Hunting with Heroes returns to town this weekend

On Friday and Satruday, Thermopolis will again be home to veterans from across the state and country for the 2017 Hunting with Heroes event. This year, the number of participants is up slightly to 11, compared to 10 in 2016.

Check in will be Friday, Sept. 29, beginning at 12 p.m. at the VFW. There will be a food and bar available, as well as time for visiting. Lifetime VFW member Jeff Strong said all of the hunters might not be at the VFW at the same time, as they will also be able to go out to sight in rifles and make other preparations for the Saturday hunt.

The hunt will be on Saturday morning, in Area 76 east of the river and Area 83 west of the river.

Along with those from Thermopolis, Powell, Cody and Casper, this year’s event will see veterans from Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio and Alabama. Following the hunt, there will be a banquet at the VFW Saturday, beginning at 6 p.m.

Jim Collins noted on Sunday the veterans will have an opportunity to fish the river or go out to shoot sporting clays.

Strong and Collins expressed appreciation to the Thermopolis businesses and organizations that provided support and donations for the event, as well the landowners who donated access and the people who volunteered to be guides for the hunters.

Hunting with Heroes is a non-profit organization based in Wyoming that takes veterans who are 50 percent or more disabled on hunting trips. Partnering with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and using their big game donated license program, Hunting with Heroes matches veterans with licenses, provides guide services, rifles and gear, game processing and, if required, room and board.

Hunting with Heroes works with state agencies, landowners and volunteers to offer custom programs designed for the needs of each veteran. Hundreds of veterans participate, hunting antelope, deer and elk in Wyoming; disabled veterans from across the country, including Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, North Dakota, Texas, Utah and Washington. More than half of the veterans are from Wyoming.

People can also help out the program through donating big game tags, allowing access for disabled veterans to hunt on their lands or hosting disabled veteran antelope, deer or elk hunts. There are also opportunities to donate financially or with volunteered time.

For more information on the program, go online to huntingwithheroes.org