On behalf of the Dead Eyes duo of Kirk Musgrove and Mike Royal, I want to extend our gratitude and thank Freeman Sawyer for having the vision to create Heroes Ranch and giving us the opportunity to harvest a once in a lifetime buck.

We also want to express how much we enjoyed interacting with everyone we met on the ranch. Getting to know these first-class people, while staying in top notch facilities and hunting fully accessible blinds, made us feel like we had gone to deer hunter heaven.

We further would like to tip our caps to anyone who has sponsored or volunteered at helpingheroeshunt.org, for a hunting experience that we will never forget. Our friendship was strengthened, we made new friends and we returned home humbled with the mission to get better.

There will be several more posts about our time at Heroes Ranch, but for now I wanted to post some photos of this amazing deer referred to as Big 9 by the Heroes Ranch hunting guide and share the formation of the Dead Eyes duo.

Deadeye Background

The term “deadeye” is often used to describe an expert marksman or sharpshooter, particularly with a firearm. It implies that the individual is so skilled that they can hit their target with deadly accuracy. The term is believed to have originated in the Wild West era, when gunslingers were known for their quick draw and deadly aim. Dead Eye was a term used to describe the most skilled and feared of these gunmen, who could take down their opponents with a single shot. Today, Dead Eye is often used to describe anyone who is exceptionally skilled at shooting or hunting.

Dead Eyes Duo Formation

In November 2023, returning from the Musgrove Family YO Ranch as a totally blind hunter, I joked with Kirk about creating our brand, so we could solicit sponsorship for future hunts. Since I have two “Dead Eyes” there would be no way for me to become a deadeye shot. However, together we would strive to become so skilled that we could hit our target with deadly accuracy.

We could start a Dead Eyes podcast. In episode one I could use my hearing to enhance sound proofing of the deer blind. Next, we could promote Dead Eyes workouts classes featuring 50-pound feed bags and bales of hay. Finally, Dead Eyes Deer Stand yoga franchises specializing in poses to strengthen muscles required to sit for hours would be a natural fit.

Podcast Episode One

Spoiler alert, to date episode one of the Dead Eyes podcast has yet to be dropped, not a single workout class has been created and no one has approached us to open a yoga franchise. To date, the use of dead eyes is limited to a couple of posts on this blog explaining that I now have two dead eyes and how growing up I learned to shoot left-handed because my left eye was my master eye.

Essentially, today both of my eyes are dead. I do have very limited light perception in a narrow visual field. In fact, I just completed a master eye test by stretching my arms out and pointing my finger at an imaginary target, no surprise I could see neither my finger nor the target. Ironically, when I closed my right eye, my finger appeared to remain on target, in contrast, closing my left-eye caused my finger to jump off target to the left.

How You Can Help Heroes Ranch

Heroes Ranch is a recreational retreat providing “outdoor accessible” family adventures and fellowship for injured, ailing, wounded or disabled Heroes. Heroes Ranch proudly welcome Heroes and their families from the Military, Law Enforcement, Firefighters, First Responders, Gold Star Families and Special Needs Families. This link will take you directly to the Heroes Ranch How You Can Help page.