2024 Foundation for Hope Youth Hunt

 In Events, Hunting Stories

by Ed H Edwards, Lansing Chapter Member, avid hunter, and fisherman

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they
will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 10:31, VIV)

I never pray for success on a hunt except when participating with a foundation for Hope Outdoor Adventures Youth Hunt. The first week of October was as dry as any desert. Hunting from an elevated blind near a pond shining every day from the intense sun and lack of rain was an excellent spot to hunt a whitetail buck on the Cedar Hollow property near Grayling, Michigan.

2024 Youth Hunt

Konner Van Dyke, Sponsored Hunter

I prayed one of the bucks we had spotted the previous evening would return. The sky was as black as peppercorns when Konner Van Dyke, our sponsored hunter, his father Shawn, Ryan Gati, and myself climbed into the blind. Konner is undergoing chemo for spinal cancer and despite being weakened by the treatments he was a trooper! The sky had barely begun to change from black to inky blue when the first of many does came into the food plot.

Foundation for Hope

SCI Lansing Chapter annually sponsors a youth hunter with severe health issues through our association with the Foundation for Hope. Funding for the sponsorship is provided by a reverse auction at our annual fundraiser. The foundation was established by Tony Semple, former nine-year NFL offensive guard for The Detroit Lions, and his good friend and businessman, Craig Mortz.

Many people selflessly serve and assist in the hunts to ensure they are a success every year. Each year the recipient receives deluxe lodging and meals, a backpack containing Leupold binoculars, a notebook computer, a bible, and several small items. I have been honored and humbled to be part of this great organization for the past five years.

2024 Youth Hunt

Now Back to the Hunt

Doe after doe continued to stream out and everyone kept looking back to the trail they walked in on. A good sigh a buck or two were following them and would eventually come out. Hunting requires a lot of patience and all we could do was silently wait as the earth slowly rotated and watch the woods for shapes, shadows, and shine that would hopefully reveal a mature buck.

In most situations like this, the first thing you see is the shine of antlers that appear to be floating through the vegetation. That is exactly what happened! A buck the size and age we were interested in entered the field and within a minute another equally acceptable one joined him with several does.

The first buck stood broadside straight out from the blind and Ryan gave Konner the thumbs up to shoot. The foundation’s 6.5 Creedmoor (rhymes with need more) cracked and the buck slowly took a few steps and stopped short of entering a marshy area where tracking and recovery of the deer would be a nightmare. No worries though. Round two put the buck down as if it had been shot with a .270! (Just kidding!)

2024 Youth Hunt

What a beautiful buck. It will provide many delicious meals and The Wildlife Gallery will provide a shoulder mount as a memento for Konner. Fridays have been good for Ryan and me. Four out of the five hunts we have teamed together on have resulted in success on Friday mornings!

We look forward to presenting the mount to Konner at our 2025 Fundraiser.

2024 Youth Hunt


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Safari Club International is the leading voice in the fight to protect the freedom to hunt, both in the United States and internationally. The SCI Departments of Legal Advocacy Resources and International Affairs and Government Relations are headquartered in Washington, D.C., advocating on behalf of SCI members and non-members alike. From staff dedicated to legislation and policy to a team of litigators, SCI hunter advocacy is at the forefront of protecting the hunting heritage. SCI and the SCI Foundation provide the voice of the hunter in treaties that affect hunting and wildlife conservation worldwide. This is where SCI and SCI Foundation go beyond what other hunter organizations do and why their work in this arena is critical to preserving the right to hunt.  Plus, we have lots of fun and events like this one!

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