Merely Passing Through

One man’s journey from light to dark and back again. A true hunter’s story.

 

Two weeks before opening day of whitetail season in 1984, a shotgun blast suffered during a home invasion took the sight of avid hunter Richard Withey.

As Richard hustled his wife and three young daughters out of the house, the 12-gauge blast fired by the “Asshole,” as he is now known in the Withey household (and here at Crimson Trace), caused Richard to lose his vision.  Undaunted, Richard survived the deadly encounter to take part in the yearly ritual with his two older brothers when they hunt on a piece of land they own in Northern Michigan.

For many seasons, Richard sat silently in the family ground blind while his brothers continued to harvest deer. Then Richard decided to start hunting again with the aid of lasers.

“For years I’ve enjoyed getting outdoors,” said Richard. “I enjoy wild game. I enjoy eating what I shoot. I’m a firm believer in that.  I wanted to continue with my outdoorsman lifestyle.  Even though I am blind, hunting is part of my life.  I pursued making that possible – for a blind person to hunt.”

At the time Richard decided that using a laser was the way to successfully harvest a deer, it was against the law in the state of Michigan to use lasers for the taking of game animals. Richard spent two years lobbying, with active support of Ted Nugent, and finally convinced the Michigan Natural Resource Commission to allow a legally blind person to use lasers for deer hunting in conjunction with a sighted and licensed assistant.

Fast forward to the 2004 whitetail season. When Adam Wollander, VP of Marketing for Crimson Trace, heard that Richard was trying something special for disabled hunters, he arranged for Crimson Trace’s Director of Public Relations, Travis Noteboom, to help Richard fulfill his vision of being an active hunter once again.

“I had the unique and privileged chance to help make Richards’s goal come true,” said Travis. “Industry partners came together to make it a success. By helping Richard, I saw another opportunity to illustrate to the public that people with disabilities can still be active in shooting sports.” 

Other manufacturers were quick to get on board. Nosler provided hand-loads from their ballistic department. Sturm-Ruger provided the .41 magnum with a sweet trigger job, while Michaels of Oregon and Millet Industries donated pistol rests that Richard used as prototypes for his one-off stand. Crimson Trace delivered the Lasergrips that went on the Ruger Blackhawk. 

“I didn’t think of hearing or eye protection until the first shot from the ground-blind using those hot loads from Nosler,” Travis said. “After my vision and hearing cleared, I noted my mistake.”

Travis joined Richard out in Michigan the day before hunting season opened and made plans for the next morning’s hunt.

“It was an exciting time for us, trying to get the signals down for the next morning,” said Travis, who’s originally from eastern Oregon. “As many of you know from first-hand experience, the day before opening morning is a magical time. For me, traveling to Michigan, hunting with a totally blind person, and going after a deer species I’d never hunted before, made it to be a special experience that I only hope everyone can have one day.”

The first morning in the ground-blind Richard was a total statue, especially with the freezing temperatures of the woods.

“I shot my first buck here 40 years ago in 1964 and have been in a box-blind every deer season since then,” said Richard.  “I concentrate on the slightest sound. Sometimes I can hear deer chewing on leaves or bark, but I have no idea how far off they are and that’s frustrating.”

In the attached picture, the button buck that Richard’s brother, Robert, shot that opening morning, was the same buck that came within 25 yards of Richards ground-blind that first morning.

Because of the placement of trees on brush between the buck and Richard, the shot was passed on and the buck went downhill to Robert’s ground-blind. The Withey boys do not let an opportunity pass by twice.

Throughout the week, there were similar opportunities for Richard to harvest a nice whitetail, but the Hunting Gods took notice and didn’t allow Richard to get that perfect shot he dreamed of during the week.

A few of the most rewarding things to come out of this experience were the friendships made, a non-hunter finally able to again enjoy the time in the outdoors that’s sometimes taken for granted and the pioneering efforts of one man that will benefit other disabled hunters in the future.

As Richard’s neighbor, an active circuit court judge in Michigan, said, “Richard is a true American hero.”

“I thank God that I’m here today and able to tell my story. I thank God everyday I’m alive, and try to make the best of it,” Richard said. “We are here only one time, merely passing through.”