NY Sportsmen

 

David Wilson - Beau 

I had a rare opportunity to meet a 61 year old Massena native David Wilson (Beau…pronounced Bo, that his friends call him) who is in the later stages of MD (muscular dystrophy).  I was asked if I would be willing to interview him because with all his handicaps and disabilities he still is out there hunting and fishing whenever the opportunity presents itself. Of course the answer was yes… because after hearing some of the stories, I really had to meet this man.

I arrived in Massena shortly before 11am, the time that was set-up for the interview. I had spent the previous week trying to come up with questions that I thought were important to ask of Beau. I thought everyone else would be interested in hearing his answers too. To be totally honest with you, after knocking on the door and Beau hollering to come on in, all my questions went out the door and the story telling began.

His father Floyd Wilson, who is still very active hunting and fishing at the ripe old age of 81 showed up and commented that he was there in case the story telling got out of hand and to keep Beau honest not allowing too much over exaggerations with being one of his hunting partners. Beau talked of seeing a number of bears over the past few years and at least one bear that he had harvested.

Floyd and Beau spend the majority of their time hunting in Brasher and Hopkinton New York on a hunting club that they are members of and fishing tales in the St.Lawrence River. The club consists of miles of private roads much like the way it was on the Rainbow Rod & Gun Club that I used to belong to. The majorities of the members hunt together in groups and put on drives as well as still hunting.

Beau gun hunts with the use of an aid that he had custom built to suit his needs. It consisted of one inch boards constructed in such a way that it fit snugly to the door with the window down. On top of the board was basically a gun rest that held the gun pointed in one direction. Beau went on to tell of how he would set-up the hunt.

With the help of others (usually Joe George & his son Billy Wilson) he would be lifted into the passenger side of the truck. Once at the location that Beau intended to hunt, he would have the guys get the truck into position in such a way that he would be able to get his gun sighted in where he expected the deer to show itself….usually on runways. Once this was accomplished he would have them set-up the camo curtains around the truck.

Let me point out that Beau doesn’t hunt from the road. He has the guys do all the preseason scouting looking for rubs, scrapes and runways to hunt. Once located, the next thing is getting the truck to that location. He talked of the gradual onset of the illness of when he used to be able to walk a ways in the woods and had used a 4-wheeler to get around between then and now.

Beau told of all the deer and bear that he had seen which were usually on the opposite of the truck where no shot could be taken. Once the gun is loaded and placed into the gun rest, the deer or bear have to come directly in the line of sight of the gun barrel. Beau whet on to tell that the only way he is able to harvest an animal is for everything to go according to plan and walk into his scope. 

We all know as hunters that nothing every rarely goes according to plan and it’s no different with Beau. In order for Beau to actually shoot the gun, he has to use a mechanical device that was special made for him that loops the trigger and he sets it off with his teeth with what looks like a clothes pin. I tried my best to get a good photo of it,  to get a good sense of how it actually works…seeing it in action was truly amazing.

Beau told of the story of harvesting an 8 point buck last year of once he saw the buck in his crosshairs, the gun roared and down went the deer. His hunting partner congratulated him on the harvest and wanted to know where his knife was. Dave was so excited that he forgot that he had placed it in the pocked of the door. His hunting partner then took his gun down to make sure the buck was down for the count.

He placed the gun which was totally black up against a tree that was basically the same color. Dave recalled that all he saw was a flash of movement to his left and there stood a five point buck. His hunting partner also saw the buck but forgot where he placed Beau’s gun. Come to find out that the gun rested up against a dark tree and blended in, in such a way that it was hard to see. Finally he found the gun and placed a good shot with now two bucks that were chasing a hot doe now on the ground.

Beau not only hunts but is also a very avid fisherman. His dad Floyd says that he is half fish and the biggest problem is not getting him on the water, it’s getting him back off. Floyd told of a friend that after spending the majority of the day on the river fishing with Beau had begged and pleaded with Beau to quit fishing and take him to shore and call it a day. He even went to the point of offering to give Beau his fish pole and tackle box in exchange for doing so.

Beau said the only other time he was actually lured off the water was with the promise of a spaghetti feed if they quit early. Beau showed me some of the worm harnesses that he actually makes and fishes with. He offered if I wanted to go, that he could put me on seven plus pound walleyes all day. After hearing the stories of trying to get Beau off the water, I feared if I went that I might lose a good pole and tackle box out of the deal.

Beau and Floyd talked of catching large Muskie and walleyes.  I took the time flipping through a photo album of just some of the fish that they caught. In the album was also a picture and article on Beau’s son Billy catching a 50 pound 5oz carp…. a club record that still stands at the Massena Rod and Gun club.

Beau wanted me to see how he is able to go fishing and we went outside to see how the boat was equipped. There was a center pole designed to hold another pole that had a hydraulic lift on it. Attached to that pole was a chain that attached to a cloth seat. Beau went on to explain that he is helped into the seat from either the truck or wheelchair. Once in the cloth seat, the hydraulic ram is pumped to lift him higher in the air to clear the sides of the boat. Once swung into the boat, he is eased into either the back or middle seat.

Beau owns all his our equipment from the extended cab Chevy truck that was given to him by a local collision repair shop, to a nice 16’ deep hauled boat powered by Mercury outboard that’s ready to go at a moments notice. All that is lacking is someone that is willing to spend long hours fishing on the water and keeping up with Beau.

Beau and his dad both were so appreciative of the fact that I took time out of my schedule to do the interview, but the real truth was that I was honored to be able to spend part of the day talking with Beau and Floyd. They are two of the nicest people you will ever meet and offer hope and inspiration to anyone meeting them or reading this article of if Beau with his disabilities (he calls challenges)  and Floyd at 81 years old are still out there enjoying the sport…why not the rest of us?

I guess the real moral of the story is that if you really want something bad enough and are willing to put in the extra effort, you will find ways to accomplish it. Beau is just that person in that if a challenge presents itself; he is busy thinking of ways to overcome it. Do you or someone you might know have a disability and has found ways to still enjoy hunting and fishing??? We want to hear from you.