Faces of the Wilds
Cancer Diagnosis Doesn’t Deter Once-in-a-Lifetime Hunt
In 2006, Mel Winter, 76, of Minneota had quite the ride. Diagnosed with lung cancer in July, he was given one month to live and started chemotherapy treatments. Then he received the notice that he’d been drawn for his once-in-a-lifetime Minnesota moose hunting permit.
The chance to go moose hunting was a powerful motivator. Mel talked to his doctors and asked if it would be possible for him to get a window in his treatment that would allow him to recover some energy and make the hunt. The doctors agreed. Three weeks prior to the hunt, Mel ended his chemotherapy. He was given two transfusions of hemoglobin to help regain strength.
"I started to feel better, but I was still very short of breath," he says.
Mel applied for a handicapped hunter’s permit so he could use an ATV to get around in the woods. Then he and his wife, Lois, his partner on the moose license, headed north with their son, Brian, to scout the country. They spent several days roaming through the North Shore hunting zone and located several places where moose sign was abundant. Mel and Lois also attended the mandatory pre-hunt seminar and found it very informative.
When the opening day of the hunting season finally arrived, the Winters’ children and grandchildren headed north with them. For this special, family occasion, they set up camp in a state forest campsite. While Brian helped his father with the hunt, the others hiked, hunted grouse, and enjoyed the autumn scenery.
The first day of the hunt was chilly and rainy, so Mel bundled up in his rain gear. He and Brian would ride the ATV along old logging roads and stop in likely stops to call and wait for moose. Although they saw a bull on the first day, it stayed in the brush and did not present a shot.
On the second day, the weather improved. It was warm and sunny when the Winters left camp.
"It was absolutely beautiful with the fall colors," says Mel. "It couldn’t have been nicer weather."
Again the duo road the trails and tried calling in various locations. For Mel, the ability to use an ATV was a blessing.
"I couldn’t have walked a hundred feet through the tanglefoot," he says.
Late in the morning, Mel and Brian happened upon a bull in a logging cut. Then everything happened quickly. By the time Mel was ready with his rifle, the moose was headed for the timber. He fired once—and missed. The moose was approaching the shelter of the trees and going away. Shooting for the spine, Mel connected with his second shot. The wounded moose turned broadside to the hunters and he finished it off with a third shot that severed the heart.
"That was the end of my work," he says, matter-of-factly.
Brian went to get the rest of the family. They soon returned with the knives and tools necessary to reduce the moose to possession. Starting at noon, they boned out the animal and had the meat in coolers back at camp by 2 p.m.
"All that was left in the woods was a skeleton," Mel says.
With their mission of getting Mel a moose accomplished, the Winter family spent a couple of more days at camp, enjoying autumn in the northwoods and each other’s company. Soon it was time to go home—and time for Mel to return to the doctors’ office in Sioux Falls. When he went in for treatment, he brought some pictures of the hunt along with him, and found that everyone there was interested in his adventure.
"I was a big hit at the doctor’s office," he says.
Mel is now back into the routine of chemotherapy treatments. He says they seem to be gaining on the cancer. Several months have passed since he was given one month to live. And during those precious months, he received a wonderful gift—the chance to share a once-in-a-lifetime hunt with his family. Even though his medical condition is serious, Mel is a pretty lucky guy."When I got the letter (about the hunt), I didn’t have the energy to get out of the chair," he says. "But my sons told me they’d take me on the hunt even if they had to carry me on a stretcher."
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