23 October 2023
LEONARD, Minn. Five young hunters were offered the adventure of their dreams last weekend to kick off the youth hunting season as part of the United Special Sportsman Alliance annual Dream Hunt.
Whether they’re experienced hunters or have never bagged a single deer, the USSA is a volunteer-led, nonprofit “dream wish” granting organization that aims to provide relief from reality and a new experience for critically ill or disabled youth and veterans.
According to their website, the USSA helps families escape from the world of hospitals and high medical bills by giving them a place of peace to focus on the quality of life, family ties and the wonders of the natural world.
Jack Juberian has been hosting young hunters and their families for the annual Dream Hunt at his home in Leonard for the last three years.
After hearing about the program through a friend, he knew he had the perfect set-up to give these children the hunting experience of their dreams. Every year, he rounds up a few of his buddies to help give children of all backgrounds and abilities the full northern Minnesota hunting experience.
“We have been blessed with so much more than we deserve,” Juberian said. “It’s an honor to provide the kids an opportunity they otherwise would not have had.”
On Friday, Oct. 20, Eloise Frank and Corbin Roggenbuck of Bloomer, Wis., bundled up in blaze orange and headed to nearby land to start the hunt accompanied by a family member and one of Juberian’s friends.
“We’re thankful for another safe and fun hunt this year,” Juberian said. “I just like to see these kids get excited about hunting, and a huge thank you to Anderson Farms of Clearbrook and Johnson Farms of Leonard. ”
And it took no longer than an hour and a half for both Eloise and Corbin to bag their first deer.
Bagging a buck
For an 11-year-old who’s never even seen a deer up close before, Corbin’s patience won him the biggest deer of the weekend.
Corbin, his guide, and his dad Andy Roggenbuck set out at around 4:30 p.m., and after waiting for about an hour and a half, Corbin saw a doe come out of the woods.
“We had to gather our thoughts for a minute,” Andy said. “Corbin had never seen a deer in the woods before.”
Corbin decided he wanted to wait and it was definitely the right decision. Right behind the doe, a big nine-point buck followed in its tracks. Corbin had to make a quick decision to move the scope onto the bigger deer without spooking him.
“It’s hard (for him to see) because of his level, his glasses and he has Down syndrome,” Andy said. “So we use a phone scope. It’s a device you can connect to the scope and mount to your phone so we could all look at the screen and help him aim.”
Corbin took the shot at the big buck and got him right in the lungs. Before this, he had only shot a gun a few times to practice. When they returned to Juberian’s house, Corbin got to participate in arguably one of the most important hunting traditions storytelling.
Showing everyone at deer camp his big 205-pound buck and calling all of his family members to tell them about his first deer, Corbin said he is definitely coming back next year.
Unforgettable memories
For 16-year-old Eloise Frank, Friday is a day she will always remember traveling up north for her very first hunting trip with her dad, Derek Frank, for the chance to harvest her very first deer.
And before they even got to the stand, they saw six deer out in the field. As they quietly got settled, one big doe came up close to eat.
Eloise, using a phone scope just like Corbin, lined up her crosshairs to take her shot.
“The first bullet didn’t even go off,” Derek said. “We have no idea why, there’s just a little dent in the bullet casing and we had to take the whole apparatus off.”
Eventually, Eloise got to take her shot and it was a perfect bull’s-eye right to the heart.
Her very first deer, weighing in at 125 pounds, is worth a whole lot more to her than meat in the freezer. She admitted she was a little bit nervous to shoot, but felt better with her earplugs and her dad right next to her.
Eloise and Corbin, both from the same town, have been friends for quite some time. They both played in the same baseball league, a program hosted by Goodwill of North Central Wisconsin that gives children with disabilities the opportunity to play baseball.
And they both got to experience the hunt of their dreams thanks to the USSA and Juberian.
“Her favorite aid at school is friends with someone from the organization and he said they were still looking for a couple more kids to sign up,” Derek said. “It was kind of a last-minute thing, but we couldn’t have asked for a better experience a huge thank you to the (USSA).”
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