Sustained injuries from the Vietnam War cost Dale Stamper his vision, but this veteran and national president of the Blinded Veterans Association has refused to allow his lack of eye sight to slow him down.
“I’ve had a lot of amazing experiences — downhill and cross country skiing, water skiing, boogie boarding in Hawaii — but this ranks as No. 1,” the successful Stamper told the Bonner County Daily Bee.
To get the job done on the bull elk, Stamper teamed up with spotter Kelly Yore, utilizing a specialized device mounted to the scope of the gun that allowed Yore to view the cross-hairs on the animal. The moment of truth came to fruition as they called the bull away from the herd. The final shot was placed from roughly 120 yards away, striking the animal perfectly.
“It was part of a herd about 300 yards way,” Stamper said. “One of the other people there started to call it and, when the bull responded, we knew he’d come up closer. When I made the shot he was about 120 yards away. Once I knew it was down, we did a lot of yelling.”
The first time hunter was awarded one of two hunts awarded each year through the Idaho Division of Veterans Services after his wife Cora applied on his behalf. After learning that he had been awarded the opportunity, he immediately got to work preparing for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“A big part of it was becoming familiar with the rifle in general and the scope device,” he said.
After the hunt, Stamper went on to encourage any and all living with disabilities to shed their fears and meet new challenges head on.
“There’s no limit, especially with technology today and the opportunities that are there,” he said. “Don’t hold back.”
