Tyler Gengnaggle has been hunting with his dad, Scott, since he was 2 years old.
He had to take a break from his adventures a few years ago when the now 10-year-old Chesterton boy was diagnosed with lymphoma.
Thanks to the organization Hunt of a Lifetime, Tyler soon will be able to pursue his passion again, this time hunting moose in British Columbia, Canada.
"He's excited. He's ecstatic," his mom, Karen, said, adding that Tyler's previous hunting has been limited to white-tailed deer.
Next week, Bass Pro Shop in Portage is sponsoring a golf outing to benefit the nonprofit group that grants wishes to children under 21 years of age who have been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.
Karen Gengnaggle said her son was diagnosed in July 2004 when doctors found an extremely large tumor behind his spleen that was crushing other internal organs. Tyler underwent chemotherapy for 14 months and, for the last two years, has been in remission.
Karen Gengnaggle said her mother works at Bass Pro and learned about Hunt of a Lifetime during the store's fall classic event. The family applied on Tyler's behalf and he was recently accepted into the program.
Originally, Karen Gengnaggle said, Tyler wanted to go moose hunting in Alaska, but that couldn't be arranged and plans now are to send him and his dad to British Columbia.
Tyler is receiving another wish, Bass Pro Promotion Manager Kelly Hipskind said. In December, he will go hunting in Columbus, Ind., with Bass Pro founder John Morris and NASCAR Nextel Cup driver Tony Stewart.
Karen Gengnaggle said she understands Tyler's Columbus outing will be televised on the Outdoor World cable television channel.
The golf outing on Wednesday, Hipskind said, will raise funds for Hunt of a Lifetime and will offer several prizes. It begins at 10 a.m. at Brassie Golf Club in Chesterton. A $100 per golfer entry fee provides 18 holes of golf, lunch, two drinks, a golf shirt, a free round of golf at the course and evening hog roast with DJ. A hole-in-one contest offers golfers a chance at a $30,000 boat and a new Toyota truck.
Other prizes include a 2008 Brassie membership, a bicycle and a Lake Michigan fishing excursion.
For more information on the outing, call Mary Highlan or Lisa Spencer at Bass Pro Shops at (219) 787-6800.
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