| Weston Vetere-guide, Conner Newland-hunter, Jace Vetere-guide, Don McNulty, founder Horizon Adventures. The group takes Conner on the hunt of a lifetime for a turkey. |
A dream came true for Conner Newland recently. He was nominated for and awarded a turkey permit along with a hunt extension for a Rio Grande turkey by Don McNulty the founder of Horizon Adventures. Horizon Adventures is a nonprofit organization which assists physically challenged hunters.
Conner became the proud owner of the permit once the coordinating was complete. With determination and expertise, which every good guide possesses, Jace Vetere and Weston Vetere assisted Conner in taking a trophy tom. With a beard measuring 9 7/8, and a field scoring of 71.50, this is quite a hefty tom if you know how turkey scoring works.
“The guides did an excellent job leading Conner to his tom,” said McNulty.
Horizon Adventures would like to express a special thank you to the following sponsors which help make those dreams come true. Magnuson Lumber, Castle Dale, Refactories Inc. Lehi,Yates Travel Trailers, Lehi, SFW-SFH, Utah chapter; UFNAWS, Utah chapter. Horizon Adventures also has a long list of very special people who wish to remain anonymous that donate to the cause of bringing disabled hunters into the field.
Conner is a student at Green River High School and a resident of Green River. He is the son of Jeff and Valarie Newland. The turkey hunt took place near the Colorado River on the West Water side.
Conner’s mom, Valarie said, “Conner had a ball. Jace and Weston Vetere who helped him are just fantastic. Conner doesn’t have a lot of strength and the boys held the gun and Conner pulled the trigger. It took two shots. Conner was pumped. The turkey is going to the taxidermist and Devan Meadows of Green River is donating his work for Conner. Conner has muscular dystrophy and is in a wheelchair, so this was a total accomplishment for him. He has been in the wheelchair since he was 10 and he is now 14. This is a progressive disease and he just gets weaker.”
Conner said, “I had a fun time. We hunted down by the Colorado River. The guy who led us, Don, is also in a wheelchair. He fell off a mule and broke his neck. My friends helped me with the turkey. I shot it with a shot gun. It wasn’t too far away….a pretty close shot. We looked around for a while before we found this turkey to shoot. My wheelchair did OK in the dirt. It was a fun day.” Conner is now looking forward to another hunting opportunity in the fall. He will shoot a deer on the Bookcliffs with a governor’s tag.