It is no secret that Larned architect Tim Schaller loves to hunt. It has been a lifelong passion that began at 5 years old when he got his first Daisy BB gun. His father, Herman Schaller, was also a hunting enthusiast and Tim followed in his footsteps.

What may not be quite as well known is Schaller’s passion for teaching others to hunt and providing hunts for young people, especially those that are plagued with illnesses. That is a passion of his that may even exceed that passion for all things hunting and fishing.

Schaller and other friends and supporters have for many years provided all-expense hunting trips for young people from all over the United States. Beginning in 2001, Schaller hooked up with David Sullivan, who was the hunting coordinator for the Buckmaster American Deer Foundation Life (BADF) Hunt Program, which helped to sponsor hunting trips for disabled youth.

“I have had so many wonderful experiences in my life on hunting and fishing trips,” Schaller said. “I thought it was time I gave something back and I wanted to help provide something for young people, especially young people that were disabled or had health situations that would not normally allow them to go. A lot of my friends and associates felt the same way so we decided to get involved.”

That first hunt in 2001 was a bow hunt that brought seven young men, all in wheelchairs, from all across the United States. As has been the case every year, they and their families received airfare to Wichita, lodging in Larned along with all meals and a banquet after the hunt. All expenses were covered by donations of numerous companies and friends and associates of Schallers.

Each year, through 2019, this process was repeated, touching several dozens of lives and their families’ lives with a gift they would never have been able to provide. Schaller has scrapbooks full of pictures of each of those hunts, the deer that were harvested and, most importantly, the recollections of those young people and their families. 

With a tear in his eye Schaller commented, “The best part of all of this was the friendships we formed with those young people and their families. The hardest part was knowing that in most cases, these young people were not going to survive their health problems. It was very difficult receiving obituary notices from their families when one of our hunters would pass on. You get really close to these kids and their parents.”

Most of the hunts have taken place south of Garfield, on land owned by Schaller or on land he leased for this purpose. He stated that he is particularly grateful to Bruce Gatterman and his family for leasing land for these hunts. A number of these hunts have been chronicled in articles written by Michael Pearce, an outdoor writer who has written for the Wichita Eagle as well as a lot of magazine articles. Many of those articles were picked up in hometown newspapers of many of the hunters, telling their wonderful experiences in Kansas. 

Schaller’s trophy room and garage walls are lined with racks of deer from past hunts. Also on that wall are photos of each year, with the names of the participants and the deer they were able to harvest. A tour through Schaller’s scrapbooks finds letter after letter from the participants stating things like, “Being on that hunt was the very best time of my life,” or a letter from a Mom and Dad saying, “We just want to thank you and all who helped to provide our son with the experience of his lifetime. You can never know what this meant to our son. Thank you.”

Schaller, commenting on why this all got started said, “A lot of us were getting to the stage of our life where we love to hunt but we’re not content to just shoot an animal; but the chance to work with youth, particularly disadvantaged youth, was very special. All of us would much rather help someone like that get a deer than take it ourselves. I had a lot of help from friends, families and business associates, plus many of the businesses in Larned that enabled us to get this program going. It certainly wasn’t just me.”

Since 2019, Schaller has transitioned away from the BADF program and has worked with the Wounded Warriors program and has provided several hunts for wounded veterans. Also recently, there has been a move to working with “Pass It On”-Outdoor Mentors, a program that has many similarities but works with young people that maybe do not have a chance to go hunting or fishing. This program does not focus on young people that have life threatening illnesses. 

“Many of us were getting older and providing hunts for sick kids became more and more difficult but we didn’t want to give up the work so we have shifted our focus to young people that need a chance to learn about hunting and fishing.  We believe in a ‘Pass It On’ mentality. We want to be outdoor mentors to the youth, to encourage them in the great outdoors,” he said. Visit their website at www.outdoormentors.org.

There are hundreds of stories that could be shared, coming from Schaller’s scrapbooks. Letters, pictures and stories that would bring a tear to the eye of any reader, that would stir one’s deepest emotions. As Schaller flips through page after page, photograph after photograph, he has a story about each and every youngster and how they became a part of his and his friends’ lives. Now, most of those young people are gone, succumbing to their illness, but their memories linger on with Schaller and his friends.

“One thing I want to make clear is to recognize all of those that have helped throughout the years to make these hunts possible. If I start naming names I am afraid I will leave someone out but, believe me, there are a bunch of them. They went on the hunts, they cooked breakfast and dinner, helped to build blinds, dressed and butchered the deer and did a host of things. Then there were all of those that donated money, food and their time. This would not have been possible without them and I so appreciate what they did.

“I also want to point out that my wife Doris has had a big hand in these hunts as well, allowing me the time to devote to them and she has helped a ton with planning and helping wherever needed.”

As Schaller moves on into the future, the hunts will continue but he is adding a new twist this year. He is organizing a Fishing Day at Milford Lake for approximately 16 kids, age 16 and under, in June. It will be a memorial in honor of his son Matt who passed away in 2020. Matt loved the outdoors and, especially, loved to fish. The plan is to have 4-5 large pontoon boats and to teach the kids how to fish and then later, how to clean the fish and cook them along with hamburgers, hot dogs and other foods.

If we have learned anything about Tim Schaller and his friends and family, it is highly likely that this fishing event will become another of those annual events that benefit young people who haven’t had the chance to enjoy the great outdoors where Schaller lives.

His life as a hunter, his life as a giver. He’s found his niche.