LOUISVILLE, Colo. — Fleetwood Mathews’ life changed in an instant during the December 30 Marshall Fire when his home burned to the ground. Now Mathews, along with thousands of others in Louisville and Superior, must start the important work of rebuilding all that was lost.

One of the biggest hits for Mathews was the loss of his freezer – over the last four years he and his wife had transitioned to a more sustainable lifestyle, so he picked up bowhunting after a mentorship with a hunter in Rifle.

“I was at the point where I didn’t have to buy any commercial red meat,” Mathews said. “All of the beef or elk that we had was either from a local Colorado rancher or from hunting. I haven’t bought a steak from the store in probably three or four years.”

So when he lost two freezers full of meat that feeds his family, and specifically the elk he had just harvested during last fall’s archery season, he was devastated. Mathews met Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Scott Reffel, a Park Ranger at St. Vrain State Park, the day he returned to see the destruction of his home post-fire.

Mathews took pictures of his home after it was destroyed by the Marshall Fire / Courtesy: Fleetwood Mathews

“When I went back to see what was left of my home, it looked like a warzone – like someone dropped napalm on our property,” Mathews said. “There was only ash and twisted metal. I spent a few minutes looking at my old freezers and all that was left were some charred bones and elk knuckles that I was going to make beef broth out of. I picked one of them up and it just fell apart in my hands. Beyond feeding my family, there were lots of memories associated with that meat and how I got it.

Reffel had left the Mathews’ with his business card the day of their initial visit after the fire. Mathews, who is on the board of the Gamelines Archery Club in Boulder, reached out to a friend and Vice President of the club, who suggested he contact CPW to see if they could make something happen for him. So Mathews emailed Reffel regarding getting his late season list C elk hunting license reprinted so he could try to put some meat back in his freezer. Thanks to some friends in the hunting community, he was able to pick up a free freezer shortly after the fire.

“When I contacted CPW about my license, I also asked if someone might be able to point me in the direction of a problem herd in my unit,” Mathews said. “I had pretty low expectations about being able to fill my tag because it’s very easy to be pessimistic when your house and everything in it burns to the ground.” 

That email sparked CPW staff to see what they could do to help the family out.

Wildlife officers had recently seized an elk carcass from an individual in illegal possession of the animal. When game meat is seized after unlawful activity and it is salvageable, wildlife officers will donate that meat to people and families in need.

So on Friday, Jan. 28, wildlife officer Sam Peterson delivered a whole elk to Mathews.

CPW was able to restock the Mathews’ freezer / Courtesy: Fleetwood Mathews

“I haven’t had a lot of interactions with CPW,” Mathews recalled. “I’ve called the hunt planners a few times and I’ve met a game warden once or twice. When I got the call from Sam a few hours after CPW emailed me back, I was shocked. I remember I was at the end of a very long day juggling being back at work and taking calls from the insurance company. To hear CPW was going to give me a whole elk reminded me that good things can still happen even when it feels like all is lost. CPW came through for me in a major way and I was so happy to meet Sam.”

This was not a common opportunity to be able to donate game meat out, but one that was rewarding to wildlife officers.

“Having responded to the Marshall Fire when it started, I cannot imagine the pain any families who lost their home are going through,” Peterson said. “The whole scene that day was very apocalyptic. When I heard a hunting family was looking for a helping hand, that was on the front of my mind a lot. That elk was in my truck for only about 10 minutes before I was making calls to track down Fleetwood. I’m really happy to have had the opportunity to help out such a nice and deserving family.”

Mathews said the fresh elk meat, supplied by CPW, will benefit his entire family.

“I love elk meat – my whole family does,” he said. “My buddy, Matt, helped me process it real fast and because I wasn’t in the field, we got to make some fun cuts. I’m beyond pumped. My mom is cooking the neck roast as we speak – she was just as excited as I was to get it. It’s going to feed everyone in the family in 2022.”