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It Takes Two
STORY BY GARY THOMAS What's another way to spell "inspiration?" Spell it B-e-a-s-1-e-y. That's Beasley, as in Brian Beasley.
Brian Beasley and Don Sweeney have given Beasley is the purchasing agent and manager of branch sales for the Adams Memorial Company in Charleston. He's married and has a 13-year-old daughter, and he's an active and dedicated outdoorsman. He enjoys fishing, roller blading and ice skating, rides a motorcycle and learned to water ski this past summer. He also lifts weights and enjoys running. Four years ago, he took up hunting, something the 37-year-old Coles County resident hadn't done since he was 13. He's pretty good at the sport, too. He's taken eight deer, including three during the 1999-2000 hunting season. What makes Beasley just a little different from other deer hunters is that he's totally blind. As you might suspect, he doesn't hunt alone. Beasley and Don Sweeney, his spotter, work as a team. Sweeney spots the deer and gives directions while looking over Beasley's shoulder through a pistol scope mounted on his shotgun. "Most people think of basketball as being a team sport, but it's nothing compared to this," Beasley said. "We have to work as an integrated unit. He directs me by looking through the scope and whispering—'right, right, right, up, up a little, okay fire.' It's difficult, but we've been really successful. But that's because we devote a lot of time to the sport "
Working as partners, Don Sweeney (left) and Brian Beasley have
Beasley's philosophy is simple. "I believe I can do whatever I want to do if I really want to do it," he said. "The limitations we have are those we place on ourselves. And whatever I do, I try to do 100 percent. That way I'll be satisfied whether I succeed or fail. You should never be disappointed if you've given it your best try." Beasley credits his brother-in-law, Jon Willoughby, for getting him started in hunting again. "Jon was talking to me one day, and he mentioned that he had read something about blind people hunting using spotters to help them aim," Beasley said. "That got me to thinking about it, and then I started talking about it with some of the people I buy stone from in Georgia. They not only encouraged me, but the next time they sent up a load of granite, they also included a present-a new Remington 1187 semi-automatic special purpose deer gun." He couldn't hardly not take up the sport after that. Enter Sweeney, a farmer and owner of an agricultural/industrial equipment refinishing company in rural Charleston. Sweeney lives just a few miles down the road from Beasley, and is an avid deer hunter. He agreed to serve as Beasley's spotter. "We got together and talked about it, then we practiced a few times," Sweeney said. "We did a lot of holding the gun and getting into position so we could make the shot. And we did some practice shooting." Then it was time to hunt. One hour after entering the field a yearling doe walked by. Sweeney gave directions, Beasley aimed and squeezed the trigger, and they had their first deer. "It hasn't been quite that easy since then," Sweeney noted. "But we've been real fortunate. We generally kill out during the first weekend. I tell Brian he must smell like a doe in heat." "I'm not a trophy hunter," Beasley said. "I take the first deer that is within my range. Besides, when you are blind, they're all trophies. I like to think that the smaller the deer, the harder it is to hit. So from that perspective, little deer are
harder to shoot than larger ones." He also tries to keep in mind that he's not hunting alone. "I'm taking my spotter's time when we're in the woods together," he said. "And I want to give him the opportunity to go out and hunt deer for himself, too." That's not a problem for Sweeney. "We usually hunt for Brian's deer first, and then I go hunting for mine," Sweeney said. "Brian worries about the time he's taking me from the field, but I don't mind. It's just as much fun for me to get a deer through Brian." Sweeney said their communication in the field works in different ways depending on the situation. "There are times when we communicate verbally, but sometimes I will take hold of the butt of the gun and move it into position," Sweeney said. "But other times Brian can just kind of hear where the deer is by listening and he will get pretty close without me doing or saying anything." And while Beasley doesn't hunt for trophies, he's taken several nice deer, including an 11-point buck in 1997 and two 8-point deer he killed last year. He works extremely well with his spotter, too. Together they bagged an 8-point buck at 125 yards—which would be an outstanding shot for a sighted person. "The deer was standing in an open cornfield, and Don didn't realize how far away the doe was," Beasley said. "We would never have taken that long of a shot had we realized the deer was that far away." The most unusual hunt Beasley was on took place in 1998. He and Sweeney had hunted hard all season with no success. On Sunday morning, with time running short, they opted for a different stand and shortly after arriving a doe came by at about 35 yards. Beasley fired and Sweeney immediately took the gun and shot again. "Did I miss the deer?" Beasley asked. "No, we just got two," Sweeney said. A small buck had emerged from the brush after Beasley's first shot had downed the doe, and Sweeney filled his permit. Beasley takes deer hunting seriously, but he has fun with it, too. As he was leaving church on the Sunday following the first first half of the firearm deer season last year, he heard a friend talking, so he asked him how he had done during the opening weekend. "I didn't even see a deer, Brian," his friend said. "Well I didn't see a deer either," Beasley replied. "But that didn't stop me from getting two." Beasley lost his vision at age 13, the victim of a shooting accident, but he doesn't see this disability as being a handicap.
In addition to a full-time job, Beasley
"I don't think of myself as being disabled or handicapped," he said. "I'm just blind. Being blind and learning to do things is challenging, but there are a lot of things I do well. I can probably out-run you, but that doesn't make you disabled. It's just something I can do better than you. I participate in all kinds of outdoor activities. A couple of weeks ago I set a new course record in a canoe race I participated in. I don't think of myself as being disabled. There are things you can do that I can't. That's all."
Beasley compensates for his lack of vision by working harder and by maximizing the use of his other senses. "I listen more carefully to what is going on around me," he said. "When you're in tune with your senses, you hear things others miss-pin oak leaves rustling, the feel of the sun and wind, the smell of wood smoke. My senses aren't any better than yours, but I've learned to use them better." Beasley recently was named to DNR's Disabled Outdoor Opportunities Advisory Committee. "My input is going to be on how to make outdoor activities accessible for visually impaired people," Beasley said. "I don't know other blind hunters, but I do know this isn't for everyone. I want to make sure that if a blind person wants to try the sport, he or she can. We're going to put together a couple of archery hunts. I think if I'm lucky enough to be successful, it might pave the way for someone else." Beasley talks about luck, but he manufactures his success. He and Sweeney are meticulous about what they do and what they use—from the gun and slugs to where they put their hunting blind. Beasley also spends a lot of time weight lifting, which helps him hold the gun steady while Sweeney is directing his aim. "We built ourselves a tree stand for deer hunting a couple of years ago," Beasley said. "Being off the ground gives us a better chance of being successful. We hunted from ground blinds the first couple of years, which put us at a disadvantage. You have to keep in mind that a deer approaching us picks up twice the sound and twice the scent because there are two of us. But that just makes a successful hunt twice as nice."
They use a pistol scope mounted on the shotgun because it is designed to be looked through from 18 to 20 inches back. Unfortunately, the scope doesn't have any magnification, so they're looking for a new one that might enlarge the target. They tried using a laser sight, and although it's good for target practice, it hasn't worked out for them in hunting situations. Beasley gives a lot of credit for his success to Lana, his wife of 18 years. "She doesn't go out in the tree stand with me, but she gives me plenty of support at home," he said. "She gets up at 3 a.m. and fixes me breakfast so I go off into the woods with a full stomach. Beasley also attributes his success to a good mental attitude. "My mental attitude comes from my faith," Beasley said. "The church is a big part of my life, and I thank God for my good health and my strong will and for all the things I am able to do. I may be blind, but it's not that bad. It's not that tough. God is a big part of my life." And he obviously likes to stay busy. In addition to a full-time job, he has a couple of businesses on the side. He makes and sells concrete products—splash guards, round blocks and patio blocks—from his home. He also grows and sells corn for squirrel feeders and assists his daughter in raising rabbits. In his spare time, he does motivational speaking to school and church groups, talking about overcoming obstacles. That brings us to his outdoor activities. He didn't learn to roller blade or ice skate until after he was blind, and this past summer he took up water skiing. He got up on the skis the first time he tried and by the end of the day was able to ski on a single ski. He eventually wants to try barefoot skiing. He ran track in high school against sighted runners and later participated in U.S. Association of Blind Athletes meets, setting a record in the 800 meters and winning the 1500 meters and 10K events in 1980 and 1981. "These are just things you can do if you set your mind to doing them," he said. "I also enjoy fishing. I mostly go for catfish, but I do some bass fishing and I like to take my daughter bluegill fishing." And yes, we did say he likes to ride a motorcycle, but he's quick to point out that he only rides on private ground-never on public roadways. What's next? "I've been thinking about getting a compound bow, and pistol season is also an interesting option," Beasley said. "I've thought about elk and moose hunting sometime, too. But that would mean traveling, and there would be a financial obstacle, plus I have to think about my partner, so that's something for later on. I'm satisfied with here and now. I thought my hunting career was over, so I'm just thrilled to be able to hunt again." And while Beasely is an inspiration, I suspect he wouldn't be very comfortable with that word. He's more concerned about living a full life—and he's doing a good job of it. "I don't want to be considered a poster boy," Beasley said. "I'm just out to enjoy myself and to prove I can do things—for me, not for anyone else."
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