Hunting with Heroes provides great memories

It was another successful year for the Hunting with Heroes program in Thermopolis. Friday at the VFW was an exciting scene for those involved, as 11 hunters from across Wyoming and the United States came to the VFW to register, visit and meet their guides in anticipation of the antelope hunt in Areas 76 and 83 on Saturday.

Hunting with Heroes works with state agencies, such as Wyoming Game and Fish, as well as landowners and volunteers to provide programs designed for unique needs of disabled veterans. Each veteran receives a license through Game and Fish's big game donated license program. Hunting with Heroes also provides guide services, rifles and other gear, game processing and room and board if necessary.

Keith Estep, who came from Bluff City, Tenn. to participate in the hunt, said it was an awesome experience and everyone here was very nice. He expressed deep appreciation to his guide, Joe Mounts, as well as landowners and those who donated big game tags.

Estep served in the Army from 1988 until 2012, when he was honorably discharged as a Sergeant First Class. He saw combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and became disabled after he injured his back while out on a combat mission. Stateside, he spent time in Colorado, Texas, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and South Carolina.

This was Estep's first time with the Hunting with Heroes program, though he hopes to do another hunt in the future. Aside from the hunting experience, he said it was good to visit with the other veterans. In the military, he added, there is a sense of camaraderie among the soldiers that can be hard to find once a person is discharged.

Joe Haynes of Somerset, Ky. joined the hunt as well. He served with the Army from 1997 until 2014, honorably discharged as a CW-2. He had three combat tours in Iraq, and during one received a traumatic brain injury. He also spent time in North Carolina, Virginia, Arizona, Korea and Germany.

The hunt was an amazing experience, Haynes said, as where he lives now there are not a lot of veterans. He was also impressed with the town of Thermopolis, pointing out it was nice to see businesses offering veteran discounts and signs thanking veterans for their service.

Haynes also complimented his guide, TJ Owsley, for driving him around until they found the right animal and situation. Prior to getting his antelope, Haynes said it was nice to drive around and simply enjoy the scenery.

Randy Coulter of Thermopolis, who served in the Air Force from 1984 to 1992 when he was medically retired as an E4 Sergeant after losing his right leg to cancer, said this was his fourth time in Hunting with Heroes and his second time at the event in Thermopolis. His first two years were at events in Lysite.

Coulter said he used to hunt as a boy with is dad, and after losing his leg he had to learn to hunt again. He did learn at an event in Douglas, but noted that event had more civilians at it, whereas he has more in common with those at Hunting with Heroes. Coulter was appreciative of his guide Jim Lash, but also of Tom Anderson, who showed them who owned which parcels of land. He noted the guides are patient and want to go out of their way to help.

Coulter said Hunting with Heroes gets better every year, and he looks forward to it as his "second Christmas."

Hunting with Heroes Founder Dan Currah said Saturday's hunt was a success, with everyone filling their tags and 11 antelope harvested. The comments he heard about this year's hunt, he noted, were very positive. Not only were the veterans appreciative of the hunt itself, but also of the positive response they received from people around town.

Currah expressed a deep appreciation to Jeff Strong and Jim Collins for putting in a lot of the work to make the event possible. Strong said, "There's a lot of wonderful people in the community that helped us out." This is the second year Thermopolis has hosted the Hunting with Heroes program, though Strong said there is already plenty of excitement and plans to have it here again in 2018.

Following the Saturday hunt, veterans gathered again at the VFW to visit about their experience with the guides and their families.

On Sunday, eight of the 11 veterans did some fishing along the Bighorn River, on boats provided through Healing Waters of Casper. Each boat had a pair of vets as well as a guide, and they hit the river at Wedding of the Waters before 9 a.m., finishing at the Eighth Street bridge in the early afternoon. The remaining three veterans headed out to the Bob Milek Memorial Gun Range to shoot some trap, though whether on the range or the river, Currah said they all had a good time.

Collins said the event was a great success, and it was an outstanding time. It was also an opportunity for Thermopolis to show its appreciation not just to those who were visiting but to all veterans.

Collins and his wife Cindy again opened the doors of their home to the veterans, and Collins said they all came and made for an interesting afternoon of stories and just general visiting with each other. A few of the landowners who allowed hunting access came as well.

Collins added there was plenty discussion about hosting Hunting with Heroes annually, and said it's a rewarding opportunity for the community. He further noted visiting with the veterans really helps one realize what they've been through.

You can find more about the Hunting with Heroes program online at huntingwithheroes.org. People can also help out the program through donation of big game tags, allowing access for disabled veterans to hunt on their property, being guides or donating money.

Landowner license donors this year were: Mike and Phyllis Baker, Mike and Corky Messenger, Jerry and Sharon Johnson, Tom and Colleen Anderson, Jim and Terry Wilson, Dee and Judy Hillberry, and John and Virginia Baird.

Guides were: TJ Owsley, Shane Wilson, Binkie Fisher, Chuck Bunch, Jim Lash, Mike Baker, Steve Richin, Lindsay Stilwell, Dan Herring, Joe Mounts and Jerry Lake.