A Hunt Above All Others
Handicapped youth relish the outdoors
thanks to the men of A Hunt Above.
by Daniel Townsend
On New Year’s Day, 2007, a young man named Jason enjoyed the hunt of his life in Copiah County. Jason, in his late twenties, has Cerebral Palsy. But on this crisp morning, Jason raised his youth-model 260 rifle and nabbed a 5-point buck.
Jason was now a sportsman—a real hunter.
Mike Macko of West, Mississippi, and Tony Holeman Jr. of Florence believe no child with disabilities should miss out on the great outdoors. 
So in 2005, the two founded A Hunt Above, a non-profit hunting and fishing ministry to children with life threatening illnesses or handicaps.
Since then, many youths have discovered the outdoors.
Logan Knox of West Monroe, Louisiana, has spina bifida, but he killed two hogs—with one shot!—at Cedar Springs Hog Hunting ranch in Alto, Texas in 2006. It was a life-changing experience for Logan, age 16 at the time.
“Kids in wheelchairs don’t get to do things like that,” said Logan’s father, Charlie.
“We treated him like royalty,” Macko said.
When Logan returned home, friends at church began calling him “Hog Killer.”
Macko hopes youth like Logan become more aware of the outdoors and their personal potential.
Brother and sister Allie and Seth discovered this new world thanks to A Hunt Above. In April of 2007, the siblings went deep-sea fishing off the Destin, Florida coast. 
It was the first time either child had seen the ocean.
On that day, 8-year-old Seth’s severe asthma and 6-year-old Allie’s epilepsy and liver disease were smothered by the joy of a blue-ocean view.
The two caught and released countless fish; they brought home 16 Red Snappers, 6 White Snappers, 8 Vermillion Snappers, and one Chocolate Porgy.
The stories continue:
- Doctors had hoped Addison’s constant headaches and seizures would go away after removing a tumor from his brain. They did not. But on one bright day, Addison, 8, climbed up a hunting stand; twenty minutes later he killed a ram and “was on cloud nine.” He also bagged a hog.
- Eighteen-year-old Edward went muzzle loading in Holmes County only two years after breaking his neck in an ATV accident.
- And last July 4th, 11-year-old Seth, a Bay Springs boy with T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, killed a 190-pound sow and 40-pound boar.
A Hunt Above builds long-term relationships and keeps up with the kids. “We share the gospel with everybody we take,” explains Macko. “We ask if they know the Lord. We share our stories with them.”
Macko and Holeman want “to share the common joy and experience of hunting and fishing with these special children and their families,” which is their mission statement.
A Hunt Above relies on tax-deductible gifts. Check www.ahuntabove.org; call Macko at 601-594-5288; or e-mail him at mike@ahuntabove.org. SS
daniel@thesportingspirit.com
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