The Neil “Gobbler” Cost Chapter in Greenwood, S.C., has held Wheelin’ Sportsmen events every year since the program came to the NWTF in 2000. Over the years, their involvement has grown from helping with an annual deer hunt to holding three or four Wheelin’ events each year. The most recent event was their 6th annual dove hunt on the Sumter National Forest, Long Cane Ranger District dove field in Abbeville. Twenty-seven participants enjoyed a day of dove hunting with Forest Service and local chapter volunteers and harvested 273 birds.
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Illana Burkhart Wheelin' Sportsmen Coordinator |
The power of partnerships
You’ve heard the adage that the whole is more than the sum of its parts. Whether it’s pairing someone with a disability with an able-bodied volunteer for a hunt, or one of our NWTF chapters joining efforts with a state agency, there is no barrier that cannot be broken down by working together.
Recently, I’ve had the fortune to witness examples of the power of partnerships.
The first was a dove hunt hosted by Licking River Outfitters in Cynthiana, Ky., and the Kentucky First Ladies Chapter. Robin Gassett, owner of Licking River Outfitters, called his friends at the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources to help. During the event, I watched a lady with multiple sclerosis shoot a gun for the first time. With a woman from KDFW as her mentor, the pair made a formidable dove hunting duo.
The next week I was part of a dove hunt that was a result of a partnership between the NWTF, the South Carolina Forestry Commission and Hunting With A Hero. They brought together active duty military personnel, Wheelin’ members and disabled veterans from the Fort Gordon Warrior Transition Battalion.
The third example was at a Wheelin’ Sportsmen dove shoot in Abbeville, S.C., that was the result of a partnership with the Neil “Gobbler” Cost Chapter, the Forest Service and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. The dove field itself is a cooperative effort between the Forest Service, SCDNR and the NWTF — a partnership forged from wanting to help Wheelin’ members and other South Carolina hunters have a place to hunt. The Forest Service planted and maintained the 60-acre accessible public field on the Sumter National Forest, Long Cane Ranger District. The event brought together 27 Wheelin’ members and NWTF and Forest Service volunteers for another first rate day of hunting.
During the Abbeville event, I enjoyed the best part of my job: talking to members. Almost everyone told me how thankful they were for to be part of such a great event.
One participant said, “I hunted for many years before I became disabled, but this hunt is the best one ever, mostly because of the support and friendship from all of the other participants and volunteers. It’s like we’re family!”
That’s the best compliment anyone can ever pay to the program. — Illana