week. He has just completed the hunter safety education course required to get a hunting license and has obtained an outfitter-sponsored permit through Doonan Gulch Outfitters in Broadus, Walker said.
The commission agreed to let the boy hunt between Sept. 29 and Oct. 5 in the hunting district that covers the Broadus-Ashland area east of Billings.
Doctors have said young Belk may not be able to make the trip after that, Walker said.
He said the unusual privilege for the terminally ill boy is justified.
‘‘To me, it's an exception we just have to make,'' Walker said during a brief meeting of the commission by telephone conference call.
Delta Airlines has agreed to fly the family to Montana, and an organization called Catch-A-Dream, which grants once-in-a-lifetime outdoor experiences to children with life-threatening illnesses, helped with the arrangements, Walker said.
If the boy gets a deer, a taxidermist has promised to mount the animal within 10 days, he added. ‘‘There are people ready to kick in and get things done.''
A phone message left at the home of Belk's parents, James and Laurieanne, was not immediately returned.
Commissioner John Brenden of Scobey said the fish and game agency should do anything it can to make Belk's time in Montana memorable.
But Walker advised restraint: ‘‘I think that family needs privacy, and it's my hope this thing can be conducted in a sportsmanlike way. You just can't imagine how they must be suffering.''
Jeff Hagener, Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks director, said this was the first time in the memory of veteran employees that such an advance hunt has been allowed.
He said the agency sometimes gets requests from people with health problems wanting to obtain a hunting license, but the state cannot issue such special licenses. In this case, Belk already had his license, and only the dates had to be adjusted.
‘‘The time is getting shorter,'' Hagener said. ‘‘This is probably the only hunt this child will ever go on.''
