r Dallas Gilbert-Branin is a 15-year-old young man with a terminal illness, Duchene Muscular Dystrophy. One of the joys in his life is hunting with his father, and one of the things he wanted to hunt was a trophy ram sheep. During the recent Chairbound Sportsman Banquet, a trophy Ram sheep hunt was auctioned off and purchased by a frequent volunteer for the Chairbound Sportsman, Tony Thurber. Knowing Dallas’s dream to hunt a ram sheep Tony donated the Trophy Ram Sheep Hunt to Dallas.
Dallas’s hunt was further facilitated with the use of Andy Dahman’s side-by-side ATV with a mounted Caldwell gun rest. Dallas’s father, Todd Branin said his son’s nickname is “Sniper” because he is such a good shot. The hunt was held on the mountain ranch property of Dave Shepherd who has a herd of Corsican Barbados Sheep for hunting. Dallas brought down the Ram with one shot to the heart.
Kenneth Vaughn of the Chairbound Sportsman Organization had arranged a ram sheep hunt for two more individuals. David Gardner, a Wounded Warrior who has been an active volunteer for the Chairbound Sportsman for the past 8 years and two years ago shot a ram sheep himself. His 16-year-old son, Gavin Gardner, has also been a helpful volunteer for the past several years and had an opportunity to shoot his own ram sheep during the adventurous day on the mountainous terrain of the Shepard Ranch. He proved to be a great shot and is on his way to becoming a future sniper qualified marksman.
Dale Lawrence, a quadriplegic, broke his neck seven years ago in a high school wrestling match. This ram sheep hunt was his first big game hunt since his accident. Dale was able to shoot a 7mm Winchester rifle with several special accommodations so he could shoot the gun well. It had a trigger aide modified by a gunsmith to be shot by persons with little finger strength or dexterity. The rifle belonged to a professional bull rider who became a quadriplegic, but with the modified trigger he was able to take many deer and elk during his lifetime after the accident. The gun was recently donated to the Chairbound Sportsman Organization to open up more shooting opportunities for Chairbound Sportsman members. On the day of this hunt Dale Lawrence took down a mature ram sheep and the accomplishment brought a wonderful smile to his face.
