Flint Regional Chapter
Wish HuntsWish Hunts:
Hello, my name is Zach Goodheart and I’m the Wish Hunt Director for the Flint Chapter of the Safari Club International. First, I want to say thank you to all of our faithful members and donors of SCI Flint for your faithful generosity. It is because of you that our Club has this program and I have the amazing opportunity to meet these young men and woman as our Club sets them up for the hunt of a lifetime.
The goal of our Wish Hunt program is to help members in our community share the love and experience of hunting that most of us may take for granted. Whether from a disability, illness, accident, or the like, not everyone can freely access our wonderful outdoors like they want to and that’s where SCI Flint steps in to help. With efforts from our members and outfitters across the county, we’ve been able to send many hunters off to a hunting experience like none other.
Now, I may be a bit bias, but I think this is one of the best things our club does for hunters. Conservation aside, this program has been making dreams a reality for so many people who may have never had the chance to experience what so many of us do. And it’s so much more than big trophies: I’m talking about camp fires, scouting, and the hunt camp atmosphere! The smiles from that make a successful trip on its own.
How you can help:
Become a member! A strong membership is the foundation to this program. The more we grow, the bigger this program becomes and the more people we can help.
Recommend a Wish Hunter! We are always looking to meet new candidates. If you know someone who may be a qualifying candidate please do not hesitate to contact me and see how we can help.
Become a donor! Many of our members and businesses in the community donate to this amazing program. Whether it is a monetary donation or an item to auction at one of our events, every penny helps!
Attend our annual fundraiser! Every year, the first hunt our Club auctions off is a first-class hunt paired with a new hunting rifle. 100% of the funds from this auction go directly to the Wish Hunt program. What better way to go on a hunt of a life time than knowing it’s funding the hunts of other hunters at the same time!
Thank you again for all of your help and support to our program. Please feel free to reach out to me at any time. Best of luck and shoot straight!
Zach Goodheart
Wish Hunt Director – Flint Chapter, Safari Club International
810-240-6944
Wish Hunt for Sneaky Pete - Read Story
When I first arrived at High Rack Ranch on Friday night, I was introduced to the chef, Jacob, and our guides, Devin and Curtis. The first thing we did was sit down to dinner; Jacob had cooked an amazing pork tenderloin. After dinner, we explored the ranch, got settled in our rooms, and went to bed knowing it would be an early morning.
I woke up at 6:00 AM the next morning to get ready to go out to the woods. We had a quick breakfast and headed out. It was about 7:00 by the time we got to our blind. We spooked several deer on the way to the blind. Shortly after sunrise, a good-sized shooter buck stepped out about fifteen yards away and repeatedly sniffed our footprints. It was too close to the blind to open the window and get the gun ready; eventually the deer walked away. As we were watching other bucks bedded down at about 350 yards, Devin pointed out the original buck had returned about ten yards to the right of the blind. It slowly worked its way up the very edge of the woods on our right. The buck started to come out of the woods, so Devin grunted at it, causing the deer to look at us and run away. After about 30 minutes, the buck returned again about 300 yards away straight ahead of us. The buck, or Sneaky Pete as we nicknamed him, began to work his way toward us. Eventually Pete was in shooting range, but still walking straight toward us; he would not turn broadside! When Pete was within 30 yards, he started quickly walking to the woods at the right. I moved to put the gun out that window, and waited for Pete to appear. He did and began walking on the ridge about forty yards away. When Pete got to a clear shooting lane, Devin grunted until he finally stopped, and I shot. Pete ran about ten yards, stopped, stiffened, and fell over. It turns out that I double-lunged the deer. We all started giving each other high-fives in the blind. I did not realize how big Pete was until I got up close to him. He was a 13-point buck and was over 200 pounds.
After shooting my deer, we went back to the lodge and had a “breakfast”, at 12:30ish. We relaxed for the rest of the day watching football and enjoying the ranch. Saturday night we took a deer run just before sunset. Sunday morning we packed up to head home.
It was definitely a great experience and I really appreciate everything that Zach and the Safari Club did for me. I had a blast all weekend! -Matt Bishop
