Ok Guys here's the deal. Craig Boddington and I were on a hunt together a couple weeks ago and he wants to do the first media covered hunt in Africa with a wheelchair hunter. Steve(Shakari)Robinson has offered his services to arrange it. We are considering a raffle for a lucky hunter to go along on the hunt. We are not positive of the species yet but I know that Craig wants to see one of my wheelchair guys to shoot a Buff. I am also trying to get a TV crew arranged for the hunt from a friend of mine with a gun company and he would possibly supply rifles. As you might imagine this will not be cheap, so I am trying to gauge interest in the raffle and get an idea if we can pull it off. If things look good we will post the details in the next week or so. We are trying to make it all inclusive.

Thanks,

Doug

BTW- I leave today for a couple meetings in Alaska and will return on Wednesday of next week. I will be checking email and the posts when I can.

veryone,

I would like to take a minute and share a little about why we are doing this raffle. I am able -Bodied like the rest of you and a couple of years ago I was working with a TV show and we were filming a disabled hunt in Alabama. I was guiding a paralyzed gentleman that had not been hunting since prior to going to Vietnam. He shot a doe and then burst into tears. He then said thank you and that he thought he would never be able to go hunting again. Needless to say that did it for me. I started to imagine if I could never hunt again, that would be like someone taking a part of my soul. I can tell from everything I have read on this board that we are all very similar in that regard. I live to go hunting,aside from doing things with my family that is all I want to do. Despite our name Paralyzed Veterans of America everything we do is open to all of the disabled community and you do not have to be a vet to be a member. This hunt is ultimately to make a point to the disabled community, You can still do this, despite your disability! We just have to do it a little differently now.

Thanks for listening,

Doug

Everyone,

I am going to TRY and get this hunt publicized enough so that we can get all trophy fees paid etc. I realize that this will bring down the odds a bit but I want to really make it worthwhile for the winner.

Doug

I think it is a great thing you want to do. Please don't think I am trying to burst you bubble but it has been done before. If anything it should be an encouragement to you. It was done back in the 80's and written up in one of the annual hunting books. I think I still have that issue. Send me your e-mail or snail mail address and I will see if I can send you a copy. Maybe it could help you in some of the pitfalls.

You are right it has been done before. But we are doing it again.We now have many more wheelchair hunters than ever before and more and better access than ever before. We will be doing a few magazine stories and a tv show around this one to reach out to more of those with disabilities that are wanting to get out and are looking for information about those that can accomodate them.

The Detroit Chapter of SCI did a very successful Disabled American Veteran Hunt in Namibia last year with PH Peter Stofberg-Nimrod Safaris. A most deserving vet by the name of Richard Straub of Cedar Springs, Michigan got to go on the hunt. A similar hunt will be done this year too and with the Outdoors Reporter from the Detroit Free Press.

Point being there should be more of this. That Craig Boddington is lending his support is encouraging. Other chapters of SCI should get involved in such efforts. And Ducks Unlimited and Whitetails Forever etc.

Please keep the forum informed of what is going on and how we can help.

We being PVA currently have partnerships with Duck's Unlimited, Quail Unlimited, Quality deer mgmt assoc., and we are working out the paper copy of a partnership with SCI. I am in Alaska right now working with SCI on a Disabled Moose/ Bear hunt for this September. All of these partnerships are why I am traveling 3 weeks a month right now! We are really working hard to open up more opportunities for the disabled community. You could not pay me enough money to quit my job!!! Oh, and Aaron Tippin ( Country Singer ) Has joined us to be our official spokesman for the shooting sports program.I f you know someone disabled that might be interested please have him get a hold of us, as we have plenty of things to get involved in. You do not have to be a veteran.

Thanks,

Doug

dwhunter

sounds like a good idea, as long as ticket prices and total ticket numbers were reasonable.

Keep us informed - can international hunters join in too?

Nitro X,

Of course jump on in!!

If you need any info please email me. With all of my travel I occasionally end up some where that is not real friendly with getting email so please be understanding. I am in a hotel in Fairbanks, AK I can only get hookep up at 19k and I am miserable!! Most decent hotels anymore have high speed hookups. None up here yet though.

I may try to post the ticket info online so that people can print it out and send it in with their money order for the raffle. I think that would be the easiest thing to do. If any one will be going to the Kenai River classic in Alaska this year hosted be Senator Stevens, Senator Stevens will be auctioning off a Rigby Double that he donated to us for our shooting sports program. He has promised us one every year. In regards to your international question, that is one thing our relationship with SCI will be helping us acheive. But of course for all of this we are in need of money to do it as you might imagine our board is mixed on the hunting/shooting issue and we have been asked to eventually fund this program independently. So we established the Heritage fund for this purpose. So we can reach out all over the world and continue to get these guys and gals out into the woods and we are hoping to eventually raise enough to help supply adaptive equipment to wheelchairs etc which will enable them to shoot from the chair. Because those of you that know follks in chairs most live on fixed incomes.

Sorry for the long post.

Doug

[ 05-11-2003, 18:28: Message edited by: dwhunter ]