Mount Clemens man bags big buck with a little help from a friend

Former St. Clair Shores police officer Jack Latour believes his friendship with Mount Clemens resident Shawn Gulley was the result of nothing less than divine intervention.

“The whole thing is really crazy,” said Latour, who now works for the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office. “I don’t want to sound like a goofball or anything,  but had I not gone through what I went through with my back and everything, I probably would not have gotten into an in-depth conversation with Shawn.”

A couple of years ago, Latour was paralyzed from the neck down after being involved in a golf cart accident. He had emergency surgery, went through more than a month of physical therapy and was able to retain use of all of his limbs.

“After rehab, I was able to be pretty much normal,” said Latour. “I know I was lucky.”

This year, Latour crossed paths with Gulley through his job. He expected to take care of business and go on his way. But when he discovered Gulley was a quadriplegic as the result of a 2009 dirt bike accident that broke his neck, he felt an instant connection.

“He and I got to talking and it just felt really comfortable and really, really spiritual,” said Latour. “Shawn has such a positive attitude. It was just enlightening.”

Gulley and Latour talked for more than an hour the first time they met. The second time, the conversation went on for two hours.

“We talked about the different things you deal with when you are a quadriplegic,” said Gulley. “Just all of the pain and the frustrations of not being able to move. He asked me what I would like to do if I were able to get back up and right away I said I would want to get back out into the woods and go hunting.”

Driving home from his meeting with Gulley, Latour kept thinking about what his friend had said. He was compelled to find a way to make Gulley’s dream come true.

“I just had a thing where I had to help this guy,” said Latour. “I went to work. I watch a lot of sportsmen’s shows and they are always advertising hunts for wounded warriors and things like that so I started making some phone calls.”

It took persistence and patience, but eventually, Latour discovered Hunt 2 Heal, a hunting lodge and preserve in Bitley, Michigan, located just west of Big Rapids, which specializes in making hunting accessible for those with physical disabilities.

“When Jack reached back out to me a few weeks after our conversation I was completely surprised,” said Gulley. “I’ve heard about hunting trips for people who are disabled,  but they’re always in Texas or Arizona or places that would be too far away for me to easily get to. Lo and behold, there is one right here in Michigan three and a half hours away! I thought I would never be out there in the woods again the way I was.”

Like many hunters across the state, Gulley and Latour spent the first weekend of Michigan firearm deer season Nov. 19-21 in the woods. They were able to harvest an eight-point buck, which was processed last week and which Latour is delivering to Gulley this week. After their day in the woods, they spent the evening at the Hunt 2 Heal lodge sharing food, beverages and lots of hunting stories.

“We had a lot of fun at the hunting camp,” said Gulley. “At one point a big six-point buck came out and we were trying to get the gun set and while we were doing that, he went away. But then more deer came out and that eight-point buck was about 111 yards away. We got it done together.”

The last time Gulley had been able to practice his beloved hobby was in 2008, about a year before his paralyzing accident.

“Jack and I just met a few months ago but it seems like we have been knowing each other for a while,” said Gulley. “We have a lot in common. We were just like two old buddies out there in the woods.”

This is the first season Hunt 2 Heal has been open and Gulley hopes to return in the spring for turkey hunting.

“He was just ecstatic when he was there,” said Latour. “It was so rewarding. When we got that deer and he started breaking down and crying and can’t even wipe away his own tears, you think of what a man like Shawn has to do on a daily basis that we take for granted.”

Latour ranks his hunt with Gulley right up with his own first successful hunt and his daughter’s first time bagging a deer. Gulley is looking forward to eating some venison this winter and is still elated about his experience.

“I try to be a positive person and that just puts the icing on the cake,” said Gulley.