Missouri Baptist Homes helps seniors get outdoors
There comes a time in the life of every hunter when it seems like hanging up the blaze orange is inevitable. It could be because the legs no longer hold up long enough for a trek into the woods. Or maybe the eyes grew too fuzzy to squint through iron sights. Or it could be that patch of woods where the trophy bucks once ranged is now a subdivision.
That was the case for Ozark resident Doug McClelland. At 85, Doug figured his hunting days were behind him. A lifetime of driving semis on crooked roads left him with shoulder trouble. He had both of his shoulders replaced, only to have his hips give out. Meanwhile the land where he used to hunt was sold to people from out of state who didn’t welcome hunters on their land.
But on opening day this past November Doug found himself taking aim at a deer for the first time in 15 years with assistance from Matt Miles, his mentor for the hunt. He squeezed the trigger and the deer took off, with Doug thinking he had missed. But after a short search he found his aim had been true.
“We sat there for close to four hours,” Doug says of the hunt. “We never saw nothing but a rabbit. It was getting real close to no-shoot time when we saw a buck and a doe. The doe come out first. She got that scared look in her eyes like she had gotten wind of us or something. He said, ‘you better take her’ so I fired it off.”
As Doug relates the story of the hunt, the excitement of a much younger man returns to his voice. Getting back in the woods possibly added years to his life — and life to his years. The success of the hunt was just icing on the cake.
Doug and several other senior citizens were back in the woods this season thanks to an innovative program put together by the Missouri Baptist Homes Healthcare Ministries designed to get residents of their nine homes back in the woods. Rodney Harrison, president and CEO of Baptist Homes, says the idea came from a hunt he did with his aging father.
“I never could have envisioned the impact it made on him,” Rodney recalls. “Not only was he so excited. But the next thing I know, I’m getting calls from folks at his church and other places saying, ‘I heard your dad got this really nice buck.’ And so it became a really special hunt. And the irony is that was the last year that he could physically hunt.”
The experience with his father got Rodney thinking there were others living in the Baptist homes who could benefit from spending time in the woods. All that was missing was a mentor to take them under their wing, like his own father had done for him so many years ago.
Rodney shared the idea of a senior deer hunt with the National Deer Association, which thought it fit perfectly with their mission. With support from the association and the Missouri Department of Conservation, the Missouri Baptist Homes held its first senior hunt in September 2022 with the Arcadia Valley campus. Two other homes in Ozark and Ashland also hosted hunts. No one got a deer, but it didn’t matter.
“We had one gal, this deer popped up 30 yards from her and she was so excited she started clapping. Well, that was the end of the deer. But it was delightful. Everybody was having such a great time,” Rodney says.
He tells about a retired pastor who lives at the Arcadia Valley home. The man had lost his wife and had given up on life. He had to be talked into joining the hunt. “He said through this event God showed him that he brought him here to live and not die. And now he’s leading weekly Bible studies. He going to the pond every weekend. He’s organized fishing trips. This is reactivating seniors.”
In 2023 the Tri-County home in Vandalia joined the program. The goal is to get all nine homes involved while building on the lessons learned in past hunts. “Last year was kind of extemporaneous,” Rodney says. “This year we’ve had dozens and dozens of volunteers coming in, and they’ve helped us put in food plots. They’ve helped us organize some burns and invasive weed control and with doing a little better blind placement. So, it’s a growing event. And that’s fascinating.”
One of those who offered to help is Matt Miles, a Webster Electric Cooperative member who lives near Fordland on a beautiful piece of Ozark woodland complete with native grass pasture and a spring that runs out of a cave to form a trout pond. Matt read about the senior hunts in Missouri Conservationist and quickly invited Rodney out to his home to see how he could help.
“When I showed up at his house I realized this is Matt Miles, the wildlife photographer,” Rodney says. “I followed his photography for years. What he wanted to do is help the residents have a high probability of success.”
Matt’s land is managed for deer and other wildlife. He’s photographed everything from black bears to bobcats there, and knew it teemed with deer. His plan was to host a one-on-one hunt.
“We’re really blessed to have this place,” Matt says. “And I want it to be a blessing to others. Whether it’s someone of Doug’s age or some youngster who is just starting out, I just thought it would be neat to mentor people here on this property.”
Thanks to volunteers like Matt, the 2023 senior hunt was successful in more ways than one. On Nov. 20-21, the Ozark campus held its senior deer hunt with Doug and three other hunters taking part. Doug had already filled his any-deer tag, so could only hunt for does. Unfortunately for Doug, he saw 18 bucks, some from as close as 25 yards, but no does.
However, the other three hunters, including one 94 years old, took deer that day. Other hunts took place in December with the Vandalia and Ashland campuses. One hunter told Pam Workman, Ozark campus administrator, “This is the happiest I’ve been in years.”
Rodney says Baptist Homes is committed to continuing the senior hunts. He tells of one resident who returned from a hunt and went door to door telling of her experience. That led to an indoor hunt using Nerf guns. “The laughter in that building was just contagious,” he says. “Everyone was getting involved, the staff and the residents. There was not a dry eye as the seniors realized ‘we’re living.’ ”
For more information about Missouri Baptist Homes Healthcare Ministries, visit www.bhhm.org or call 866-454-2709. You can learn more about the National Deer Association at www.deerassociation.com.