Elk hunt Brandon Schmitz, who suffers from a degenerative muscle condition, is an avid outdoorsman. He accomplished one of his principal dreams this past fall with a successful elk hunt in Idaho, when he bagged this 7 by 7 bull elk. His trip was provided by a national group, Hunt of a Lifetime, with assistance also from local groups Ringnecks Forevermore and the Wahoo Valley and Wadena chapters of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association. (Submitted photo) A young man who has spent much of his 17 years outdoors recently returned from his Hunt of a Lifetime.

Brandon Schmitz of rural Wadena, son of Tom and Mary Schmitz, bagged a huge bull elk on a hunting trip to Idaho, fulfilling a dream he has had for the past several years.

“I’d do it again, in the blink of an eye,” Brandon said of his experience last December.

Brandon has not let a serious medical condition keep him from spending hours hunting, fishing and trapping. When he’s not afield, he most likely can be found working on taxidermy mounts of his fish or wildlife.

“I’m a junior at Wadena-Deer Creek School, I have spinal muscular atrophy which gives me weak leg muscles. I get around by a wheelchair,” Brandon explained, when asked about his medical condition. It it a degenerative condition, a life threatening one.

As such, he qualified for a special experience through a national organization called Hunt of a Lifetime. This group, founded by parents of a young man who also pursued his outdoor dreams prior to his death, provides hunting or fishing experiences for young people faced with similar medical conditions.

Hunt of a Lifetime plans and arranges all details of the trip. They provide the trip free of expenses for the young man or woman they are helping. Locally, three organizations also helped Brandon’s family with donations that covered extra expenses. Brandon’s dad was also on the trip with him.

“The Wahoo Valley Chapter of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association got us in contact with Hunt of a Lifetime. They made all the arrangements and set everything up. Wahoo Valley and Ringnecks Forevermore had a fundraiser and raised money which we used to purchase clothing and supplies.”

Also assisting with their trip was the Wadena Chapter of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association.

The national Hunt of a Lifetime group spared no expenses for the experience. “They just told us to bring warm clothing and a camera,” Brandon said. They left Dec. 1 for their trip, which was planned for five days.

“We flew out of Fargo to Boise, Idaho, and then we met the coordinator from Hunt of a Lifetime. Then we drove

to Riggens, Idaho where we stayed.”

Brandon said Riggens is a very mountainous area. “The cabin where we stayed was at 8,000 feet in elevation.

It was very pretty country and rugged. There was about two feet of snow. They treated us very well, fed us like kings.”

They were staying on a ranch. “We ate in a lodge and we slept in a bunk house. It was a working ranch. Our main guide was the son of the ranch owner. He was about 30 and he grew up on the ranch, he knew the country very well.”

They rode in an army Jeep which they managed to get stuck, but never so bad that four-wheel drive could not get them out.

“It was in rugged country but we used a Jeep to get around on old logging switchback trails through the mountains. ”

Over three days they saw several big bulls, perhaps a half dozen that Brandon said were bigger than the one he shot. “The first day I could have had a shot but I wasn’t quite quick enough, he stepped behind a tree before I could shoot.

“I shot my elk on the third day. We hunted the first three days and saw quite a few bulls but never got the opportunity to pull the trigger. We saw a lot of elk but they were either to far away or to small.”

His kill was quick. “I fired one shot and didn’t miss at all. His Royal bull’s horns are 7 by 7 with a 58 inch spread. It scored 352. Boone and Crockett,” Brandon said. He said one of the bulls he saw earlier may have scored 400, but 7 by 7 is the biggest horns there are.

It is being mounted, but it is not done yet.

Brandon has hunted white tail deer in Minnesota for several years, and became interested in elk hunting a few years back. “I just thought it would really be cool, they are so huge. Mine weighed over 800 pounds.

Asked what are your future dreams after this hunt, Brandon replied another one would be fun to do. “But I don’t think I will be going on another one anytime soon.”

Brandon now has his memories plus Hunt of a Lifetime gave him a Remington 7 mm rifle complete with a scope, sling, rifle case, ammo and other accessories.

Bill Smith from the Wahoo Valley MDHA Chapter said his group and the other two groups were extremely happy to have helped the young man out. He said the Hunt of a Lifetime organization provided Brandon with the new rifle and accessories, furnished his licenses and paid all travel and other expenses for Brandon and his dad. They are also arranging for the trophy to be caped and mounted, plus having the elk meat processed and shipped back to Wadena. Other incidental expenses were covered by funds from the three local groups, which raised money at their annual banquets and other fund raisers.