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There were backslaps, handshakes and tears to go around Wednesday evening as a crowd of nearly 150 gathered in the Creston High School auditorium to watch a young man’s dream come true.
Tanner Webb, a 2015 Creston High School graduate who has cerebral palsy, fulfilled an eight-year goal to shoot his first deer last fall with some help from the Holder family of Macksburg as part of their Outdoor Channel series, "Raised Hunting."
Wednesday, the Holders held a special screening of that episode, titled “The Plan,” at the high school, allowing the public — and the Webb family — to see it for the first time.
Webb said the story couldn’t have been told any better.
“I really have no words other than I’m very very blessed and very very fortunate to have been through this whole experience,” he said.
Kevin Webb, Tanner’s father, agreed.
“The show itself was beyond what I expected,” he said. “You couldn’t ask for a better outcome.”
Tanner had appeared in an episode taped in 2013 titled “Winning,” in which the foundation “Building Brighter Dreams” helped him join forces with the Holders in his quest for a deer. The episode ended with Tanner striking a lasting friendship with Warren Holder, although he never got the deer.
In “The Plan,” David Holder creates a strategy to help Tanner. With some help, he creates a larger blind, plants a new feed plot, finds a second scope so he can see what Tanner sees during the hunt and finds another “arm” to help steady Tanner’s bow.
This time, Tanner gets his doe.
The show ends with a tribute to Tanner’s mother, Amy, who died March 30 at age 43.
“The tribute at the end to my mom, it was very fitting, and like I told them, even just for a minute she was there and you could feel her,” Tanner said. “It was incredible.”
David Holder said he decided to schedule a screening after realizing during production what a powerful story it was.
“I’m going through this, and I’m sitting there and tears start streaming down my face as I’m trying to narrate a show that’s not even complete,” he said. “I’m going, this is not a hunting show — this is something way more.”
After everything the Webb family has gone through this year, Holder said, he wanted to share the show with Tanner in a special way before it aired.
Among those attending Wednesday was student aide Steve Wilson, who has helped Webb since the seventh grade and sat with him during the hunt in the first episode.
“I was in the blind when he didn’t shoot the deer, and I saw the disappointment in his face,” Wilson said. “I felt like just shooting that deer in the episode is really awesome.”
Jeff Bevins, Creston Schools activity director, said the show — which offered many laughs as well as tears — captured Tanner’s personality well.
“He’s got a great sense of humor, can really communicate with people, and he just doesn’t quit,” Bevins said. “He just keeps pushing and pushing and pushing and, like the video showed, he got his deer, he just kept working at it.”
Tanner’s next goal: to shoot a buck. But until then, he said he wants his story to inspire others who may be struggling.
“I hope that I may reach somebody out there that’s going through a similar situation and be like, ‘Hey, I can do it,’ and maybe just give them that extra boost to get them over the hump,” Webb said.
“The Plan” will air on the Outdoor Channel 10:30 a.m. Saturday, 3:30 p.m. Monday and 8:30 a.m. Sept. 4.
To see video of David Holder talking about his experience working on the show, as well as reactions to last night's screening, visit www.crestonnews.com.