Shelly NIckel Chapter in Smithfield, Kentucky On April 21, 2010, the Shelley Nickel Chapter of Smithfield, Ky., held its second annual Wounded Warrior Turkey Hunt. Twenty disabled veterans attended the hunt: 10 from the Wounded Warrior Project at Ft. Campbell, and 10 were local disabled veterans from the Vietnam War.

One of the highlights of the event is the way the chapter and the local community support the hunt. The Potter’s House Worship Center holds a meet and greet before the hunt. The American Legion serves lunch on the day of the hunt, and local residents pay to sponsor a veteran’s attendance at the hunt.

Event coordinator Jim Williams works with the chapter for months to make sure every detail is handled.

The Shelley Nickel Chapter also holds other outreach events throughout the year and is heavily involved with the JAKES and Women in the Outdoors programs. Their dedication to the future of hunting and conservation is shown in their efforts to provide opportunities for everyone to enjoy the outdoors.

The Huntmaster by Carolina Growler is for hunters who can no longer climb to reach hunting blinds. The Huntmaster quietly goes from ground level to a comfortable elevated position of 21 feet. It features a 6-by-5.5 compartment, a failsafe hydraulic system powered by a heavy-duty battery recharged by a solar panel. The Huntmaster comes with shooting openings on all sides, and at a gross weight of 5,500 pounds, it can be towed by almost any vehicle with a standard trailer hitch. Inside and ourside hydraulic controls allow for one person set up and operation.

For more information, visit www.carolinagrowlerinc.com.

Illana Burkhart
Wheelin' Sportsmen Coordinator

Check out the new Outreach Event Manual at www.wheelinsportsmen.org.
Click on the Events link.

Appreciation goes both ways

In April, I attended the Savannah River Site Ultimate Turkey Hunt for Mobility Impaired Hunters in New Ellenton, S.C. This Wheelin’ Sportsmen event is held in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy and the USDA Forest Service-Savannah River on the Savannah River Site. SRS has hosted the event since 2004.

I’ve attended this hunt each year since it is right down the road from me, and have witnessed the friendships formed between the hunters and the guides. All of the guides are employees of SRS and spend hours off-duty scouting the areas they are going to take their hunters. I often think that this hunt means as much to the volunteers as it does to the mobility-impaired hunters they are guiding, which was confirmed when I received the following note after this year’s event:

Just wanted to thank you and everyone at the Forest Service for their help in [making] this turkey hunt an annual event. You all did the work; all we did was go to the areas and listen for birds. Personally, it wasn’t work to me. It was being able to provide a day in the field for someone who in my case made a sacrifice in Vietnam for what our country stands for. We both served during the Vietnam War and were able to relate our experiences as we sat in the woods. [James’ injuries] are a daily reminder to him and all of us of what our soldiers endure even after the war is over.

I have always gotten more out of this program than the participants. For them to experience what we sometimes take for granted is the greatest blessing I could receive.
This has been my seventh year with the event at the Savannah River Site, and each year has a special memory. This year was extra special because I was able to thank a veteran for his service to our country. — Lt. Mike Frederick, WSI-SRS

Mike’s words echo what many of our volunteers tell me. Seeing the joy on a disabled hunter’s face when they get to spend time afield is worth more to them than actually hunting themselves. Consider volunteering at a Wheelin’ Sportsmen event this year. You’ll find a list of events at www.wheelinsportmen.org.
Not only will you make a difference in the life of someone with a disability, you just might make a difference in your own. — Illana

Wheelin Sportsmen NWTF SRS 2010 Turkey Hunt

2010 SRS turkey hunt participants pose with their birds.