The Flavor of Courage
By Daniel James Hendricks
Courage comes in many different flavors. The annual meeting of the PCBA at Indian Bluffs this past October treated me to an example of strength that sent me away from the event with far more than I had brought to it. It was at Billy Ellis' compound that I met a young man and his family that gave my life even more meaning.
The young man that I write about is Patrick Hubbard. He and his folks, Ken and Tricia had traveled from Alabama, not only to attend the meeting, but also to complete Patrick's "Grand Slam" for the Exotic record book.
Now for those of you that do not know what the Grand Slam is, I will explain. A Grand Slam or a Texas Slam is the taking of four animals from the exotic sheep family. It must include one each of a Corsican Ram, a Black Hawaiian, a Texas Dall and a Mouflon. Patrick, since February of 1994 had been working on his grand slam. To date he had harvested all but the Texas Dall and was here at the annual hunt to complete his worthy mission.
The first day of the hunt at Indian Bluffs he and his hunting partner, Justin Skidmore, were treated to the appearance of trophy animals moving into the scope of their ground blind. After studying the herd, Patrick chose the Texas dall that he wanted and took his shot at the animal. The arrow from his crossbow entered the animal high on the shoulder, but it was agreed by the hunters and Ken that it was a good, solid shot. Thinking that Patrick had his animal down, Justin took aim at a large Corsican ram and shot his arrow through both lungs of the creature.
After giving the rams time to expire, Justin ventured out to locate the downed trophies. His Corsican had gone only thirty yards before it piled up. As he moved on to locate the Dall, he soon discovered that the white curly-horned ram was no where to be found. There was very little blood left on the trail and that soon disappeared. The big ram was gone without a trace.
Later that day, the ram was spotted by other hunters and it was determined that the bolt had passed through the animal between the vitals and the spine.
After discussing the facts with Patrick about his elusive white Texas Dall, I was surprised to learn that he would not shoot another animal. The ram that he had chosen was the one that he had shot at and wounded, it was the one that he wanted and he would not settle for anything less. For the next two days this determined young hunter passed up shot after shot waiting for the ram that had escaped his attack. He had several chances at the animal again, but was unable to succeed until the last day of the hunt.
He had changed blinds to one that was more suitable to his equipment and his chair. Patrick, like most hunters, is a little superstitious. When you feel in your heart that a blind in jinxed, it's best to move on. All the jinxed blind can rob you of is your self-confidence! That my friends is more than enough to make it truly a jinxed stand!
The next morning, shortly after arriving at the new blind, his ram, along with a huge Corsican, wandered into the little clearing right on cue. After waiting for his best shot, Patrick launched a bolt from his crossbow that put the animal down for good. His determina-tion and persistence had paid big dividends in the end. He had completed his grand slam and he had done it like a true sportsman!
After the ram had been measured, the young hunter was disappointed to find out that it was not as big as he
The ram may not have been a gold medal animal, but the young hunter that brought this Texas Dall to the trophy wall was a "GOLD MEDAL HUNTER". He is a credit to our sport and each of us should take the example of Patrick Hubbard to heart. He could have capitalized on the sympathy that every one was feeling for him and he could have taken the easy route and just shot another animal. But, I know in my heart that this young archer doesn't take the easy way at anything! He is what all hunters and all human beings SHOULD be!
Thank you for touching my life, Mr. Patrick Hubbard, I salute your "FLAVOR OF COURAGE"!
