If you read my last blog you know last Saturday evening I missed the opportunity for a shot at a nice buck because my trigger mechanism didn't work correctly. As soon as I could, I made adjustments to my rifle and the firing mechanism. After I tested the changes very carefully using snap caps I was ready to return hunting. Because of scheduling issues I wasn't able to get out until Wednesday. It was a sunny, beautiful day with the temperature in the high 30s. The blind where I went allowed me to bask in the sun until late in the afternoon. I love watching the shadows crawl across the field and I never tire of being in this beautiful setting. Obviously, as the sun disappeared I began to get cold.
Because of my tremendous desire to return to the out of doors after my injury I purchased the wheelchair called an Extreme 4 x 4 which was originally manufactured in Australia but became available in the United States around 2001. I purchased mine late in 2002 and I've loved it ever since. It is a rugged, well-made piece of equipment. Companies are finally starting to realize not every individual who needs a wheelchair wants to be in a shopping mall. We are seeing more and more wheelchairs available for individuals who wish to travel on nontraditional terrain. Many of these new wheelchairs are even available in camouflage colors. Over the years I have fine-tuned mine so it is an extension of me and specialized for the things I wish to do.
As dusk settled in I realized that no deer were going to show up. Before total darkness had settled in Marge showed up to walk home with me. We headed out of the field onto a deserted farm road which connects to an abandoned town road that is occasionally used by the local highway department to dump stuff such as downed trees. All of a sudden, as we were moving along, my wheelchair came to an abrupt halt and gave off a burning electrical smell. Quickly, it became obvious that we were not going to be able to get the wheelchair running again. Recently, I had switched from using a walkie-talkie to communicate, while outdoors, to using a voice activated cell phone which is strapped on my wrist. I was able to call my neighbor Mike, who is one of my guardian angels, and he said he would be there as quickly as possible. Marge went home to meet Mike and to help him get any equipment he might need. Fortunately, I had placed a small but very bright flashlight on the post that supports my rifle so I didn't have to sit there in the dark. But as dusk turned to night the temperature continued to drop. After about 30 to 40 minutes I could hear something driving toward me and could see a light bobbing and weaving across the field. The abandoned road that I was stuck on connects to a trail that leads across another very large field and ultimately to Mike's driveway. Whatever it was that was coming to rescue me turned onto the road I was on and continued toward me. As it drew closer I realized it was Mike on a riding lawnmower. He had come to my rescue as he has many of times. After hooking me up he towed me about a half a mile to my house.
I called the manufacturer of the chair today,
Innovation in Motion, to find out if parts were still available because they no longer make my model of the Extreme. They have a very similar chair I believe it's called the X8 Extreme. Much to my relief they ensured me than any of the parts that will be needed for repair are available and will be shipped promptly. I sure hope so because hunting season goes until December 4.
Please understand, as in anything you do, there are certain inherent risks involved. Try these adapters at your own risk. There are many ways to fire a weapon. As a general rule individuals with quadriplegia lack the ability to squeeze. When a friend offered to try and make an adaptive trigger for me he asked me what movement was most comfortable. After some thought I decided it was pulling toward me. The first adapter he created was based on this movement and worked very well. He made it out of a piece of aluminum which attached to the trigger on my weapon and was held in place by two small allen screws. A curved section projected outside the trigger guard for me to hook with my index finger and then pull toward me when I wanted to shoot. The problem of pushing off the safety was made easier by brazing the plunger portion of a dental syringe on the safety. Marshall Thayer was a very generous and creative man. My own vanity proved to be the downfall of this device. Several years later I removed it because I believed I could now use my index finger normally. When I tried to return the adapter to my gun I was unable to get the allen screws tight and it fell off one day while I was hunting.
Marshall had passed away so I decided to try and create my own adaption. I had long believed it possible to bring the firing action to the top of the weapon. I taped two pieces of plastic tubing on each side of the stock grip. The next step was to find a suitable material to run down though one tube across the trigger and up the tube on the opposite side to fasten on the top. I tried everything: string, wire, rawhide shoelace, a rubber band, yarn, the wire ties off bread wrappers, fishing line, lanyard and even pipe cleaners but nothing worked. Then one day I realized cable ties came in a variety of sizes. The right size worked perfectly.
After the trigger is fired the cable tie must relax but maintain its position close to the trigger. After firing the weapon you must be absolutely positive that the trigger will return to its normal position. On a semi-automatic weapon if the cable tie does not relax the gun will fire again immediately creating a dangerous situation. The tie must be close enough to the trigger to fire when pressure is applied and then loosen enough to release the trigger when pressure is released. After the cable tie was tightened properly it is fastened together. I then placed a smaller cable tie through the first creating a loop to put my finger through which I could pull to fire the weapon. After using the loop awhile I decided a string would be better letting me fire the weapon with my mouth thus freeing my hands to steady the gun. I call my creation the Poor Man’s Trigger Adapter or PMTA.
Putting one of these trigger adapters on your gun is not that difficult. What is difficult is to pay attention to the details so that you put it on correctly. All normal gun safety precautions should be followed. If you wish to make this adapter I strongly urge you to look at the detailed plans on my website
www.handihelp.net
Any hunter perusing turkeys or other game with exceptional vision faces the challenge of camouflaging themself and concealing any movement. This can be very difficult over an extended period of time when game is close but not presenting a good shot. It can also be heightened by insects and weather to mention just a few factors. Concealment is compounded for an individual in a wheelchair.
Hunting is tough in a regular wheelchair which is the way I started. I used a large piece of die-cut camouflage to cover myself and the chair. It was difficult to get to a good spot to begin with. Getting stuck was common as was getting the camo rapped around my wheels. Much of the time my wife ended up pulling and cutting me out. My purchase of an Extreme 4x4 wheelchair started to turn things around. I was now able to back into hedgerows for greater concealment.
A couple years ago a fellow mentioned using snow fence to make blinds. Some friends put several up on a neighbor’s land where I had permission to hunt. The landowner also did not mind if the blinds were left up. Once the snow fence was up it was covered with camo material and then we added some fake vegetation from a craft store. Only my head and gun are above the blind. This has worked wonders. I have had turkeys walk within 10 feet of me and deer feed and pass a little further out. I can even move my chair when deer are nearby and it does not seem to bother them.
I have also used commercial tent blinds like the Outhouse blind but I don’t like being zippered in. We even went so far as to use Velcro straps to replace the zipper. They are all right in bad weather but I would rather be outside. Recently I purchase a ground blind at Gander Mountain made by Gorilla Gear called the Adjustable Height Blind. It is a portable ground blind that has 5 adjustable stakes which can be set anywhere between 25” to 40”. It is made of die-cut 3D leafy material, is 11feet long and cost $15.00. I am looking forward to using it this spring.
Many of the products made for individuals with disabilities are very expensive. I set out trying to find existing equipment that was relatively inexpensive and then modifying it to create an adaptive devise which would allow a person with quadriplegia, limited grip or compromised range of motion to mount and fire a weapon. What I have come up with is a slight modification to one of two existing products by BOG GEAR which can be purchased at Cabela’s for approximately $100 dollars.
You should be aware that any modifications are neither sanctioned nor encouraged by BOG GEAR and will void any warranty that came with the product. The two devices I used are the BOG POD, a monopod, and the BOG Xtreme Shooting Rest (XSR) which is designed to be a shooting rest for a shotgun or rifle. The XSR adjusts to fit almost any weapon. The monopod is designed to telescope to the ground and be used like a shooting stick. There are other useful attachments for the monopod such as a camera mount. BOG GEAR'S Switcheroo System allows for quick and easy change of accessories. The XSR attaches to the top of the BOG POD and swivels 360 degrees. One thing I really like about the XSR is that the trigger is positioned behind the apparatus so it is very easy to access. As can be seen in the picture below it even allowed me to get my index finger on the trigger. Unfortunately, the elevation is adjusted by twisting the BOG POD and enabling it to telescope up or down. This will not work for me or most quadriplegics because of our poor grip. So I had to figure out another way compensate for this drawback.
The first adaption I made was to cut the BOG Pod’s top section down to 24”. Cutting the top tube is the only adaption that had to be made. The top tube has a diameter of 5/8” while my chair mounting bracket is 3/4” so the machinist I went to felt the best thing to do, given my situation, was to replace the BOG POD monopod with a 3/4” solid aluminum tube. This allowed the pod to be fastened to my wheelchair. This would not be necessary if the hole in your chair mount was the same as the BOG POD tube diameter. Once the height is adjusted the elevation can be controlled pulling or relaxing on a web strap which is fixed to the tube.
Before using the mount you should have an able-bodied companion fire the weapon. The first time you use the shooting mount use a small caliber rifle. The purpose of these procedures is to reduce any possible problems prior to your use of the adaption. Please understand, as in anything you do, there are certain inherent risks involved. Try this apparatus at your own risk.
