We are proud to introduce to you a very fine young man by the name of Cody Shumaker. Cody is an 11-year-old boy (oops, sorry Cody…. 11 ½ years old) that was diagnosed with leukemia about 3 years ago. He has undergone several treatments, radiation, etc. and is currently in remission from this very serious condition. Cody, a very fine, well-mannered young man that wanted nothing more than to go on a whitetail hunt. He loves shooting his 410 shotgun at clay pigeons and squirrel hunting with his .22, but was really looking forward to harvesting a BIG deer. 

Cody’s hunt was held at the Legends Ranch in Bitely Michigan during their annual “Special Youth Challenge Hunt.” Legends Ranch is located just south of Baldwin Mi. and is known for its trophy whitetails. The Ranch has almost 5 square miles of prime whitetail habitat. The lodge has 8 guest rooms with two to three beds per room. The lodge itself is very clean and spacious and has a large dining area and a full kitchen in which the Legends chef prepares the meals. There are several other rooms in which to relax in after a long day in the field with numerous trophy animals mounted on the walls. 

Dale Cornetet and myself met with Cody upon arrival on Thursday Sept. 2,2004 at the Legends Ranch. The first thing you notice about Cody was his “Million Dollar” smile. Cody is a very polite and mature young man. He was very excited and nervous about what was going to be taking place over the next few days. The staff of Legends Ranch greeted Cody and the rest of the children as they arrived. Upon arrival the staff would introduce themselves and gather the young hunters gear and take them, along with their parents, to their assigned rooms to prepare for the hunt. All the children were treated as if they were very high-class clients of the ranch. The children are definitely the main focus of all the staff.

While hunting at the legends ranch Cody had the opportunity to see a lot of truly trophy deer. Friday night, a shooter 8 point came into view. The deer was standing broadside out about 200 yards from the blind. Cody made the decision not to shoot because of the distance. (A very remarkable decision coming from a person of his age.) 

Saturday night at about 7:30 pm, another shooter 8 point came straight in toward the blind at about 75 yards out. While waiting for the deer to turn to offer a broadside shot, a huge whitetail came in at full tilt and ran him off. All this with only about 20 minutes left of shooting light. Not discouraged, Cody maintained his composure and waited. A short time later a lone deer is seen making his way in toward the blind. Is this the one or is the hunt over for another day? Yes, a shooter 8 point!!!! In velvet!!!!! Cody got ready as the deer neared the blind; soon the deer came in and offered the perfect shot. Cody situated his 30/06 with the 120-grain core-lok bullets and settled the crosshairs on the deer’s vitals. He then gently squeezed the trigger and the rifle went off. The deer left the area immediately. Was it hit? Is it a good shot? Pretty soon the deer dropped within 75 yards of where it was shot. Cody was definitely excited and now is a successful whitetail hunter at only 11 ½ years old. A dream comes true for this young man. Cody and his guide then load the deer up and took it back to the ranch where it is dressed out, weighed, aged, and hung in the ranch’s walk in cooler. This was the perfect end to a great day at the Legends Ranch.

Sunday at the ranch was the day for presentations, pictures and to close out the Youth Challenge hunt. Dale Cornetet, Ken and Pam Onken, Tammy and myself all met at the ranch. We all found that this event was a very amazing thing to witness. First all the deer were brought out for photo’s, video taping, and to show off what these young people were able to harvest. Cody was the first one sitting (patiently??) with his deer waiting for all this to begin. You could definitely see all the pride, joy, and excitement written all over this young mans face. 

After the pictures, Mossy Oak Ministries started the awards presentation off by singing some very inspirational songs and having a little non-denominational service for all that attended. The awards presentation then started and soon Cody was up front receiving a trophy and a plaque for “Outstanding Persistence” during the hunt. In all the days and evenings in the field, Cody never got discouraged or wanted to give up. He was a true sportsman through it all. After the awards were all handed out, the children and parents loaded up their deer, handshakes and hugs were all over the place as these young hunters then headed home. 
 

On a personnel note, I would now like to take this opportunity to Thank First of all Cody Shumaker for allowing us to make your dream come true. I am very honored to have had the opportunity to meet such a fine, mature, young man as you. You have definitely left an impression in my mind that I will never forget. Keep that positive outlook that you transmit to all that are around you. I pray that all goes well for you and your family in the future. 

I would also like to thank the staff of Legends Ranch for putting on this event. Everyone at the Ranch is very polite and a pleasure to work with. The staff is very professional and truly do care about fulfilling these young hunters dreams. Not only did the ranch offer the hunt, but they also arranged with Cabela’s to donate and equip all the young hunters with camouflage pants, shirts, boots, hats and binoculars. Your generosity and unselfishness to make these young people dreams come true should not be overlooked and is very much appreciated. God Bless you all.

A special thanks goes out to Dale Cornetet who has donated his time, talents and all supplies to mount this trophy whitetail deer for Cody. Also for all the hard work and time in setting up meetings and the other details so that this hunt could take place. It is a pleasure to be working with you on this very important project.

A final thanks needs to go to the couple that first brought up this idea of the “Dream Makers” project. I would mention your names but I know you wish to remain anonymous with the public. Without your initial input and donations, all this would not have started. This event that I was so honored to witness cannot be described with words. This whole project has touched myself and the others involved very deeply. The whole experience has been a very moving experience that would grab even the coldest hearted person by the heart. You both are great people… God bless

Thank you all,

Kevin Perry – Past President