Stigen enjoys ‘trip of a lifetime’

Hannah Gross
NLJ Correspondent 
 
“There’s not enough words to describe how grateful, thankful and humbled I was,” said Christy Axelson Stigen of her recent “hunt of a lifetime.” The hunt is sponsored by the nonprofit organization Hunting with Heroes Wyoming, whose mission is “to give back to our nation’s disabled veterans by honoring them with unique hunting, fishing and other outdoor experiences” to help them “discover hope again, no matter what battles they continue to fight physically and emotionally.” 
As a disabled veteran herself, Stigen became an active member of the program’s Cheyenne chapter as a way to give back to other veterans, as well as her husband Andrew, who is also a military veteran. 
“We’re both veterans ourselves, and we wanted to give back,” Stigen said. 
Stigen serves in the administrative arm of the organization by making sure people have the correct forms, organizing banquets, lining up the food and lodging for the hunting weekends and fundraising. As the only female on the team, she and her co-workers joke that she helps to “keep everybody in line.” 
Stigen explained that the state of Wyoming allows tag holders to donate their big game tags to a permanently disabled person or a veteran who is at least 50% disabled, so Hunting with Heroes Wyoming sponsors these individuals to provide “them hunting opportunities of a lifetime.” Stigen said it was especially important this year when hopes were down due to COVID-19. Having a weekend where they could forget about their problems by hunting “warms my heart.” 
“I’m a changed person,” Stigen said. “I love giving back to other veterans.” 
But because Stigen has poured so much into Hunting with Heroes Wyoming, the organization decided to give back to Stigen by offering her a bighorn sheep hunting trip. When founder Dan Currah called to ask if she was busy in December, she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Stigen replied that she wasn’t deserving of it, so she wasn’t going. However, Currah persisted, saying that Joe Fieler had already donated his bighorn sheep tag to her. So she gave in — and is glad she did. 
“It was an absolute blast,” she said. “I love being outdoors.” 
Obtaining a bighorn sheep tag can take over 20 years, and Fieler said he had been applying for a permit for 24-26 years because it was something he has always wanted to do. Because it takes so long to get, he said, he knew this hunting trip would only be once in a lifetime. He finally drew his tag last year, but after giving it some thought and knowing what a difficult year 2020 was for many, Fieler said, he wanted to do something good, so he contacted Hunting with Heroes Wyoming and donated his tag. 
“I’ve been pretty fortunate in my life,” Fieler said. “But my dad served in the military … and I always admired that.” 
Although he never served in the military, Fieler said, his father was a World War II veteran and Pearl Harbor survivor. Fieler has always had a deep respect for veterans and wants to show his support in whatever way he can. 
“They sacrifice everything for our democracy and freedom,” Fieler said. 
True Ranch-LAK Ranch foreman Chuck Farella and David Tysdal donated the land for Stigen to hunt on, and Farella, along with Fieler, joined Stigen and her husband on the weekend to make it a “hunt for the books” that she’ll cherish forever. As awesome as hunting a bighorn sheep was, Stigen said, the people are what made it so special. 
“We’re ever so thankful for Chuck and Joe,” she said. “For taking time out of (their) busy lives to spend the weekend guiding, mentoring and making memories with me. I will never be able to say thank you enough.”
“It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for both of us,” Fieler said. “We got exposed to some country we’ve never seen before. … It was a good experience.”
Farella concurred that the camaraderie is what makes hunting so special, and he believes the work Hunting with Heroes Wyoming does is important, so when Fieler shared his idea with Farella, he was excited. Farella had never gone sheep hunting before because the tags take so long to obtain. He was happy to donate the land and go on a hunt, he said. 
Before this trip, Fieler had never been involved with Hunting with Heroes Wyoming, but he is glad he did and encourages other people to donate their “once in a lifetime tags” to a veteran. 
“We need to take care of our veterans for the long haul,” Fieler said. 
And it truly did make a difference to brighten a veteran’s day, blessing both giver and receiver. 
“It was a trip I’ll never forget,” Stigen said.