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By Ray Howell
I was on my way from an event in Nebraska to Kansas to be a part of the Kicking Bear Warrior Turkey Hunt and KB event. I was the first to arrive from our Kicking Bear team. The amount of rain and flooding I was witnessing was very concerning to me because of the possibility of having to shut down this year’s events.
SoKan Outfitters and Gyp Hills Ranch had been preparing for the veterans’ and their families’ arrival for weeks, and I was excited to help guide. This all started ten years ago when I had the opportunity to speak at the God’s Great Outdoors Event in Medicine Lodge, KS. Little did I know God’s plan and the journey He had set in motion for this community and so many wonderful people.
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At the first camp in Medicine Lodge so many years ago, all the kids had so much fun and many of their stories are just now coming to the forefront. This story is about four of them, Tyce (right) and Kirk (below), both 9 years old and Cade and Luke, both 12 years old. I had previously met all four of them at the conference when they were 7 and 10. Even then, they had all kinds of hunting and fishing questions. The following year they came to the Missouri camp with the group that wanted to learn how to put a camp on in KS. The ML KS camp started the following year. It’s just amazing! What God has put on my heart is what I witnessed with these kids and now coming full circle at the events. Many kids, such as these four, were young and very excited and we got to teach them how to shoot bows and arrows at 3-D targets. The excitement in these kids when they hit the target was so overwhelming with all the joy and laughter. Throughout the years, the kids kept returning and growing bigger. I started getting pictures of them with their own bows, chasing their dreams, with pictures of the critters they harvested. Always lots of questions throughout the years on what type of bow, arrows, broadheads, etc. It has been great keeping in touch with them!
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Here we are 8 years later, and these young men are now grown and they’re mentoring other kids at the camp, teaching them the same archery skills they learned when they were young on how to be accurate using proper form; and watching them interact with all the kids during the big games such as the tug-of-war, gunny sack races and marshmallow fights. And again, throughout the 3-D course, I could hear hooting and hollering and shouts of joy whenever the arrows hit their mark.
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Some of the kids have gone off to school, some of them have started their work careers. These four young men that I met when they were young have become accomplished hunters, and two of them, Kirk and Tyce have followed their dreams and started their own outfitting business, SoKan. This brings us to what happened in the last three years of the Kicking Bear Warrior Turkey Hunt. These young men’s personal experiences have taught them where to set up blinds and how to “run and gun” in the best areas for these birds. Kirk and Tyce, along with Cade and Luke and others who have grown up through Kicking Bear now guide these veterans and their kids on these hunts.
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This year, the first big tom was taken by 10-year-old Alexa. It was her first bird and you could not believe the excitement it created for everyone, especially her grandpa, Scott Anderson who is a veteran and president of Patriots of Praise. Then that afternoon Scott himself harvested a giant tom; Alexa helped guide. One by one, throughout the week, all the veterans were successful, and the great fishing was a bonus! The comradery, laughter, and memories made will not be forgotten.
In the middle of the week, we held the Men’s Conference at Steve and Suellen Bryan’s Event Center Barn. What an amazing night of fellowship with the men of the community and all the veterans! The message was on the “Staff of Moses”.
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During the rest of the week, preparations were made to set up for the Kicking Bear Camp. God answered our prayers and there was no more rain. The property was all dried out, so we could mow the grass, set up the archery targets, and prepare for all the games.
The camp started, and people came from everywhere. Kids and adults alike were hooting, hollering, and having a blast! That night while the bonfire was blazing, the message was given, and Aaron Scheer from Centershot Ministries had the whole camp follow him in praying the Salvation Prayer Poem Prayer. There were numerous decisions for Christ. There were so many that three people helped me hand out cards and Bibles!
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The next day the games started early and all morning long there was fun on the archery course, along with fishing, and hiking. I could not believe the size of some of the fish that were caught! The veterans and volunteers alike taught new skills to all the participants. At noon, before lunch, 14 young people came forward to be baptized. As the baptism started, I was so humbled, I could hardly get the words out of my mouth and I couldn’t contain my tears. Again, witnessing victory in Christ!
During the past 8 years, thousands of kids from Medicine Lodge and the surrounding communities have been a part of the ministry of Kicking Bear.
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Sunday morning, we arrived at church and during the children’s message, Tom Lee told the story about the “Wordless” bow. This was the same powerful message that Aaron Scheer, from Centershot Ministry gave during the Kicking Bear event. After that, Jeff Kennedy, one of the veterans, shared his heart felt testimony about his military career and his faith journey. He shared how these Veteran Hunts and the Christian interactions with the Hunt and Kicking Bear staff had led him to become an active member in his home church in Wamego, Kansas. God has blessed us with these heroes who have sacrificed so much.
I can’t wait to see what God has planned for next year!
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Brad Koehler’s thoughts on the camp:
I’ve had a few weeks to reflect on all the wonderful things I witnessed at the 8th Annual Kicking Bear Camp in beautiful Medicine Lodge, Kansas, and I’m still struggling to put everything into words. I had the honor and privilege of meeting an awesome crew of veterans and hearing about their successful week of turkey hunting. Whether it was watching the kids Friday night trying to hit a 3D archery target from 50 yards and the jumps for joy when they finally hit it, or trying to navigate a field of 400+ people in the heat of a marshmallow fight, or the 3 matches of tug-of-war between the girls and boys, or feeling time crawl as masses of youth came forward for a salvation card after hearing Ray’s testimony, the entire weekend was truly a gift.
One of the moments that struck me most came from running an archery station Saturday morning, watching a young man hit a 3D dinosaur target 7 straight shots from 20 yards, and then hearing him tell me that God must have been guiding his arrows. Another example was being able to guide the next generation of servant leaders and the energy and effort they brought to every interaction. That is what Kicking Bear means to me.
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Alex Parson’s thoughts on the camp:
While being involved at the Kansas Camp, I had several interactions with kids that will stick in my head for a long time. Two young men stuck out in my mind for a few reasons. Alexzaiver and Jake were incredible for their commitment to serve their community. Each time I ran into them they expressed a want to help. From pounding in fence posts, to carrying equipment, to taking out the trash, these two extraordinary young men stepped up. They inspired me to notice the younger generation that many find polluted or zombified by technology. I found them to be caring servants, role models, and young men with hearts of gold. Thank you both for your role in our Kansas camp!
For some of the best turkey, deer, waterfowl, and upland bird hunting, contact Tyce Lonker at SoKan Outfitters 620.231.0561.
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