Hunts axis months after losing limbs
Story by Nate Skinner for Lone Star Outdoor News
Austin native Sam Greiner spent the last few years guiding big game hunts in Idaho and Montana, until he was struck by a train on a solo hunt with his dog at the end of January.
The accident caused him to lose his right arm and right leg. But he’s already back in the saddle — Greiner recently harvested a mature axis buck in the Rocksprings area while on a hunt with his buddies, Stephen West and Noah Thompson.
While coming down the mountains with Goose, his black lab, in Montana, Greiner slipped while crossing some icy train tracks. He was knocked unconscious and hit by a train.
“The conductor of the train saw my lab standing near me along the section of track where I was laying and initially thought that he was seeing a black bear dragging a mule deer,” Greiner explained. “The trains up there move so fast, and as the train got closer he realized what he was really seeing, but it was too late. Luckily, my dog got out of the way, but I got hit by the train.”
The train’s conductor called 911 immediately, and local authorities and first responders were able to get to Greiner and save his life.
Once he was cleared to travel after the early stages of his recovery, Greiner came back to Austin, where he worked to get back on his feet again.
“Doing some research, I found out about a facility called the Center for the Intrepid in San Antonio at Fort Sam Houston, which specializes in the rehabilitation of individuals that have sustained amputations, burns, or functional limb loss,” Greiner said. “I set my sights on trying to get into that facility, because I felt like I would be around the caliber of folks who would also be motivated to get back in shape and on with their lives.”
Greiner was accepted into the Center, and started going to San Antonio a few times a week for rehab.
“That’s where my buddy Stephen West and his family are from,” Greiner said. “One day while I was in town for rehab, we met up for lunch. West encouraged me to let him know when I would be ready to make a hunt, and said when the time came, we could make it happen.”
Greiner got a prosthetic leg and worked to get in good enough shape to be able to get back out in the field.
“West and I had talked about making an axis hunt, and I was motivated to get myself in good enough shape to make it happen,” Greiner said. “I started working at shooting a bow with a mouth tab, and had planned to hunt with a bow on our hunt.”
When it came time to meet up with West for the axis hunt, Greiner was having issues with his archery equipment. There had also been some recent rains that dispersed the herd of axis that they were go- ing to be pursuing, so he elected to hunt with his .30-30 lever action rifle instead.
“Packing for the axis hunt was a great feeling,” Greiner admitted. “It really made me feel like things were getting back to normal.”
A mutual friend of Greiner and West, Noah Thompson, picked up Greiner in Austin and they drove to Rocksprings to meet West, and the hunt commenced.
“We glassed a couple of great axis bucks from the truck on the property during the first afternoon,” Greiner said. “We made a few stalks on them that were unsuccessful, before calling it a day to regroup and game plan for the next morning.”
The next morning they found an impressive buck with some does.
“We made a move on the axis and were able to get within about 70 or 80 yards from him,” he elaborated. “I rested my .30-30 on a tree and took a shot. The buck took off, but we quickly got on his blood trail. Soon after, we found him piled up in a thick oak motte.”
Greiner said it was incredible to go through the emotions of the hunt.
“I went through the whole process of tracking the animal and hoping I had made a good shot on my first opportunity back since the accident,” he said. “Even though I was confident in the shot I took, I was second guessing myself. It was just plain awesome to put my hands on the axis when we found him. I had gone through all of the emotions that I had seen hunters go through while guiding them.”
Greiner said the hunt is proof of how tight-knit the hunting community is, and how relationships made through hunting can help people overcome anything.
“I wouldn’t have gotten this experience without West and Thompson,” he said. “And I wouldn’t be where I am right now without the doctors, therapists, family members and friends that have worked with me since the accident.”
Greiner intends to continue to work to get in good enough shape to pursue hunting and guiding to his fullest potential.
“I love hunting enough that I’d rather adapt and learn how to be able to do it in my current situation, then not be able to hunt again at all,” he said.
