Being outdoors and active, especially while hunting, is something that has always been a part of Oxford Township resident Dick Reddaway’s life.
Even now, 13 years after being diagnosed with Huntington’s disease, Dick is still as active as possible – to the point of pulling together all his strength in order to accomplish one of his life goals.
On August 16 of this year, Dick, his wife Peggy and their neighbors Bob Collins and Glen McTaggert, went on an elk hunting expedition where Dick got himself a 6×5 elk bull weighing between 650 and 700 pounds. The shot was made from about 54 yards away with Dick’s own Browning 300 Winchester Magnum.
The kill was a great accomplishment for the Oxford man, who is confined to a wheel chair and possesses limited muscle control. Huntington’s disease, which is hereditary, causes victims to writhe and twist with uncontrollable movements. The disease makes even speaking, and eventually communicating at all, difficult.
‘We sat there about five hours before the right one came by,? said Glen McTaggert. ‘Dick, bless his heart, sat as still as he could cause he knew he was hunting.?
Preparation for the big trip began more than a year ago. McTaggert and Bob Collins researched several different hunting ranches before deciding on Perry Heleski’s Majestic Hunting Tours, formerly Heleski Elk Ranch near Bad Axe.
?(Glen and Bob) initiated this and they approached me about it,? said Peggy with a smile. At the same time the pair of friends tried to claim ‘the idea was all hers!?
Before going out for the big day, Peggy and Dick took a trip to the Heleski ranch to meet the owner and make sure the company could accommodate Dick’s special needs. To assist the couple with their trip, Heleski designed a unique blind that included a wheel chair ramp and hydraulic ‘beautician’s? chair.
‘Perry was wonderful,? said Peggy. ‘He allowed Dick to go on the first hunt of the season. He was kind and so accommodating.?
The hunting party arrived a day early for their adventure and scouted the area. McTaggert figures they saw around 200 elk grazing and walking around that evening.
‘That night we stayed in a nice cabin and celebrated the pre-hunt with a martini toast,? said Collins.
At 5:50 the next morning, Heleski arrived to personally guide the party on their trip. More than five hours later, Dick got his kill. The elk only traveled 22 yards after the shot.
‘It was exciting. It was awesome,? said Peggy.
‘It was a nice, clean shot behind the shoulder,? confirmed McTaggert. ‘It was a good one.?
Collins and McTaggert assisted their friend with the rifle. McTaggert helped Dick to steady the gun, while Collins placed his finger on the trigger and controlled the safety. The gun contained only one bullet.
‘Dick did this on his own, he pulled the shot,? said McTaggert. ‘That was important to us.?
‘The owner was pretty proud of Dick too,? McTaggert later added. ‘It was tougher than I thought it would be. We had to make sure everyone worked together to make this happen. Dick was so excited.?
Collins said that afterwards the party enjoyed lots of handshakes and pictures. He laughed as he recalled the most important thing Peggy said that day:
‘She said ‘I’m going to have all your wives over for elk meat now.?
Peggy will be getting around 300 pounds of boneless meat from the kill and is having a full shoulder mount made for their home.
‘It was incredible what these guys did,? said Peggy. ‘What’s so touching is that these guys thought this up, suggested it and planned it. The fact that they did this was so special.?
‘Without the help of friends, the hunting wouldn’t happen,? she later told this reporter. ‘He can do this because of their assistance. It just doesn’t happen without the help of these wonderful people.?
Many people in the area may recognize the name Reddaway. Mr. Reddaway, and his father before him, was the owner of Reddaway Cleaners on Auburn Rd. for more than 30 years.
Dick first began his aggressive battle with Huntington’s disease in 1996 when he elected to go through experimental surgery which involved a brain tissue transplant. The concept behind the operation is that there’s an area of the brain where cells are dying because of the disease. The doctor’s goal was to transplant healthy brain cells into the damaged area so they can reproduce.
Since then, Dick has undergone two more experimental surgeries (one on each hemisphere of his brain in early 2001). The surgeries are known as deep brain stimulation and are an intervention normally used with other kinds of movement disorders. However, Dick is one of only a handful of people to have the surgeries done in relation to Huntington’s disease.
‘He basically has pacemakers for the brain,? explained Peggy. ‘It’s highly experimental, but it has helped him so much.?
So, what does Dick plan to hunt on his next trip?
After some thought and a couple ‘I don’t knows,? he finally decided: bear.