BLAST AND CAST FOR WELLNESS 2021
BY DANIELLE DE LEON WITH EVOKE CHANGES OUTDOORS NONPROFIT
D
uring the last week of January, Evoke Changes Outdoors Nonprofit invited a small group of veterans and first responders to Baffin Bay in South Texas for a long weekend filled with duck hunting and fishing. Baffin Bay is world-renowned for its trophy trout fishing opportunities, while slower seasons can offer down time for hunting. As the alarms went off at 5am, an underlying tone of excitement motivated everyone to get the day going. Hot breakfast and coffee scented the air in the kitchen of Baffin Bay Rod and Gun lodge. It was Captain Sally Black’s generous donation of her lodge rooms that brought comfort and restoration to attendees before embarking on adventurous daily activities. Before long, the group was off to the boat docks- packing their shotguns and fishing poles. We hit the water before daylight, listening to the salty waves splash along the side of the boat as we charged to the duck blind. On arrival, decoys were set,
96 HUNTER'S HORN™ SUMMER 2021
seats tucked into the duck blind, shotguns loaded - all with big smiles of anticipation across everyone’s face. While the overcast skies began to light, everyone was fixated on watching the horizon for any movement. Yet this focus didn’t distract from the laughter and joking commentary among the group. The camaraderie and memories being made are a primary mission of the nonprofit. We want our veteran and first responder attendees to feel as though they have a group to relate to that is easy to connect with. We want them to feel as though they are a part of something larger. It didn’t take long for the first few groups of ducks to fly over. “It sounds like Gettysburg over there,” called Captain Bo Patrick over the radio. “There’s another group coming your way.” The sun kept rising, hours clicked by, shotgun shells littered the ground. After a quick clean up and walk back to the boat, we were ready to hit the other side of the bay. Everyone munched on snacks and drank some water while we traveled to a prime fishing spot.
