Hunting with Heroes Thermopolis style

The excitement in the room was contagious Friday evening at the VFW as hunters from around Wyoming and the United States were matched up with local guides in anticipation of their Saturday antelope hunt in Hot Springs County.

Nine men and one woman, all disabled veterans, came to participate in the Hunting with Heroes program. One local hunter, Randy Coulter, said it was his third year participating in the program, although his first time locally. Another hunter, Mark Moody, drove all the way from south Mississippi to participate in the program for his first time.

Dan Currah, co-founder of the Hunting with Heroes program along with Colton Sasser, said it is the first year for the program to be in Thermopolis. Hunting with Heroes is a non-profit organization, formed in 2013, dedicated to giving back to disabled veterans who served their country and sacrificed to keep others safe. The program provides hunting, fishing and other unique outdoor experiences to the nation's disabled veterans.

Working with state agencies, landowners and local volunteers, Hunting with Heroes offers custom programs designed for the unique needs of each disabled veteran – programs designed to boost disabled veterans' morale, build lasting memories and enduring friendships.

Partnering with the Wyoming Game and Fish, and using their big game donated license program – a program that allows anyone to donate a big game license to be reissued to a disabled veteran – Hunting with Heroes matches veterans with a license, provides guide services, rifles and other gear, game processing and room and board if required.

"I love to hunt and be around other veterans and I want to get an antelope," said Moody. He talked about hunting alligators, wild hogs and other animals in Mississippi but was thrilled to have the experience of hunting an antelope. Moody was injured by an IED while serving in Iraq but is quick to move the conversation back to hunting instead of his time in the military.

According to Currah, all ten hunters were successful in filling their tags on Saturday. The group was split into hunt areas 83 and 76. Later Saturday evening they again gathered at the VFW to share stories about the day with the guides and their families.

On Sunday, about half the group went flyfishing on the Bighorn River with the Casper chapter of Project Healing Waters. The other half of the group went to the Bob Milek Memorial Gun Range to do some shooting. New earthwork took place at the range this summer due to a grant from the NRA Foundation. Also on Sunday, the group was treated to a meal at the home of Jim and Cindy Collins.

There are over 21 million veterans living in the United States. More than 900,000 of them are disabled at a 70 percent rate or more. Hunting with Heroes is proud to honor disabled veterans from current and past conflicts with unique programs designed to show appreciation, respect and gratitude for all they have sacrificed. Hunting with Heros offers a safe environment for disabled veterans to share experiences with each other – and an opportunity to heal. They have hosted Heroes from 30 states, Heroes who have served in conflicts from Afghanistan to WWII, Heroes from 22 to 91 years old.

You can get involved with the Hunting with Heroes effort by donating a big game tag, as a landowner by allowing hunting access, by volunteering your time or with a cash donation. For more information, contact Dan Currah at (307) 258-5880.