The family joined Pierre and Mike at the moose, and 10 adults toiled until 11:30 p.m. to dress the animal, cool the meat and ready it for transport back to Rigby.

Looking back, Pierre remembers he was up until daybreak the next morning.

"It really took it out of me," he said. "I pushed it overboard, and I think I stayed in bed until 2 p.m. the next day."

Mike didn't get much more sleep, but Pierre's reaction made the long day worth it.

"He was like a kid," Mike remembers. "To me, that was what made it worthwhile, to see my friend be able to do something he may not have been sure he was able to do since the accident."

Even though it will be a year before Pierre's mount is ready and a couple of weeks before moose meat is on the table, Pierre knows he can smile now.

"It's a special memory that'll never be forgotten," Pierre said, sitting next to the rack and skullcap in his living room. "It's really fulfilling to be a quadriplegic, to push myself that much and still get a moose."