Wow, talk about true Christmas Spirit. Very nice story to this.
At 98, Michigan hunter finally bags his 1st elkBy The Associated Press, found at Mlive.com
December 11, 2009
Chet Briggs, 98, poses with the elk he shot at Canada
Creek Ranch in Thunder Bay Township. Briggs had been
applying for an elk tag for 30 years, but always came
away empty handed. This June, Larry Burcz was
selected for a tag and awarded it to Briggs. (AP
photo/The Alpena News)ALPENA -- Ninety-eight-year-old Chet Briggs has had his share of hunting success in northeast Michigan, but the one thing missing, the one thing he could never get was an elk.
That is, until Thursday.
Briggs has been entering the Michigan Department of Natural Resource's lottery for an elk license for 30 years but fate never seemed to smile on him. When a good friend made a heartfelt gesture, Briggs' dreams of elk hunting became a reality.
Back in June, Larry Burcz, a seasoned elk hunter who has known Briggs for 44 years, was selected to receive one of the hard-to-get permits.
After digesting the good news, he made the decision to use a special regulation that allows an elk tag winner to transfer his tag to another hunter and he made up his mind to give it to Briggs.
Burcz said it really didn't take much thought. Briggs deserved it.
"It was a gesture of giving someone special something they really want," Burcz said. "I felt it was very important for a guy like Chet to experience it. God wanted me to do something special for him. To give him a little piece of heaven while on Earth."
Briggs said he was shocked when Burcz told him what he intended to do with the tag and about an impending December hunt.
"I told him I didn't know if I would live that long," Briggs said. "He said, 'I'll take my chances.' That was one of the nicest things anybody has ever done for me. It's a dream come true. Who would give up their elk license? Not many people."
Shortly after Briggs got the news, he started to prepare for the hunt.
His grandson, Dave Briggs Jr., said the man's entire outlook on life was altered with the news.
"When he found out he went from 98 to 70. The doctor joked with him by telling him he needed to settle down if he wanted to make it to December," Dave Briggs Jr. said. "He started walking up staircases to get into shape. There was more spring in his step and a glimmer in his eye. I tear up just thinking about it."
Tuesday was opening day of the December elk hunt and Burcz had been scouting the animals in preparation of Briggs' big hunt. After two days of tracking and battling inclement weather conditions that had dropped a foot of snow on the Canada Creek Ranch in Montmorency County's Thunder Bay Township, Briggs shot a 1x3 elk Thursday morning. Although the season started out slowly, Burcz said the man never gave out hope that he would get his animal.
"He woke up this morning and said, 'Today is the day' and lo and behold it was. His spirits were high the entire time, and it was some really tough hunting this year," Burcz said. "All the members and other hunters were pulling for him and helped put him in the best possible position to get it. We were all wet eyed when he shot it. It was kind of like watching your child do something special for the first time. It was that kind of pride you felt."
Because of Briggs' poor eyesight, his son and grandson took his 30-06 and modified it with a laser sighting system which would make it easier for him to mark the animal.
"He couldn't see the cross-hairs in the scope," Burcz said. "With (the laser sighting system) he put the gun up and his grandson, using the binoculars, would tell him if he needed to go higher or lower, left or right."
His son, who made the trip from Texas to take part in his father's special hunt, filled the cartridges himself and customized the bullets.
"We shot 60 rounds, which is a lot. We wanted it to be perfect for him, and it was," Dave Briggs said. "If I would have made them any more powerful it might have been too big of a kick and bruised him. This means the world to me to be able to share this with my dad."
After receiving congratulations and sharing a lunch with his comrades on Thursday, it was time for Briggs to return to the sight of the kill.
There, he field dressed the 400-pound elk.
He said there would be a lot of meat from the animal, but none of it would go to waste.
"I have a lot of family that will get some and a lot of friends too," Briggs said. "This is the best Christmas gift I have ever gotten. I can never thank (Burcz) enough for what he has done for me. It's amazing."
http://www.mlive.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2009/12/at_98_michigan_hunter_finally.html
