Hunt of a lifetime

The Northeast Wyoming Chapter of the Muley Fanatic Foundation (MFF) has become known for pursuing goals that support wildlife and habitat, and for its focus on the younger members of the community.

One project that combines these two ideals has been part of the overall MFF lineup since the organization's inception in 2012.

Each year, youngsters with life-threatening illnesses are given the chance to experience the joys of hunting.

The program is called "Putting the 'U' in hunt" and it offers an all-expenses-paid trip for a young person and their family members with an emphasis on the experience rather than the trophy.

Over the last few years, the local chapter has staged hunts for kids with varying degrees of capability, from an 11-year-old with muscular dystrophy who needed a large amount of assistance to a 14-year-old survivor of Ewings Sarcoma who had recently finished treatment and could hike fairly extensively.

At the end of September, 12-year-old Matthew O'Neal joined the roster of young people who have come to this area to experience the wonders of the outdoors.

O'Neal was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome and underwent the first of the three surgeries he would need until the day he required a heart transplant. In his first year of life, he needed four open-heart surgeries.

The goal was to keep his heart steady until he was around 16 years old and could be listed for a transplant. Unfortunately, in 2018, he was diagnosed with another illness that impacted his liver and it was decided at the end of 2021 that he would need to get on the transplant list.

O'Neal began to experience a decline at the end of 2023 and was admitted to hospital to await the transplant. This finally happened on April 30 and, after 237 days at Children's of Alabama, he rang the bell and walked out the doors.

On September 25, O'Neal celebrated his new lease on life with a "Putting the 'U' in Hunt" experience in northeast Wyoming.

Accompanied by mother Stacey and brother Easton, he arrived in Upton to meet their hunting team, led by MMF Northeast Wyoming's Brian Holt and John DeVoss.

The group headed for Sundance, where O'Neal was taken to Sundance Hardware and presented with a Weatherby rifle and Vortex binoculars, a gift from MFF.

This would not be the rifle O'Neal used on his hunt due to limited time to sight it in. O'Neal next headed to the practice range to test out the rifle provided by Holt.

The next morning, his hunt began.

O'Neal spotted a large buck antelope almost immediately, as the group was heading into the ranch, and informed his team that it was the one he wanted.

The team obliged, setting up on the buck.

O'Neal made a perfect 286-yard shot, dropping his buck. With the hunt a success so quickly, the group was able to make the most of the rest of his time in Wyoming with trout fishing, prairie dog hunting and a visit to Devils Tower, rounded out with an elk steak dinner at the ranch.

MFF youth hunts are supported by local businesses and organizations. C&A Meats, for example, donated the processing of O'Neal's buck, while the licenses were provided by the Wyoming Game & Fish Commission.

Due to medical privacy laws, most youngsters who participate in this program are found via word of mouth. MFF would love to hear about youth that fit the criteria or members of the public interested in offering assistance and can be contacted at (307) 875 3133.