Epic ending to a great adventure

SEELEY LAKE – Hung on every wall of Rick Butler's living room are mounts from hunting expeditions from years past and photographs he has taken. There is a story behind each of the animals and images that Butler proudly displays in his home. But few compare to his most recent hunt where he, now legally blind, brought down a 1,200-1,400 pound buffalo with an air gun.

Butler grew up in Montana and attended Seeley-Swan High School in the late 1970s. He moved to Alaska in 1984 where he worked on the North Slope in the oil field until 2010. When a project manager position opened up in Russia he took that. He returned to Seeley Lake in 2015 to care for his mother. He has always loved hunting and climbing mountains.

"It's not the kill, it's being outdoors that I love. That is where I've always been since I was a little kid," said Butler reminiscing of when he and his mother were caretakers at Gray Wolf Ranch. "I would go out and just watch deer and elk. I'm kind of a recluse. Wherever people go, I always go away from."

Butler said his lungs don't retain oxygen. When he couldn't go up in the mountains anymore, he gave up his rifle and started shooting archery.

Then his eyes started slowly deteriorating due to an untreatable, genetic issue in his retinas. His last successful hunt was an archery moose hunt in Alaska in 2007 with his 80-pound bow.

In 2009, Butler went blind in his right eye and had to give up archery hunting as well. His left eye has progressively gotten worse.

"I don't see colors anymore. Now legally blind, I can hardly get around and I bump into stuff," said Butler. "I had to improvise every time my eyes got worse."

In Alaska, Butler was into high-powered air rifles. Last year when big bore pellet guns came out, he purchased a 45 caliber and a 35 caliber.

The air gun propels a 435 grain bullet with compressed air instead of gunpowder. The stock is a cylinder that holds 3,700 psi to charge the gun. Hunter Supply in New Mexico tuned his cylinder to make the bullets go faster and the reserve last longer. Instead of the regular three shots, he can get five shots out of his cylinder.

Unable to see through the scope with his right eye or shoot left handed, Butler still had confidence he would figure out how to modify his gun so he could hunt again. Because buffalo meat is excellent to eat and they are the largest North American animal, Butler dreamed of a buffalo hunt. Last spring, he booked a buffalo hunt with Scared Ground Outfitters on a 3,500 acre ranch at the base of the Pryor Mountains located on the Crow Indian Reservation near Pryor, Mont.

"I've always been infatuated with buffalo, wolves and eagles. Those are the three things I kind of like," said Butler. "What sounds more exciting, I kill a buffalo with a big old gun or I kill a buffalo with an air gun? That is way more exciting. I've already killed one with a bow and arrow. It is the uniqueness of it."

Butler started researching scopes. He found ATN scopes with an HDMI cable. This allows the scope to be connected to a monitor. He ordered a seven-inch monitor thinking that would allow him to see what was in the scope.

"I also have UV-itis so outside I couldn't really see it that good," said Butler. His next challenge was to figure out how to eliminate the UV light.

Butler's uncle Randy Lavoie flies drones. He came to visit and brought his drone and DJI goggles. Lavoie let Butler try them and they shut out all the light.

"It was a little blurry then because I didn't have it adjusted right, but I could see through it," said Butler. "That got me to thinking...It's got a mini HDMI on it."

Butler hooked it up to the scope. He could see the red cross hairs and what was in the scope. When he practiced shooting he could hit the bulls eye and was able to shoot a tight group. But he was still struggling to see in different light conditions.

"I wanted to compensate for that because I never want to wound an animal," said Butler.

Butler ordered some splitters. The scope went into a splitter allowing him to plug a monitor into one side and the goggles into the other. This allowed the guide to see what he was seeing through the scope.

"If I'm not lined up just right, he would help me adjust to make sure it was a good shot," said Butler. "It worked great."

The Hunt

The Sacred Hunt Project was inspired by an old teaching, "The Hunt is a ceremony of giving and receiving, honoring the gifts given to each other. It is important to honor the giving of a life by accepting and using all of its gifts with gratitude and respect. It is all Sacred."

Butler said there was a ceremony before the hunt with Sacred Ground Outfitters.

Owner Tanah Whitemore, half Sioux and resident on the Crow Reservation, gave a background on buffalo and a blessing.

"She didn't make it real religious but it was very spiritual," said Butler.

Butler, his "village" of four close friends and family members, the guide and the skinner all took a pinch of tobacco and put it on sage. The pile was lit and then everyone was smudged starting with the guide, the skinner and then Butler. Whitemore then smudged the gun, bullets, the knives, pickups and took an eagle feather over everyone.

"It is to bless you and the spirit of the buffalo," said Butler.

During the ceremony, Butler was told he would not pick his buffalo, it would pick him, "It will present himself to you."

The group headed on out the hunt Saturday, Sept. 14. Once Butler got within range of the buffalo herd, he set up his tripod. He was looking for a shot broadside.

"This one was just about broadside, just kind of quartered towards us. He was just about to turn and this bigger one came in and ran it off," said Butler. "Then it turned broadside and looked right at me like here I am. The guide said, 'Here is your buffalo, he is presenting himself.'"

Butler's first shot went right through the lungs.

"The guide said the faster we get him down and calm, the better chance of not having problems with the other bulls," said Butler. "That first shot it was a dead buffalo, I just wanted it down faster."

Butler shot through the lungs again. The buffalo turned and Butler shot again, right through the heart. As he shot for a second shot to the heart, the buffalo moved slightly and the bullet ricocheted off his leg.

"That made him turn a little bit and he kind of looked the other way and I shot him right in the head," said Butler. "When that buffalo dropped two of [my village] teared up."

Butler said while he had back up, he never had to use it. The buffalo was estimated to be 1,200-1,400 pounds on the hoof with very large horns compared to his first buffalo. He brought the animal back to Seeley Lake where the meat is being processed locally and the shoulder mount is also being done by a local taxidermist.

"It was just an awesome hunt – and to kill it with an air gun that was an accomplishment," said Butler. "The fifth shot, the weakest one, is the one that went clean through [the buffalo's] head. That gives you an idea of the power."

Butler believes he is the first person in Montana to kill a buffalo with an air gun. He joins a few small handful that have done it nationally.

"I'm the only blind one that has done it," said Butler and smiled.

Butler is unsure if he will have another opportunity to hunt. His eyesight gradually gets worse and can never be fixed. He hopes that, by sharing how he continues to pursue what he loves by improvising and overcoming the challenges of his disabilities, he inspires others.

"For other people with disabilities, don't just sit there," said Butler. "You gotta keep moving and keep living. This hunt has made my whole being."