Blind hunters say technology could help them shoot safely. Idaho rules forbid it

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Exposing the Big Game's avatarCommittee to Abolish Sport Hunting Blog

Thu., March 31, 2022

Dale Stamper poses with a bull elk he harvested in 2016 near Mountain Home, Idaho, as part of a disabled veterans hunt. Stamper, who was blinded during the Vietnam War, used a scope camera and guidance from a companion to shoot the elk. (Courtesy of Dale Stamper)

Caleb Linck holds an external scope camera displaying the image from his stepson Jade Harlow’s rifle sights. Harlow is blind, and Linck serves as his hunting companion, using the external display to guide Harlow to his target. (Courtesy of Rebecca Linck)

Jade Harlow, right, and his stepdad, Caleb Linck, used a scope camera with an external screen to harvest a white-tailed deer last fall before learning the technology was forbidden. Harlow is blind and his family said the technology makes hunting much safer, so they’re appealing to Idaho Department of Fish and Game for a rule change. (Courtesy of Rebecca Linck)

Dale Stamper poses with a bull elk he harvested in 2016 near Mountain Home, Idaho, as part of a disabled veterans hunt. Stamper, who was blinded during the Vietnam War, used a scope camera and guidance from a companion to shoot the elk. (Courtesy of Dale Stamper)

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Caleb Linck holds an external scope camera displaying the image from his stepson Jade Harlow’s rifle sights. Harlow is blind, and Linck serves as his hunting companion, using the external display to guide Harlow to his target. (Courtesy of Rebecca Linck)

By Nicole BlanchardIdaho Statesman

BOISE – Crouched in the bed of his stepdad’s truck, Jade Harlow steadied himself, waiting for the right moment to take his shot. Caleb Linck, Harlow’s stepdad, was beside him watching on a 5-inch screen as the crosshairs of Harlow’s rifle hovered over a white-tailed doe.

“Fire,” Linck whispered. A split-second later, a gunshot cracked through the silence. “We got her,” Linck said.

It was Harlow’s first time hunting since he was blinded in a firearm accident in 2018, and the 16-year-old beamed with excitement and pride. His mother, Rebecca Linck, recorded the entire experience…

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