Wheelchair Hunting Season 2014

It’s that time of year again – hunting season – when individuals who don’t need to hunt do so anyways in the name of sport and camaraderie. And in many areas around the world, hunting helps keep wild animal numbers under control.

This is why, whether you are for or against it, you can’t deny that hunting brings people together and this is especially the case for people with disabilities. There are so many organizations and tools that exist to help people with spinal cord injuries hunt again, it’s almost a travesty if you don’t try it at least once.

And hunting is in full swing, which means there’s no time like the present to get involved. So if you’re curious, watch the three videos we’re highlighting below – all made in the last year – showing some sweet feats accomplished by hunters with spinal cord injuries. After you watch them, you will definitely be wanting to try a little hunting asap.

Video #1: Girl-power turkey hunt in all-terrain wheelchair

Monica K., a paraplegic from Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin, is a big fan of hunting and lucky her – has a friend with an all-terrain wheelchair that lets her borrow it from time to time. In this video, she takes it to go turkey hunting, or more specifically to go “jaunting to the blind.”

Fancy talk for simply “taking a walk to the tent where you hunt turkeys,” the video shows Monica rolling the powerful wheelchair through a field seamlessly alongside the rest of the hunting group. It is completely sturdy and the best part – the battery has a really long lifespan. After the entire jaunt, her battery barely lost a charge.

Watch: Turkey hunting with the all-terrain wheelchair

Video #2: Joyriding through a snow-covered sunflower field

In this 17 second video of Noah, a teenage wheelchair hunter from Indiana injured two years ago, you get to see his childlike-side as he zips his through a field of dead sunflowers covered in snow. Noah grew up loving to hunt, and thanks to his dad hunted almost every kind of animal possible before his injury.

But after his skiing accident, he wasn’t sure if hunting would be possible again. His dad however purchased him a power wheelchair, and he was out hunting again before he knew it. This particular video was shot while Noah and his father were pheasant hunting.

Watch: Wheelchair hunter plows through sunflower field with shotgun

Video # 3: Tennessee foundation delivering hunting adventures

And in our last video, you get introduced to a great foundation called The Freedom of Movement Project, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing hunting adventures, fishing and other outdoor activities to people with disabilities. And what makes The Freedom of Movement Project very cool – they also focus their outreach to children with disabilities, which is what this video is all about.

This video showcases a young boy named Zeke and how The Freedom of Movement Project has helped provide him with a safe place to learn to how to hunt, from providing an accessible blind to experienced guides.

Watch: The Freedom of Movement Project: Helping people of all abilities hunt

If you do hunt this year remember to always wear the right gear and the right colors (blaze orange at all times) so you can be seen and safe. Hunting from a wheelchair can be incredibly safe; you just need to help make that happen – it’s your responsibility too.

Would you kill animals for sport? How do you feel about this centuries-old pastime?

Watch the videos!

– Turkey Hunting with the all-terrain wheelchair

– Wheelchair hunter plows through sunflower field with shotgun

– The Freedom of Movement Project: Helping kids of all abilities hunt