By james art 
Chronic pain has been a part of Terri Smith’s life since a head-on collision nearly killed her, and it makes big game hunting especially challenging.
But she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“There is not a day of my life that I do not know pain. I refuse to let the pain drag me down,” she told Cowboy State Daily.
Having a physical job in landscaping helps, she said.
“It’s kind of my theory that once you start moving, you stay moving,” Smith said.
Wyoming’s New Point Person
Now an accomplished hunter in her own right, Smith hopes to mentor and inspire others. She was recently selected to be Wyoming’s first professional employee for 10 Can Inc. Christian Adventure Network. The organization specializes in organizing and conducting hunts for military veterans and first responders.
It was founded by Florida resident and Air Force veteran Matthew Burke and has branched out into other states.
Last year, the group offered to take hunters from Wyoming Florida alligator huntingin exchange for being taken elk hunting in Wyoming.
Burke recently went deer and elk hunting with Smith near Sheridan.
He said her “toughness and determination” made her the obvious choice to represent 10 Can in Wyoming.
Smith said she is excited about her new role. As a professional employee, she will be the point person for the organization in Wyoming.
“I’m still learning the process. I know I will help organize hunting camps for women, children, veterans and first responders,” she said.
“Getting other women involved in hunting is important to me. And I have a soft spot for veterans,” Smith added.
Life changes in an instant
Smith has been close to death twice.
The first time was when she went through an extremely difficult labor in 1988 and gave birth for 36 hours.
Then she thought she might be facing the biggest test of her life.
But then came a “very, very foggy” morning in 2001.
Smith grew up in Washington state and still lives there at the time. On that foggy morning, she drove to work on a stretch of highway she knew, not afraid of the fog.
But a driver traveling in the opposite direction crossed the center line. The combined speed of the head-on impact with Smith’s vehicle was about 100 miles per hour.
It happened in an instant, she said.
“I had the feeling that something was coming towards me. My last conscious thought was, ‘I’m gone.’ I closed my eyes and turned my head.”
“I Flatline Three Times”
She woke up four days later in a Seattle hospital, with her mother by her side.
“I just remember telling my mom, ‘Well, I’m not afraid of death anymore,'” Smith said.
Her mother and others told her about the harrowing events of the day of the crash.
An ambulance took her from the scene of the accident to a hospital in a small town nearby. But her injuries were too severe to be treated at the hospital; she will have to be airlifted to seattle for life.
The problem was that the weather was still too bad for civilian flights. Fortunately, there was a Black Hawk military helicopter.
“I guess they decided to use this flight as a training exercise for the Black Hawk crew,” Smith said.
“Apparently I’ve been knocked out three times that day. Once at the crash site, once in the ambulance and once in the helicopter,” she added.
As horrible as that day was, Smith learned that there was at least one humorous event while she was unconscious.
“I wore puffer jackets all the time. And when they went to cut my vest off in the ambulance, the feathers were all over the place,” she said.
Her body never fully recovered, despite numerous surgeries on her knees, face and other areas. Damage to her ear canal causes her to experience periodic bouts of vertigo.
There’s almost constant pain ‘and arthritis, of course. Because I broke, well, a lot,” Smith said.
-
In 2001, Terri Smith was involved in a head-on collision that nearly killed her and left her with chronic pain. (Courtesy of Terry Smith) -
In 2001, Terri Smith was involved in a head-on collision that nearly killed her and left her with chronic pain. (Courtesy of Terry Smith) -
Terry Smith was involved in a near-fatal head-on collision in Washington state in 2001. The weather that day was too bad for civilian flights. So she had to be airlifted to a Seattle hospital by Black Hawk military helicopter. (Courtesy of Terry Smith) -
Terri Smith’s living room wall bears witness to her passion for hunting. (Courtesy of Terry Smith)
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way”
Smith “grew up in a hunting family” who also raised poultry on their small property. So even as a small child she was used to hunting and butchering meat.
Being able to hunt, process and pack big game — and butcher it herself — remains important to her.
“There’s a sense of pride in going out and getting your own meat and putting it in your freezer. It feels empowering and I want to share it,” she said.
She overcomes her physical challenges with the simple philosophy that “where there’s a will, there’s a way,” Smith said.
She hunts with her grandfather’s .30-06 Springfield rifle—with a traditional wooden stock cut to fit a man’s typically longer arms.
Over the years, Smith has learned to “drop my shoulder” so he can hold the rifle securely and get a clear sight picture through the scope.
She has also found that using a game cart or sled can save her from having to use a heavy backpack to retrieve venison.
And whenever possible, he also uses his horse.
“Do I still feel the pain? yes Does it sometimes cause problems,” she said. “But I love to hunt, it keeps me alive.”
“We are not weak”
Smith hopes she can inspire other women to hunt.
There has been an increase in the number of female hunters, but it is still widely considered a “man’s sport”, she said.
She hopes to help change that perception.
“We are not weak. If you look back to the caveman days, women hunted just as much as men. We can continue after a big game. We should not limit ourselves to just bird hunting. The idea that “bird hunting is for the ladies”. Well, why?” she asked.
“I’m just trying to remind women that we’re capable, we’re strong and we can do whatever we put our minds to,” Smith said.
Getting better with age
At age 54, Smith said she hunts as hard as she did, but she also does it smarter.
“I might not go out quite alone with my horse in the country like I would have done even five years ago,” she said. “That’s part of it, learning to hunt within your limits.”
She has multiple game tags — for elk, deer, white-tailed deer and antelope — to fill out this fall.
“It’s interesting that the older I get, the more avid hunter I become,” she said. “Now I’m out there and it’s me versus the wild. And I’m serious about it. I think, “This is time, this is money. Let’s get something in the freezer.
However, unfilled big-game tags aren’t a toss-up, Smith added.
“Even if I don’t fill some of my tags, my money goes to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and it helps them keep it open for everyone to enjoy hunting,” she said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at [email protected].