Judging from his track record, Farley is no slouch when it comes to putting together respectable bags of bass, either.

He's been a member of the Shirley Creek Bass Club for 12 years, making the club's Top Six 11 times, and averages winning one to three club tournaments per year. Additionally, he competes in numerous civic organization tournaments, most often with his team partner of 26 years, David Morton.

"There's not a person I have any more respect for in this world than Ken Farley," says Morton. "He's one of those guys that you can't say enough about. He's a rare individual with a super personality and a very strong will.

"He takes his tournament fishing very seriously and he loves to win," Morton adds. "Not only has Ken taught me a lot about bass fishing, but he's also taught me a lot about life. I'm proud to call him my fishing partner and friend. We've had lots of great times together."

But things don't always run smoothly. With his legs and hips gone, Farley relies solely on a specially-designed fiberglass vest for support. The vest was constructed with a round metal plate that cradles him at the waist. He'll position himself on the console seat in big bass boats and on the floor when fishing out of a flatbottom.

"Either way, it's pretty easy to get off balance wearing this thing," jokes Farley. "When I set the hook on a fish, it has a tendency to make me lean forward. I've wound up lying face-first in the bottom of a bass boat more than once. When it happens, I just grab hold of something, pull myself back up and go back to fishing."

As amazing as it may seem, Farley is every bit as adamant about hunting as he is fishing. When whitetails are in season he'll spend an average of 30 to 45 days in the woods.

"I'm not one of these hunters who goes out late and comes in early, either," he notes. "When I go deer hunting, I'm out there an hour before daylight and I'll stay until it's too dark for me to see. I take my hunting seriously, and so far it's paid off pretty good. I always manage to kill the deer I'm allowed each year."

While he will visit other places on occasion, Farley says he does most of his deer hunting on a 183-tract of property located about 6 miles east of Chireno in Nacogdoches County. His best buck to date is an 18-3/4-inch 8-pointer.

"I love deer hunting about as much as I do fishing," he says.

"Bottom line is I just like to be outdoors. I've always been active in that way and I'm going to continue to be active as long as I'm able."

It's only natural to assume that the burden of such a handicap would put Farley in a position where he would have to be dependent upon others, particularly when it comes to getting in and out of deer stands. But that's hardly the case at all.

Farley is every bit as independent as someone with two perfectly good legs, possibly moreso than some. Using camouflage netting to conceal his presence, he hunts strictly from his wheelchair.

"About all I need is someone to drop me off and I take it from there," he says. "I can slip around pretty good in my chair as long as I'm able to avoid those armadillo holes. I can't count the number of times I've run off into those things and turned over."

When asked to recall the worst predicament he'd ever gotten himself into while hunting, Farley was quick to remember a squirrel hunting trip near the rural East Texas community of Apple Springs.

A friend had dropped him off at what he thought would be a hotspot, but things didn't pan out. That's when Farley decided to make a move down a logging road to a different area and subsequently ran into trouble.

"I got about halfway to where I wanted to go and I got into a bunch of log truck ruts that were about 3 feet deep," recalls Farley. "There was no way I could stay in my chair and get through them, but I wasn't about to turn around and go back. I was determined to get to where I wanted to go."

What did he do? Farley dismounted his chair, laid down behind it and inched his way along

"I'd push my chair a little ways, drag myself and gun, then push the chair a little more," says Farley. "I did that for about 75 yards before I made it through those dang ruts. But I finally made it. And when I did, I got back in my chair and went on my way."

If that's not the ultimate gut check, I'm not sure what is. But Ken Farley doesn't look at it that way.

In his eyes, he was put on this earth for a purpose, and being a paraplegic is all part of the master plan.

"I firmly believe I'm serving the purpose I was put here for," says Farley. "If I can brighten somebody's day and show them something I may have learned down the line, then that's good for me and that person, too. "There's no doubt that my life has been filled with many ups and downs, but I've always managed to spring back because that's just the kind of person I am. If there's something I want to do, I won't quit until I've satisfied myself.

"But more importantly, I never say 'can't.' And I'd tell that to anybody, regardless if they are crippled up or not."