Amanda Staggs shares her kids’ stories and how Be Adaptive equipment has helped them get back into the outdoors.
Noah and Milam Staggs are brother and sister who share the same special condition, Osteogenesis Imperfecta type 3. OI is a genetic disorder that causes bone fragility and deformity, along with dwarfism and physical disabilities.
My kids also share a love of the outdoors. All of this started when they found the game The Hunter: Call of the Wild on the Xbox. They absolutely love playing that game! Immersing themselves in the characters who have the ability to walk, run, and hunt. With each new kill, their desire to make this a reality grew. That’s when the research began. I found a friend whose daughter, with the same diagnosis as my kids, had gone on a dream hunt with Buckmasters, so she gave us their contact information. That’s when our lives began to change. We were introduced to adaptive equipment our kids could use to shoot a gun themselves. The TM100 Trigger Mechanism with the two-button firing option. We never knew anything like this existed, much less was already thought up, designed, and produced. Be Adaptive Equipment manufactures and produces the highest quality adaptive hunting, shooting, and fishing equipment for all physical abilities.
After their first hunts, we were introduced to Carol Clark with Kidz Outdoors. Kidz Outdoors is a nonprofit organization that offers and provides an opportunity for disabled or otherwise unabled youth to get outdoors. Last November, through Kidz Outdoors, Noah and Milam went on a once-in-a-lifetime dream hunt at Sand Rock Ranch in Oneonta, Alabama. When we arrived, the owner, Jeremy Hudson, asked the kids if they had ever been to a high fence hunt. They said no, and he said, “Well, welcome to Jurassic Park.” Honestly, that’s exactly what it was. We didn’t know that deer grew that big, ever.
Noah took a monster of a buck that first evening, 21 points, and was estimated to score in the 160s! He said he prayed he’d get that buck when it stepped into the field. They watched him for about 15 minutes and then lined him up in the crosshairs. Noah pushed the button to fire and dropped him right where he stood. The next afternoon is when Milam got her giant! The weather was not on our side, but she powered through. Once the rain cleared, a buck came into the field. She claimed that one was hers and said that was the one she wanted. They lined up the crosshairs, and once he turned broadside, Milam pushed the button to fire and dropped him! He was 13 points with a massive wild rack estimated to score in the 180’s.
The craziest part of these hunts was that Noah got his deer at 4:38 p.m. on Monday, and Milam got her deer at 4:38 p.m. on Tuesday. Talk about divine intervention!
Kidz Outdoors, TM100 from Be Adaptive, and additional adaptive equipment have truly changed my kids’ lives. In combination, all of this has made the outdoors accessible to us. We are forever thankful and blessed to have such wonderful people surrounding us and providing my kids with lifelong opportunities for happiness and adventure.
“It lets me live my dream of being an outdoorsman,” Noah Staggs said on his Be Adaptive Equipment.
“It makes me happy to be able to hunt; it’s my time to shine,” says Milam Staggs on her Be Adaptive Equipment.
