This story was in the February 2007 issue of Woods-n-Water News in Michigan
By Michael Veine
Joseph Steuart was just 13 when he was diagnosed with leukemia. Joseph had a love of the outdoors and dreamed of experiencing wilderness hunting experiences. Unfortunately Joseph died seven months
after his diagnosis and before he could realize any of his dreams. Joseph really wanted to go on a caribou hunt. When going through his room after his death. Joseph’s parents found a box of change that Joseph had been collecting along with a note stating “For my caribou hunt.” That was the catalyst for Joseph’s family to start Joseph’s Journey (
www.josephsjourney.org), a non-profit organization that fulfills critically ill children’s wishes for whatever outdoor experience the child wants. Whereas many other wish granting organizations do not provide anything to do with hunting or fishing. Joseph’s Journey does that and much more.
Ten year old Shane Bergeron was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease in July of 2006. Hodgkin’s is a rare type of Lymphoma, which is a cancer of the lymph system. Shane is an avid outdoorsman from Vermont. Weakened by his illness and ensuing treatments, Shane really wished that he could experience a quality whitetail hunt where he would have a good chance to get a big buck. Shane’s father, Jeff Bergeron did an internet search and came up with a list of wish-organizations. When he contacted Joseph’s Journey, the wheels were set in motion for Shane to partake in the whitetail deer hunting adventure of a lifetime.
Jim Clavier is from Michigan and he owns and operates Jim’s Hunting Help (
www.jimshuntinghelp.net). His company offers hunting and travel consulting services primarily to help hunters book high quality hunting adventures. Jim volunteers through Joseph’s Journey to organize hunts for them. When Jim took on the task of arranging a deer hunt for Shane, he was limited by three factors: Shane’s physical
Limitations caused by the disease and the ensuing harsh chemotherapy treatments eliminated many possibilities. Shanes age also limited which states he could hunt in. Shane’s father could only get a few days off from work, so the hunt duration would have to be short. Therefore, Jim Clavier arranged a hunt through Fort Whitetail Ranch, a 400+ acres, high-fenced, hunting facility located in Luther, Michigan. A hunt there would give Shane an excellent chance to realize his wish and since the hunt would be in Michigan, Jim Clavier would be able to directly participate in the festivities thus ensuring that everything would go smoothly. John Hoose of Fort Whitetail generously donated the hunt to Shane. After Jim Clavier picked Shane and his father up at the airport, they headed north, but on the way they made a few planned pit stops. First they visited the Whitetail Hall of Fame Museum (517-937-0533) In Grass Lake, Michigan. Shane was “super impressed” by all the trophies on display there. They even named one of their penned deer, an 8-point buck, after Shane.
They then traveled to Jay’s Sporting Goods at Clare (www.jayssportinggoods.com). Store manager Ron Larrance gave them the grand tour and Jay’s also donated a couple boxes of Federal Premium ammo for Shane’s hunt. From Jay’s the crew headed for Jim Clavier’s deer camp located near Marion, Michigan. While there they sited in Shane’s rifle. He was able to put his shots tightly into the bulls-eye.With the bullet holes touching each other, so he was more than ready for the hunt.
The next morning they were up at 4:30 and headed towards Fort Whitetail, a short drive from Jim’s camp. After meeting the owner John Hoose, and their guide for the hunt Josh Eichenberg, they were quickly shuttled off to a blind for the morning hunt. Josh would also video the hunt. Shane said “We saw 3 bucks at daylight and soon after we spotted 3 elk coming into the food plot.” Shane had never seen an elk before so that was a special treat for him.
They also saw 39 wild turkeys that worked their way into a food plot. There were 6 gobblers in the group. And of course they saw lots of deer. Shane’s hunt was what Fort Whitetail calls their “Management Hunt.” They were after a mature buck that for some reason did not meet the criteria of their trophy management program. That factor made the hunt more challenging because they had to be especially selective. They were seeing lots of bucks, but most of them were top end, trophy class animals that they had to pass up. In two days of hunting Shane estimated that they saw some 30 bucks, with at least 20 of them being huge trophies. Shane said “Even though we couldn’t shoot them, it was still a thrill to see bucks of that size.”
Eventually they did see a “management buck,” but the sighting was fleeting and Shane was unable to get a shot. Finally, on the last day of Shane’s hunt, about 1/2 hour before dark, a huge buck strolled into the food plot. The buck would have been a mainframe eight-pointer, but had some antler damage. Josh Eichenberg gave Shane the green light on that buck and after some quick deliberations, Shane readied to take the shot. Unfortunately, a doe was in the way and he had to wait for a clear shot. Shane said “All I could think of was: move doe, move doe…” When the doe finally stepped from the line of fire, Shane’s Dad whispered into his ear: “Pick a spot,” however Shane was so intense he didn’t even hear him. Shane said, “I eventually settled the crosshairs on his shoulder, took a deep breath, let it out and then boom! That’s when I started shaking.”
They slowly walked to the scene of the hit and tracked the buck to the edge of a swamp where it had piled up. Shane’s aim was true and the buck only traveled about 30 yards. The 140 grain Nosler Partition from his Remington Model 7, 7mm-08 had performed nicely. The buck was five years old and despite the antler damage he still sported nine points. The rack was very massive with bases so thick one’s hands could not reach around them. Shane was especially impressed by the sheer size of this buck. With a post rut weight of 216 pounds, visions of mass quantities of venison sausage were certainly dancing in his mind. In fact the whole deer was processed into various smoked sausages, which made shipping the meat back to Vermont much easier.
Besides hunting, Shane is also a big-time sports fan and likes to play baseball and football. In fact, before he was diagnosed, he had made the baseball all-star team. Knowing about Shane’s sports passion, Jim Clavier a U of M football season ticket holder himself, arranged for Bill Austin to give Shane a personal tour of the U of M athletic facilities. Weber’s Inn (www.webersinn.com) in Ann Arbor donated a room and meals for the special occasion.
Shane’s hunt was one of the finest examples of individuals, organizations and business coming together for a great cause. Shane got to realize his dream of a whitetail hunt for a big deer. Incidentally, as I write this, Shane is doing very well indeed. He has responded to treatment and his cancer is now considered in remission. With a weakened immune system, he is still undergoing some treatments, but at this point his prognosis is great and he should be back playing baseball and football soon.
Joseph’s Journey is funded completely by private donations and volunteers perform all the work. They are in great need of monetary and service donations. Please consider helping a critically ill child realize his or her dream with a donation to Joseph’s Journey, www.josephsjourney.org 303-989-5710.
Editor’s note: Fort Whitetail Ranch is now called Kings Manor - www.kingsmanorwhitetails.com
