Ray Howell : Kicking Bear

From the Heart by "The Cameraman" Mike Langrehr

With only minutes left of shooting time the buck of a lifetime for 15 year old Dylan Steers stood 130 yards away, facing right at us. Everyone in the blind was deathly silent. Dylan had the crosshairs on the buck but had no shot until he turned broad side. For a full 3 minutes the deer stood motionless, his attention on something beyond our blind. With closing time getting close time was running out. As a distant shot rang up though the valley the buck's casual posture changed suddenly and in a heartbeat he turned to leave. With perfect timing Dylan's mentor, Matt Berg, bleated at the disappearing dream and brought him to a standstill. As he quartered towards us slightly I heard Matt whisper in Dylan's ear, "Put the crosshairs right on the top of his shoulder and squeeze slowly."

At a time like this I am sure most people would not have time to ponder what exactly put them in this situation but as "the cameraman" I was able to look at this moment and remember what had taken place to put young Dylan and Matt together in this blind for a chance at Dylan's first buck.

Matt and I have been volunteering at one of Ray Howell's "Kicking Bear Camps" for the past several years. During this time we have become quite a team. We love the excitement of introducing younger people into the outdoors. In July of 2006, at the Arrow's in The Square Archery Shop Kicking Bear Camp we were introduced to Dylan. He was the lucky winner of a deer hunt donated by Rattle Snake Ridge Outfitters of Holmen, Wisconsin . With Matt acting as the mentor, I would be the cameraman. While Dylan had hunted before he had yet to take his first deer and we hoped to be there when it happened.

As Wisconsin 's youth deer hunt quickly approached we invited Dylan out to sight in his rifle and just get to know each other. This is where Matt is at his best. He can really relate to these kids and before long Dylan and Matt were the best of friends. The camaraderie is really why we do this. Some of these kids are from broken homes and simple little things to us make a lifetime of memories for these kids. Dylan started out a little quiet and shy in front of the camera but with Matt's guidance they were soon joking and laughing as Dylan showed us he could easily hit the bull's eye with Matt's Savage Youth 7mm caliber rifle. We were ready for the adventure to continue.

A warm sunny afternoon in October found us back together again. This time sitting in the blind anticipating the excitement we hoped would occur. A light breeze was keeping the blind comfortable and our scent from the field we were watching. It is really a pleasure watching Matt pass the time with his young hunting partners. He is patient while going over the firearm safety that we stress so much. He also goes over some of the scenarios that might occur as the evening goes on. He tries to prepare Dylan for everything to help lessen the excitement before it occurs. As we pass the time Dylan mentions he has a cousin that shot a nice 6 pointer last fall. His goal is to shoot a buck bigger then his cousin. Matt tells him that could be a tall order but anything is possible when hunting.

We see our first deer early. A young doe comes out to the alfalfa field about 250 yards from us. The tension in the blind quickly escalates. We quickly get set up and then have to wait. She is too far out for our comfortable shooting range. Matt is very strict about range and shot placement. We pride ourselves on one shot kills. He explains just where to settle the crosshairs on the unsuspecting doe. As the night unfolds several deer filter out of the wooded hillsides but everything seems to know our preset comfort range and stays just outside of it tempting us. Shooting time is quickly coming to a close. The sun has long since set and as the daylight wanes so does Dylan's excitement level.

Suddenly, while everyone's attention is still on the distant deer I spot a lone doe off on our right at about 40 yards. I quickly alert Matt. While trying to be as quiet as possible he helps Dylan shift position and he slowly swings his gun around. She is really getting nervous prancing back and forth and stomping her feet. We can hear snorting in the woods above her and know she is not going to stick around long. Matt calms Dylan down and talks him through the shot. To the cameraman, it always seems to take forever for the gun to go off but as the shot echoes across the valley Dylan has harvested his first whitetail. After the congratulations and picture taking Dylan and Matt make plans to fulfill Dylan's dream of shooting a buck bigger then his cousin's tomorrow night.

That brings us back to the beginning. What we now had standing at 130 yards with only minutes left of shooting time would look great on most hunter's wall. Matt's quick bleat had Dylan in a position to fulfill that goal. As Dylan settled the crosshairs on the shoulder of the big 8 pointer Matt whispered in his ear to squeeze slowly. At the sound of the shot the buck dropped in his tracks. The tension inside the blind erupted. Matt was screaming! "You got him! You got him! Oh what a buck!" Dylan was taking in huge gulps of air as if he had been holding his breath through the whole ordeal. Matt reminded Dylan about safety on the gun and we quickly but cautiously made our way over to the monster. The look on Dylan's face is something I will remember for as long as I live. He had truly gone through a life changing experience.

I have made many good friends in the 50+ years in the outdoors but Matt Berg is going to rank right up at the top for a very long time. The relationship he builds with these young people is phenomenal. The camaraderie, the laughing and joking while in the blind or truck, has these young hunters viewing Matt more as a big brother then a mentor. While Dylan will not truly appreciate what Matt is doing for him for quite some time I believe he understands he has made a great friend. I know a certain cameraman that already understands and appreciates the life changing experience Matt has created for him. I only hope that someday we all meet our "Matt".