Hunt #1 - MADISON – The 20th Wisconsin Gun Deer Hunt for Hunters with Disabilities will run from Oct. 3-11, 2009.

Hunters with the appropriate Disabled Hunting Permits and who are interested in participating in the 2009 disabled gun hunt should contact sponsors directly soon to make arrangements to hunt. A list of approved sponsors for 2009 is now available on the Disabled Deer Hunting page of the DNR Web site. Hunt sponsors must submit a list of hunters participating on their land to the DNR by Sept. 1. A hunter needs a Class A, long-term Class B – good for longer than one year and allows hunting from a vehicle – or a Class C Disabled Hunting Permit to participate in the Disabled Deer hunt.

To obtain a Disabled Hunting Permit, hunters must contact their doctors to complete an application and submit it to any DNR Service Center where a review usually takes from 30 to 60 days. Applications and more information is available on the Open the Outdoors - Hunting page of the DNR Web site.

The Gun Deer Hunt for Hunters with Disabilities program began in 1990 with an aim towards giving disabled hunters an “opportunity to hunt deer while mild temperatures persist and mobility is relatively unhampered,” said Linda Olver, assistant deer and bear ecologist with the Department of Natural Resources in Madison, who oversees the program.

The hunts are sponsored by private individuals and organizations and take place almost entirely on private lands. Last year, more than 100 sponsors opened more than 62,000 acres to disabled hunters, and Olver is hoping to at least match that total acreage in 2009.

Although the deadline has passed for sponsors to apply for 2009, DNR is always seeking to expand its sponsor list. The Application to Conduct a Gun Deer Hunt for People with Disabilities is also available on-line. Sponsor applications are due to local wildlife biologists by June 1 for that year’s hunt.

“We’ve seen steady increases in sponsorship and participation each year and the popularity of the program continues to soar. We are committed to making opportunities available to everyone regardless of their physical abilities or limitations,” noted Olver.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: on the disabled deer hunt contact Linda Olver, Assistant Deer and Bear Ecologist (608) 261-7588

Hunt #2 - Beyond the Boundaries at Joe’s Lodge, Inc. is dedicated to providing to disabled outdoor sportspersons the most comfortable and enjoyable outdoor recreational experience
possible. Beyond the Boundaries is quite a unique organization, in that it is the only hands-on
non-profit organization in the area serving the disabled, headquartered on the Ed and Mary
Gritt farm in Black Creek in Joe’s Lodge, our handicapped-accessible hunting cabin.

Each year, Beyond the Boundaries hosts a deer hunt during the special season: From
arranging for close to 1000 acres of private hunting land, to organizing and providing tasty
meals, to enveloping the hunters with the camaraderie found inside Joe’s Lodge, our goal is
to provide to disabled hunters experiences that many of them could only dream about if it
weren’t for Beyond the Boundaries, all at no expense to the disabled hunters.

Along with hosting the disabled hunt, Beyond the Boundaries also provides other outdoor
recreational activities to its members throughout the year, such as fishing outings, access to
an archery range at Joe’s Lodge, a pony-pull, and many more.

To participate in sporting activities, contact:
Ed Gritt
920-984-3096

Hunt #3 - MINNESOTA & WISCONSIN - 2009 UFFDA HUNT DRAWINGS

If you are a physically challenged UFFDA member in good standing (with your dues paid to date - $25.00), we invite you to register for our 2009 UFFDA Hunts. Our organization is growing and more opportunities are becoming available all the time. Please read carefully the following instructions to keep the selection process trouble free. In the year 2009, UFFDA will sponsor 3 separate whitetail hunts. The first will take place at Camp Wilderness in Park Rapids, MN.

The second will take place at BSAA in Baraboo, WI and the third will take place in Rhinelander, WI. Please print out and then fill out the 2009 UFFDA Hunt Application that is attached to this message and return it to the UFFDA main desk as soon as possible. This application is your official entry form into the drawing for the 2009 hunts. If you have any questions about the hunts, contact the UFFDA main desk at 320-634-3660 or email us at bowtwang@runestone.net.

The drawing for the 2009 hunters will take place the first of June. Applications must be received by 5/09 to be included in the selection process. It is important to know that first time applicants are given priority in the drawing. If you have never been to an UFFDA hunt, you are guaranteed of being selected. The next group is taken from members who have been to a hunt and have not harvested a deer. If there are still places to fill, the final spots are given to UFFDA members who harvested deer at the previous year’s hunt. If you have any questions about what is expected of you or what is required for registration, call the UFFDA main desk at 320-634-3660.

Daniel James Hendricks POB 251, 20 NE 9th Ave Glenwood, MN 56334

Hunt #4 - (Visit the Adaptive Sportmen Site for info on various hunts in Wisconsin)

Our 5th Annual "Special Hunt for Hunter’s with Disabilities" in Willard, WI, was a great success. During the week of October 4 - 12, 2003, 49 Clark County landowners and 30 helpful guides created lasting memories for 39 disabled deer hunters. Thanks to the dedicated help of numerous guides and assistant’s, the participants ended the week with 43 deer; 6 Buck, 27 Doe and 10 Yearlings from 5,100 acres of privately enrolled property. With the availability of Unit 58 Bonus Tags, twenty-seven of the 39 hunter’s harvested deer, 6 of whom got triples and four got doubles.

The hunt also had it’s misfortunes, as all hunts do. 12 of the 39 hunters returned home with empty tags. But not from lack of effort on their parts. 8 missed shots and 2 hit deer that couldn’t be found with the Saturday evening rain. Though in percentage of fulfillment and joy, the hunt was 110% successful. For many of the hunter’s the size and shape of deer didn’t matter. They were satisfied enough by the opportunity to enjoy Mother Nature and to be part of a "camp". For most, this event would be their only chance to go hunting this year.

Each year there are a handful of new hunters arriving with new challenges and familiar apprehensions. By the time they leave they are counting down the days until next year with new hopes, a rekindled spirit and full of self esteem. The simple task of walking into a woods or climbing a tree is taken for granted, until you find yourself blind or confined to a wheelchair or required to use crutches for mobility. The hunter’s disabilities ranged from high level paralysis to amputee to blind. Blind since birth, new hunter Brent Harding of Algoma, wasn’t sure if he would be able to enjoy a sport that most Wisconsinites take for granted. With the caring aide of his father Burt and the relentless help of guides Kendal Durham and Kevin Oldham, Brent managed to harvest a yearling on October 5th and returned to harvest a nice 10 point buck on the last evening of the hunt on land enrolled by Joe Trybula of Willard. To see the smiles and feel the exhilaration of participants like Brent and his father is enough reward for the guides and landowners to take time out of their hectic fall schedule and personal hunting aspirations to enabled these, sometimes total strangers, enjoy the great outdoors. You can view pictures of this years hunt and many new photo’s of the resort on its web site at www.sunsetpinesresort.com. Or Email Dale for more info. See pics below!