If I didn’t already know what Michael R. Bassett was doing the first time he called from his cell phone in a Parke County woods, his second call might have seemed, well, creepy.

He was whispering. He had additional information, he said. Each halting word he spoke seemed to come with each cautious step that he took.

“I . . . think . . . you’ve . . . brought . . . us . . . luck,” he said in a muffled voice. “We’ve . . . picked . . . up . . . a . . . blood . . . trail . . . again.”

He was also getting text messages from his son, Jake , 13, who had wounded a 10-point buck the previous evening on a hunting trip; a buck they were unable to trail because of darkness.

So with Jake in school on this beautiful Thursday morning last week, Bassett was doing double-duty; while searching for an injured deer, he was on his phone seeking help for his pal, James Awbrey .

Awbrey, a Parke County Sheriff’s deputy, was seriously injured in August when his stopped patrol car was hit from behind by another motorist.

His doctors have given him a 10 percent chance of walking again, Bassett said. But Bassett and other hunters were determined to give Awbrey a 100 percent chance of deer hunting again. And they did.

“Jim is out of rehab and at home. He got his crossbow last week and went in pursuit of an 8-pointer, and he got one,” Bassett said.

There have been several fundraisers for Awbrey and his family. The one that Bassett and others are planning for Saturday is their second.

This one might be a little more special. Greg Miller , host of the “In Pursuit” outdoors television show and an expert whitetail deer hunter, will be a featured guest at the 7 p.m. fundraiser at the Parke County Fairgrounds.

The event includes a chili supper (“We have 30 gallons,” said Bassett), an auction of what Bassett calls “big-ticket stuff” (hunting guns, a boat, etc.), a sporting goods raffle, an appearance by Indianapolis Colts cheerleaders and a 45-minute seminar by Miller.

Admission is $15 with ticket sales at the door.

There’s a reason that Miller is attending. Bassett likes to tell about the time that Miller was a hunting guest on his Indiana property last year. He and Awbrey pulled a prank on Miller, who didn’t know the sheriff’s deputy.

He said Awbrey, off duty, approached the unsuspecting Miller and pretended to write an arrest warrant for trespassing on Bassett’s property.

Joking and having fun is what Bassett and others want to keep in Awbrey’s life. “He’s a 6-7, 270-pound lovable guy and his attitude is perfect,” Bassett said. “We have been friends for 10 years, coaching Little League and soccer together.”

He said it’s time to give back to Awbrey for his volunteer work and 10 years in the sheriff’s department.

A first fundraiser netted $31,000. Bassett said the goal this week is to raise another $20,000.

The money will be used to purchase Awbrey a specially-designed pickup truck.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will be deposited at First Financial Bank, 10 S. Main St., Marshall, Ind. 47859.

“Every dollar is going to the fund,” Bassett said.

Hooks in the water

The Indiana Department of Natural Resources reports that a slow economy might be the reason for a fast increase in fishing license sales this year.

Sales the first nine months of this year increased 49,111 over the first nine months of 2008. That resulted in a $748,000 revenue boost to Indiana’s fish and wildlife fund.

There is a national increase of 7.7 percent in fishing license sales. Indiana had an 8.1 percent increase.

Researchers said a slow economy allows people more time to spend on outdoor activities and that recreational fishing is a lower cost alternative to other recreation.