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If you would like to be a volunteer or a
participant in the 2006 Upstate Mobility Impaired Hunt, go to the
SCDNR Website
for more information and to fill out an application.
SCDNR Mobility Impaired Hunt, November 5-6, 2004
The Low Country Chapter's Disabled Hunter Program Coordinator,
Vijay Viswanathan, and Chapter
Webmaster, Mark Peterson, attended the SCDNR Upstate Mobility Impaired Hunt near Clinton,
SC.
Vijay with hunt coordinator, SCDNR Wildlife Biologist, Gerald Moore.
Forty Mobility Impaired Hunters participated in the hunt
that was coordinated by Gerald Moore, SCDNR Wildlife Biologist and made possible
by the generosity of local land-owners who opened their properties to the
hunters.
These are the upstate land-owners who hosted the Mobility Impaired Hunters.
Here is a list of the hosts and their properties:
Laurens County
Dr. Wallace Boyd - Quaker Creek Farm
Mr. Wade Pitts - Pitts Place
Dr. Claude Woollen - Woollen Farm
Mr. Phil Lucas - Carroll Hunt Club
Mr. Steve Frantz - Southern Timber Associates
Mr. Chris Grant - The Clinton House Plantation
Mr. Charles Blackmon - Blackmon Farm
Mr. Bryson Thomason - Thomason Farm
Newberry County
Mr. Lee Walsh - Belfast Hunt Club
Mr. Otis Taylor - The Scott Place (TCA)
Mr. Cecil Duffie - Mudlick
Spartanburg County
Mr. Harold Campbell - Campbell Property
Mr. Lon Alexander - BD Properties
Dr. David Weir - Longbeard Timber Company
Dr. Don McClure and Kay McClure - Cowford Land Company
Union County
Mr. Ron Roberts - Beulah Creek Hunt Club
Many volunteers, SCDNR personnel and local law enforcement officers helped make the hunt possible by cooking and
serving a fine barbeque lunch at Dr. Wallace Boyd's Quaker Creek Farm and assisting the hunters in the field.
Dr. Boyd merits special recognition for the leadership role
that he has taken in organizing the private landowners and hosting the pre-hunt
lunch meeting at Quaker Creek Farm.
Corporate sponsors also provided some nice gifts for the
hunters, including a raffle for a new Remington 700 rifle which was won by
Ruben Lewis of Chester, SC. Co-sponsors of
the event were the Harry Hampton Memorial Wildlife Fund, International Paper
Company and the South Carolina Disabled Sportsmen.
The participating hunters with some of the volunteers.
The weather was perfect for the hunt and several nice bucks
and a few does were taken on the Friday afternoon and Saturday morning hunts.
It was a great event that Vijay and I will look forward to participating in
again!
Here is Vijay's report:
The DNR Mobility Impaired Hunt was a great event
that brought hunters with disabilities from all over the region together for a
two-day whitetail hunt on properties near Spartanburg, SC. Forty hunters
attended the hunt, which kicked-off with a home style southern lunch and
speeches from many of the hunt organizers and volunteers.
Hunters chatted about the game, as well as had
opportunities to chat about their injuries and how they have adapted to continue
to pursue their favorite sports and pastimes. I myself, having been injured less
than a year ago, learned a great deal from these hunters, and was impressed at
the charitable donations by the DNR as well as all of the land-owners who
donated their gorgeous properties for the hunt.
Overall the amount of deer harvested was fairly
low considering how many hunters were on stand, however after not seeing
anything for two days I was able to take a nice doe close to midday at about
eighty yards. After the morning hunt, hunters were invited to attend a final
lunch at the Clinton House Plantation as well as clay bird shooting, a great
ending to a great hunt.
Vijay and his doe with our hosts, Dr. Claude Woollen and his son Todd.
Vijay skinning his doe.
Fred High from Piedmont, SC with his beautiful 9-point and a 4-point buck.
Robbie Hopkins from Pendleton, SC and his 8 point buck
that weighed 175 pounds.
Robbie's buck was taken Friday
afternoon at the Carroll Hunt Club in Laurens County. It was the largest buck
taken during the 2-day hunt so he will receive the certificate donated by Bill
Walden at American Outdoor Taxidermy to have his buck mounted free.
Here is a list of the successful
hunters and their trophies:
Blackmon Farm - Laurens County
Victor Chavis - Doe
Carroll Hunt Club - Laurens County
Robbie Hopkins - 8 Point Buck and Doe
Wayne Hyatt - Doe
Woollen Farm - Laurens County
Vijay Viswanathan - Doe
BD Properties - Spartanburg County
Fred High - 9 Point Buck and 4 Point buck
Longbeard Timber Company -
Spartanburg County
Robert Bowlin - Button Buck
After the Saturday morning hunt
The Clinton House Plantation Sporting
Clays Range and Hunting Preserve hosted a barbeque lunch followed by an
opportunity for the hunters to try their hand on the 5 Station Sporting Clays
Range.
Vijay had never shot sporting clays before, but after a few warm-up shots he was
smoking the targets!
Click the thumbnails below to view
enlarged images:
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