Please be aware that Outdoor Buddies will be following all state and local guidelines for our events. If you have a fever or other flu-like symptoms, have traveled out of state in the past 2 weeks, or have been in close contact with anyone testing positive for COVID-19, please do not attend these events. Furthermore, if you are in a high-risk category, carefully consider your risk before attending.

We will be continuing to update our events and precautions as the situation develops. Thank you for your patience, optimism, and understanding. Hope all is well with you and yours!

I'd consider myself a pretty lucky guy, especially for someone with a high-level spinal cord injury. I have an amazing supportive wife, a beautiful daughter, great parents, a good job, my own house and have experienced many adventures throughout my life. When I pause and reflect, most of my accomplishments and successes have been realized because of the great support groups that surround me. I am the first to admit that I take a lot of this for granted and don't appreciate the things that I have day-to-day. It takes something special to remind me of all that I have. The most recent thing to snap me back into reality was an amazing adventure I had with Outdoor Buddies. I am proud to consider this group of individuals as one of the support groups that help make my life more meaningful.

I first joined Outdoor Buddies in 2015, then in 2017 I was lucky enough to fly out to Colorado and hunt mule deer with ODB's volunteers Dwayne and Tony. I shot my personal best buck on this trip. I often look at its rack on my wall and think back to all the great memories. In 2019 while reading an article in the Outdoor Buddies newsletter, I came across a story about an antelope hunt in Wyoming. The picture of the previous hunter's success was impressive to say the least. I immediately contacted Nick Filler to inquire about applying for this Wyoming antelope hunt. Nick, an incredibly nice and patient guy, answered my barrage of questions. He suggested that I apply for the hunt and I immediately did. At that time, little did we know that a virus was gaining steam overseas. When I was notified by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department that I had successfully drawn a buck tag for that hunt, we were in the middle of a full-on worldwide pandemic. Needless to say, the hunt was canceled and Wyoming was gracious enough to let me return my tag in place of a preference point. Nick and I continued communication throughout the year about a possible 2021 hunt. As we learned more about Covid-19 and possible vaccines coming in the near future, the decision was made to reapply for fall of 2021. I was fortunate to draw an antelope tag for the unit in Wyoming where we had access to a piece of property that I kept hearing great stories about. The hunt was on and now it was time for planning.

We determined the hunt dates, booked flights and hotel rooms. We arranged all the logistics that come with flying from California to Colorado and then driving to Wyoming. Before I knew it, the hunt was here and my 2-year wait was over. Just days before the hunt with Nick and ranch manager Garry, events unfolded that kept Nick from joining the hunt. As veterans of a pandemic, we were all used to dealing with the unexpected. Nate Lucht, one of the directors at Outdoor Buddies graciously stepped in to help with the hunt and once again it was on.

After work on Friday night, I went home to grab my luggage and headed to the airport. I arrived in Denver and went to bed around 2 a.m. but was unable to get to sleep in anticipation of the hunt just hours away. Nate picked me up from the hotel well before sunrise and we headed north to Wyoming. Two and a half hours later we arrived at a very special place, the Monaghan Ranch. We met up with Garry Woodman, the hunt manager and his friend Gary Slade, both accomplished hunters. These two gentlemen along with Nate would be helping me out on the hunt. We completed paperwork, double checked licenses, shot my rifle a couple times to ensure it was still accurate after the flight and practiced hunting from the truck. Finally the hunt began and immediately we were into antelope.

As the morning progressed so did the number of antelope around us. The amount of game on this ranch was incredible, more than I've ever seen in my life. After two years of planning and flying from out of state, I told Garry that I would like to hold out for a mature buck. He was totally on board and we passed one buck after another. Garry kept saying "we can do better". Almost 8 hours into the hunt we had driven many miles and passed on numerous nice bucks but "we could do better". We headed to another section of the property that we hadn't been to yet. We came up to a long narrow pond that was surrounded by antelope. The first big band busted us and took off. We slowly crept along the road on the outskirts of the pond until we came to the inlet. A small creek meandered through a beautiful green meadow with amazing orange and red rock formations throughout. There was a slight breeze that cooled the air and enough cloud cover to block the glaring sun.

As we crept over the rise and looked down into the meadow we saw my buck, there was no doubt about it. He was by far the most mature buck we had seen all day. The mass of his horns stood out the most. Garry maneuvered his truck to give me the best possible shot. I ranged the buck at 220 yards, steadied my rifle, shot and the antelope dropped. After a quick celebration on top of the hill we drove down to retrieve my trophy. When we got to him I was pleasantly surprised by the length of his horns, there was no ground shrinkage on this buck! We got out, enjoyed the beauty of the outdoors and took some pictures before dressing him out. We loaded back up, had a couple celebratory Oreo cookies and headed back to the ranch headquarters to finish breaking down the antelope for transportation. After saying our goodbyes, Nate and I headed back down to Denver. During the ride back, I had time to reflect on my hunt, my life, and all the great people in it. I am a lucky guy who has yet another support group I now call my friends.

Outdoor Buddies gave me a hunt of a lifetime. They are a group of people that are willing to volunteer much more than a day of their time to take out a fellow hunter who is a stranger. This is the type of organization and the kind of people that make you forget about the things you don't have and appreciate what you do have. Thank you Outdoor Buddies for another great adventure, delicious meat in the freezer, and a trophy that reminds me of how precious life is. This experience stresses the importance of being appreciative no matter what your circumstances are. I hope we get a chance for another adventure in the future.

With Appreciation,

Scheels is generously donating $100,000 to local non-profit organizations in Colorado. All nominations must be submitted by Tuesday, November 30, 2021, as winners will be announced on Friday, December 3, 2021.

Outdoor Buddies may receive up to $5,000 in grant funding if enough nominations are submitted.

To nominate Outdoor Buddies, click the link below and fill out the nomination form. Nomination takes less than two minutes and only requires your name, email, and the name of the organization you would like to support.

Please forward this to friends and family and ask them to vote for Outdoor Buddies. We greatly appreciate your help and support as we continue to pursue our mission of getting those with mobility impairments into the outdoors.

It’s not uncommon to hear that most hunters grind the meat from the shanks of their venison. There isn’t anything wrong with this, however, there are other options. After making Osso Buco I discovered that the value of the shank isn’t just the meat, it’s what’s inside those bones that makes all the difference in the world.

Osso Buco translates to “Bone with a Hole” in Italian as it describes the cut of meat. I cut the shanks crosswise into 2-3″ pieces using a bone saw and tied them with kitchen twine to help keep the meat wrapped around the bone, which is full of that luscious marrow. Marrow is mostly made up of fat, an essential element when it comes to cooking with lean wild game. As the shanks slowly braise in the sauce, the marrow starts to melt like butter. This gives you a decadent, melt-in your mouth taste.

The classic Italian recipe of braised Osso Buco is made with carrots, onion, tomatoes and wine, but I am a big fan of taking traditional recipes and giving them an interesting twist. I kept the tomatoes as the base for the sauce but traded the wine in for Coconut Milk. The meat is seasoned with a generous amount of Garam Masala, a mix of Indian Spices that you can buy at most grocery stores. Since traditional Osso Buco is typically finished off with a fresh Gremolata, I sprinkled the meat with my own version made with cilantro, lime zest, and minced ginger.

The end result is juicy, tender meat infused with aromatic spices covered in a rich sauce reminiscent of Tikka Masala. It is the ultimate winter comfort food. Be sure to have some Basmati Rice or warm Naan bread to soak up all that sauce!

1. Use a bone saw to cut the shanks crosswise into roughly 2-3″ pieces. It helps to make cuts through the muscle first using a knife, and then use the saw to finish cutting through the bone. Rinse well to make sure there are no small bone fragments or dust. Cut a small piece of kitchen twine and tie it around the bone and meat. This helps them to stay connected during the cooking process and makes it easier to serve.

2. Mix 2 T. of Garam Masala and 1 t. of sea salt together in a small bowl. Season the meat with the as much of the mixture as you need, and let it rest while you prep the remaining ingredients. This can also be done the night before to let the flavors marinate.

3. Pre-heat the Oven to 325. Heat a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add a Tablespoon of Ghee or Oil to the pan and once hot, brown each piece on both sides. Remove them from the pot and set aside.

4. Add an additional Tablespoon of oil to the pan and add the sliced onions. Sauté for a few minutes, and then add the chili pepper, garlic, and ginger. Sauté for an additional minute or until fragrant.

5. Deglaze the pan with the cup of stock and stir in the coconut milk and tomato sauce. Add the cinnamon stick, remaining tablespoon of garam masala, and return the Osso Buco back to the pot. Cover the lid and transfer to the oven.

6. Check periodically as it cooks. If the sauce reduces too much or dries out, you can add a splash of stock to the pot. If it has too much liquid, remove the lid and let the sauce reduce and thicken.

7. Braise for about 4 hours, or until fork tender. The timing will depend on whether you used Pronghorn or Deer, and how big your shank cuts are. While the Osso Buco cooks, you can prepare the Gremolata by mixing the cilantro, lime, and ginger together in a small bowl.

8. Season to taste with extra salt as desired. Serve the Osso Buco with basmati rice and/or naan bread and garnish with lime wedges and the cilantro Gremolata.

We are continuing to work on wild game cookbooks and recipes to share with our members. As we look forward to 2022, we are interested in gathering more recipes to compile into a brand new cookbook in the new year. Nate Lucht has worked hard to put together this year's cookbook, and he would like to hear from you to gather your family's favorite wild game recipes to share with Outdoor Buddies members.

We are looking for interesting, tried-and-true recipes that can be shared in the 2022 cookbook and each month with the digital newsletter. Please give credit where credit is due if it's a recipe from a published source. We will select the best and most unique recipes to include in upcoming cookbooks and newsletters.

If your family has a recipe that you would like to share, please email to:

Meetings are held from 6:30pm-8:30pm at the locations and dates below.