Veterans participate in Hunting with Heroes

by Abby Belus

Last weekend Thermopolis hosted Hunting with Heroes Wyoming for their 7th annual hunt. This year was also the first Jeff Strong Memorial Antelope Hunt.

Hunting with Heroes Wyoming is a non-profit and charitable organization founded by veterans to give back to disabled veterans. They work with state agencies, landowners, and local volunteers to offer big game hunts and fishing outings for veterans who have a disability rating of 50% or more.

They partner with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department through their Licensing for Veterans Program. The program allows anyone to donate a big game license to be reissued to a disabled veteran.

Hunting with Heroes matches veterans with a license, a hunting guide, rifles, gear, game processing, and room and board. Hunting with Heroes has hosted veterans from coast to coast, representing every branch of service, 21 to 93-years-old who have served the United States of America in conflicts from WWII to Afghanistan, and everything in between.

Last Saturday, a banquet for the 11 veterans, the guides, and the landowners was held at the VFW hall in Thermopolis. At the banquet, T.J. Owsley was awarded Top Veteran Guide for antelope in the state of Wyoming for 2020. James Ward was awarded a 17HMR rifle for his unsolicited donation of a big game license.

Vince Hock, one of the 11 hunters, came all the way from Mahomet, Illinois. He served in the US Army from April 1969 to December 1971. While serving, he did two tours in Vietnam. Hock just learned in August that he has prostate cancer from exposure to Agent Orange during his tours in Vietnam. He stated, "That's why this was a little more important. I don't know how long I'll be able to do this kind of stuff."

Vince heard about Hunting with Heroes through a friend and was very excited to hear he was chosen to come out for the hunt this year. Vince was paired with local guide Keith O'Brien. With O'Brien's help, Hock was able to get an antelope last Friday morning in antelope area 83.

Vince said the hunt was "fantastic, it was a totally different experience. It wasn't just the hunting it was the people. We met the landowners, we thanked each other, it was the sincere friendliness and the best wishes of the landowners, the guides, and the fellow hunters. And that you don't see."

For more information on Hunting with Heroes Wyoming visit huntingwithheroes.org.