Boy and Dad go hunting. Boy kills moose. Boy feels like a man. This story, which might seem like the outline for a Hollywood script, was played out in real life just a few weeks before this article was written. The boy and his dad traveled from Idaho to Alaska for the hunt. It was the first time the boy had been moose hunting--a lifelong dream. Ready for the lump-in-your-throat part? The boy has had a heart and two kidney transplants. He's only 13.

"He's a different kid now, his confidence level is up," says Larry Semore of his son, Stephen, after the hunt. "He's more hopeful for his future than ever before." On that trip, says Dad, "He became a man."

Becoming a man, or a woman, is a process nearly every child takes for granted, but some cherish merely the thought of living past their teens. Call them kids with a terminal illness or life-threatening diseases, disadvantaged youths--whatever the label, these kids live a life in and out of hospitals hoping for something, anything, to look forward to.

A number of organizations have sprung up in the outdoor community in the past seven or eight years that specialize in providing just that. Off-shoots of the well-known Make-A-Wish foundation, they offer hunting, trips and other outdoor experiences to kids who battle life-threatening illness or are severely disadvantaged. If all goes well (and, remarkably, it usually does) the kids end up with not only a hunting trip but also a life-long memory to draw strength from.

Catch-A-Dream, Hunt of a Lifetime, Special Youth Challenge Ministries, Benefit4Kids, Safari Wish, Buckmasters Life Hunt and other groups use their resources to grant wishes for outdoor experiences. They are taking up where Make-A-Wish left off in the late '90s when, under pressure from animal-rights activists, it stopped offering hunting trips. However, today many Make-A-Wish chapters often refer kids to hunting-specific organizations.

The job is big, but the founders of these groups all seem to have a personal story that motivates them and a dedication that goes beyond mere philanthropy.

"Bruce Brady's favorite Bible verse was Isaiah 40:31," says Dr. Marty Brunson, point man for Catch-A-Dream, a nonprofit conceived of by the late outdoor writer and sculptor Brady. Brunson quotes: "'But those who hope in the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall soar on eagles wings; they shall run and not grow weary; they shall walk and not be faint.'" Brunson sums it up this way: "Our tool is booking trips; our mission is hope."

Hope is the recurring theme in any conversation with those who grant hunting wishes to kids. Though not all are faith-based in the official sense, many try to encourage kids and families in the area of faith as well as providing hunts that truly are "the hunt of a lifetime."

Tina Pattison and her husband formed a group with the Hunt of a Lifetime moniker in honor of their son, Matthew, who died of cancer at age 19. He wanted to hunt moose in Canada, and his parents contacted Make-A-Wish. Turned down, they started contacting outfitters and suppliers to solicit help.

Soon, donations of airfare, food, nursing and a free hunt all came together. Matt got his wish and bagged a moose with a 55-inch spread. The successful hunt came just six months before he passed away in April 1999.

Determination is a common trait among wish-granting organizations. No one wants to deny a kid a dream because of lack of funds or resources. "We never want to turn a kid down," says Gene Rurka of Safari Wish, a program of the Safari Club International Foundation.

Few organizations have had to. Benefit4Kids has put together 21 trips since 1998. Catch-A-Dream has granted 40 wishes since January 2002. Buckmaster's Life Hunts has done 112 since 1998. Safari Wish conservatively estimates several hundred experiences have been put together by its many local chapters since 1996.

To pull off these hunts, organizations depend almost wholly on donations: services and tags from outfitters; flights from airlines; frequent flyer miles from individuals; guns and ammo from manufacturers; clothes and gear from retailers; and cash from individual donors.

The list of outdoor companies that support the wish programs reads like an industry trade show listing: Wal-Mart, Mossy Oak, NRA, Connecticut Valley Arms, Bass Pro Shops. A complete list would include companies of every size and function in the outdoor industry.

But sometimes it takes more than donations. One of the great challenges with granting hunts is time. Kids often have precious little time to waste, but hunting is not available year-round--seasons must be open, tags acquired and schedules arranged. Exceptions can be made, though.

In an unprecedented move last year, the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Commission granted a Mississippi boy permission to hunt deer several weeks before the official season opened, recognizing that his time was short.

To get the wish-granting process started, a parent or legal guardian usually needs to fill out an application. Most groups have them posted on their websites. With physician approval and acceptance by the organization, kids can realize their dream of hunting. And trips are typically "soup to nuts," in the words of SCI's Rurka. Families needn't worry about any expenses.

Different groups have different criteria; some limit age to under 21, others to 18. Some specialize in kids with "life-threatening illness," some expand that to "life-limiting." But even these guidelines aren't hard and fast. "Basically, it's just up to the board," says Brunson. In the business of hope, circumstances matter more than statistics.--Daryl Carson

WANT TO HELP WITH A WISH?
The biggest issue in the wish-granting business is "resource sustainability." In plain language, that means donations. Gifts of money, air miles, land use, equipment, clothing, transportation, meals, outfitter services, even taxidermy, are what keep wish programs alive. A close second, however, is simply getting the word out that these organizations are around.

"If I could put one thing in people's minds it would be to let the medical community know that groups like us exist," says Steve Pray of Benefit4Kids. "For us to go out and search for kids. . .we can do it, but if we can get the medical community working with us, we can be more effective."

That sentiment is echoed by David Sullivan of Life Hunts, but he also says that getting the word out is harder than one might think.

"The hospitals and clinics for the most part do not welcome us with open arms. With fear of losing funding from wealthy anti-gun and anti-hunting contributors, they either make us take the back door approach or do not help at all," says Sullivan. "Recently I had someone threatened with their job if they ever mentioned our program to another child at the facility again. And we had already taken several children from the place and made their greatest wishes come true. What a shame that we may never get another one from there."