He rigs sight for hunter - blind friend

2dogs · February 17, 2003, 11:08 AM

http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/outdoors...748110,00.html

He rigs sight for hunter - blind friend
By BOB HODGE, hodge@knews.com
February 16, 2003

Carl Sherer came by the nickname "McGyver" honestly.

An investigator for the TVA police, Sherer was on a stakeout in Alabama when the batteries for his surveillance camera kept dying. Knowing his investigation would be useless without videotaped evidence, he took some wires and - like the McGyver on TV - rigged up the camera to his car battery.

"Any time your using surveillance equipment the biggest problem is power," Sherer said. "When you have trouble with the equipment, 90 percent of the time its because the batteries go dead."

Because of his ingenuity he kept the cameras rolling, the bad guys were caught, and he had a nickname . . . make that two nicknames.

"Sometimes we call him the High Tech Redneck," Sidney Whitehurst said. "He can go through stuff other people throw away and make something from it."

Whitehurst is the assistant director of the TVA Police and Sherer's longtime friend. When the two decided to take Blake Bivens deer hunting, - Bivens has been blind since he was 14 - it fell to Sherer to figure out how to make it possible.

While he couldn't make a blind man see - with a couple of cameras, some PVC pipe, a rifle with a scope and, of course, a little duct tape - he was able to make a blind man hunt.

"I guess I put about 20 or 25 hours of prep work and thought into it," said Sherer, who retires from TVA March 1. "At first I thought about mounting a camera on the rifle, then I thought about coming up with some sort of virtual reality device, but then I thought about using a camera and the rifle scope."

Sherer has a knack for electronics that has helped him with his job at TVA and with his hobby as a ham radio operator. His time working in communications with the National Guard hasn't hurt either.

Still, none of that really prepared him for how to get Bivens, who works at TVA in the criminal investigation division, into a deer stand with a reasonable chance of being successful.

"But after I got the idea of mounting a camera on a scope it came together pretty quickly," Sherer said.

Using a short piece of PVC he mounted a small surveillance camera in the scope on a Browning .25-06 and wired it to the video camera. He had to serve as his own machinist to fit the parts together and then had to sweat the technical aspects of getting a perfect match between the scope and the miniature camera.

He used camouflaged duct tape to put some padding over the scope/camera.

When he was done, one person could hold the rifle and another person could look into the viewfinder of the video camera and see everything the scope was seeing. Because the camera and scope move as one unit, the crosshairs of the scope appear to be superimposed on the viewfinder.

"When I got it all together I took it out on the porch behind my house and was looking at boats on the lake," he said. "I zeroed in on them and, with this setup, I think a person could shoot as well as the gun is able to shoot."

When Whitehurst and Bivens went to the rifle range to practice the only hassle the pair ran into - other than people curious about their equipment and a blind guy shooting a high-powered rifle - was low batteries.

A few wires and a couple of 9-volt batteries later, the problem was solved.

Not only has Sherer created a device that allows a blind hunter to shoot, it also records whatever the scope is seeing. There is videotape of Bivens missing a deer, but not of him bagging a 4-point buck.

Whitehurst was holding the video camera and directing Bivens while he hunted.

"Sidney is not very high tech," Sherer said. "I think he got a little excited and forgot to push the record button."

MitchSchaft · February 17, 2003, 03:35 PM

JohnBT · February 17, 2003, 04:39 PM

Good for them. I know some people that will want to hear about this solution.

What's the matter MitchShaft? You don't like to see people go hunting?

John

MitchSchaft · February 17, 2003, 07:08 PM

No, I was totally confused as to what the deal was. I guess I was still asleep when I read it. I don't get how it can help blind people hunt

ShaiVong · February 17, 2003, 11:28 PM

Haha it doesnt let a blind person hunt, it lets you use a blind person as a remote control hunter!

gk1 · February 18, 2003, 12:32 AM

Too bad he didn't see someone on one of those boats on the lake aiming a rifle at him, too.

Interesting idea, but I wonder how the actual hunting part would work...verbal directions might get a little tedious (higher....higher....a little bit left...down a little...OK, fire!) if the deer was willing to stand there long enough...

George

February 17, 2003, 11:08 AM	#1
2dogs Member Join Date: December 25, 2002 Location: the city Posts: 1,865	He rigs sight for hunter - blind friend http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/outdoors...748110,00.html He rigs sight for hunter - blind friend By BOB HODGE, hodge@knews.com February 16, 2003 Carl Sherer came by the nickname "McGyver" honestly. An investigator for the TVA police, Sherer was on a stakeout in Alabama when the batteries for his surveillance camera kept dying. Knowing his investigation would be useless without videotaped evidence, he took some wires and - like the McGyver on TV - rigged up the camera to his car battery. "Any time your using surveillance equipment the biggest problem is power," Sherer said. "When you have trouble with the equipment, 90 percent of the time its because the batteries go dead." Because of his ingenuity he kept the cameras rolling, the bad guys were caught, and he had a nickname . . . make that two nicknames. "Sometimes we call him the High Tech Redneck," Sidney Whitehurst said. "He can go through stuff other people throw away and make something from it." Whitehurst is the assistant director of the TVA Police and Sherer's longtime friend. When the two decided to take Blake Bivens deer hunting, - Bivens has been blind since he was 14 - it fell to Sherer to figure out how to make it possible. While he couldn't make a blind man see - with a couple of cameras, some PVC pipe, a rifle with a scope and, of course, a little duct tape - he was able to make a blind man hunt. "I guess I put about 20 or 25 hours of prep work and thought into it," said Sherer, who retires from TVA March 1. "At first I thought about mounting a camera on the rifle, then I thought about coming up with some sort of virtual reality device, but then I thought about using a camera and the rifle scope." Sherer has a knack for electronics that has helped him with his job at TVA and with his hobby as a ham radio operator. His time working in communications with the National Guard hasn't hurt either. Still, none of that really prepared him for how to get Bivens, who works at TVA in the criminal investigation division, into a deer stand with a reasonable chance of being successful. "But after I got the idea of mounting a camera on a scope it came together pretty quickly," Sherer said. Using a short piece of PVC he mounted a small surveillance camera in the scope on a Browning .25-06 and wired it to the video camera. He had to serve as his own machinist to fit the parts together and then had to sweat the technical aspects of getting a perfect match between the scope and the miniature camera. He used camouflaged duct tape to put some padding over the scope/camera. When he was done, one person could hold the rifle and another person could look into the viewfinder of the video camera and see everything the scope was seeing. Because the camera and scope move as one unit, the crosshairs of the scope appear to be superimposed on the viewfinder. "When I got it all together I took it out on the porch behind my house and was looking at boats on the lake," he said. "I zeroed in on them and, with this setup, I think a person could shoot as well as the gun is able to shoot." When Whitehurst and Bivens went to the rifle range to practice the only hassle the pair ran into - other than people curious about their equipment and a blind guy shooting a high-powered rifle - was low batteries. A few wires and a couple of 9-volt batteries later, the problem was solved. Not only has Sherer created a device that allows a blind hunter to shoot, it also records whatever the scope is seeing. There is videotape of Bivens missing a deer, but not of him bagging a 4-point buck. Whitehurst was holding the video camera and directing Bivens while he hunted. "Sidney is not very high tech," Sherer said. "I think he got a little excited and forgot to push the record button." __________________ TFL Alumnus "Why doesn't everybody leave everybody else the hell alone?" -Jimmy Durante- "An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it." -Jeff Cooper "That rifle hanging on the wall of the working-class flat or laborer's cottage is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays there." --George Orwell "If you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed, if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not so costly, you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance for survival. There may be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no chance of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves." - Winston Churchill DISCLAIMER: This post is not meant to offend any individual or group.

February 17, 2003, 11:28 PM	#5
ShaiVong Member Join Date: December 25, 2002 Location: Raccoon City, USA Posts: 995	Haha it doesnt let a blind person hunt, it lets you use a blind person as a remote control hunter! __________________ AWB: Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine.

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February 17, 2003, 03:35 PM	#2
MitchSchaft member Join Date: December 24, 2002 Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 606

February 17, 2003, 04:39 PM	#3
JohnBT Member Join Date: December 26, 2002 Location: Richmond, Virginia Posts: 9,151	Good for them. I know some people that will want to hear about this solution. What's the matter MitchShaft? You don't like to see people go hunting? John

February 17, 2003, 07:08 PM	#4
MitchSchaft member Join Date: December 24, 2002 Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 606	No, I was totally confused as to what the deal was. I guess I was still asleep when I read it. I don't get how it can help blind people hunt

February 18, 2003, 12:32 AM	#6
gk1 Member Join Date: January 3, 2003 Location: KC, MO Posts: 61	Too bad he didn't see someone on one of those boats on the lake aiming a rifle at him, too. Interesting idea, but I wonder how the actual hunting part would work...verbal directions might get a little tedious (higher....higher....a little bit left...down a little...OK, fire!) if the deer was willing to stand there long enough... George