DNR News
** Archived Article - please check for current information. **
August 1, 2014
Deer hunts for mobility impaired hunters to be held in Upstate
Mobility impaired hunters will again be treated to a unique opportunity to attend two special deer hunts this year on about 60 well-managed and exclusive, private tracts of land in the Upstate. The hunts are scheduled for Oct. 24-25 in Cherokee, Spartanburg and Union counties and on Oct. 31-Nov. 1 in Laurens and Newberry counties.
Applicants can apply for one or both hunts. There is not any application fee or other costs associated with these hunts. Each hunt will consist of a noon lunch and hunting on Friday afternoon and Saturday mornings. After the noon lunch on Friday, all participants will then disperse to their assigned hunt sites.
Applications for these special hunts are available from: Union DNR Office, 124 Wildlife Drive, Union, SC 29379, telephone (864) 427-5140, fax (864) 427-8460 or the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Columbia Office, PO Box 167, Columbia, SC 29202, telephone (803) 734-3886. You can also download an application from the DNR website. Completed applications must be received at the Union DNR Office by 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 15.
These special hunts are co-sponsored by DNR, which will handle the application process, notification of successful hunters and other correspondence. A number of very generous landowners and managers listed below will accommodate hunters on their properties this year during these special hunts. Additional hosts may be added prior to the hunt.
A number of organizations are also co-sponsoring these events and provide financial support or assistance in various other ways. These co-sponsors include the Harry Hampton Memorial Wildlife Fund, Georgia Pacific Corp., Carolina's Fence Association, South Carolina Disabled Sportsmen, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Sprinkle Prosthetics, the USMC Wounded Warrior Regiment, South Carolina Wildlife Law Enforcement Officers Association and the South Carolina DNR's Take One Make One program. There are also a significant number of volunteers whose individual personal assistance is vital to the success of these events.
Applicants for these hunts are carefully screened and are restricted to persons who are permanently and severely mobility impaired. These include only those who are permanently confined to a wheelchair, persons permanently requiring the use of a mechanical aid (walker. braces, cane, etc.) to walk, or persons with complete single or double leg amputations. Each hunter may be accompanied by one other person who can participate in a non-hunting capacity. This year at each of the hunts some severely injured and permanently mobility impaired servicemen and servicewomen will be accommodated in cooperation with the Wounded Warrior Project.
Gerald Moore, DNR wildlife biologist in Union, said: "Aside from the opportunity to hunt deer on some of the most well-managed and exclusive properties in the Upstate, another important benefit of these events is the opportunity to develop friendships and fellowship among those who have similar disabilities. We are pleased to cooperate with the various hosts and sponsors of these hunts in assisting those people who are able to take definite steps to pursue their outdoor interests in spite of their disabilities."
Moore encourages all qualified mobility impaired persons interested in hunting to apply. "It is certainly a great opportunity, and all interested sportsmen and sportswomen who are mobility impaired should try to take advantage of it," he said.
OCT. 24-25 - Cherokee, Spartanburg and Union counties hunt
CHEROKEE COUNTY
Mr. & Mrs. Wayne Cooper – Arcon Land & Timber, LLC
Mr. Benji Peterson - Broken Arrow Hunt Club
SPARTANBURG COUNTY
Mr. Wayne Barnes (Stewart Johnson) – Jimmie’s Creek Farm
Mr. Harold Campbell – Campbell Property
Mr. Larry Cook – Booger Den Hunt Club
Mr. John Floyd – Gordon Farms
Dr. George Graham – Tri G Gun Club
Mr. Wayne High (George D. Johnson, Jr.) – Magnolia
Mr. Wayne High – Little Tyger Hunt Club
Mr. Darrell Merchant – Cross Anchor Hunt Club
Mr. Sam Shackelford, III – Riverside Hunt Club
Mr. Curtis Stacy – Police Hunt Club
Dr. David Weir – Weir Property
UNION COUNTY
Mr. Tad Cannon – Arrowhead Farm
Mr. Ty Cheek – Pea Ridge Hunt Club
Mr. John Farris – Fairforest Land & Timber Company
Mr. Wayne Garner – U. S. Sportsmen’s Club
Mrs. Debby Giesen – Smith Property
Mr. Wayne High (George D. Johnson, Jr.) - Tyger Ranch
Mr. Bob Jeter – Chufa Ridge Farm, LLC
Mr. Steve Koskela – Laura Lyn Farm
Mr. Jack Lister – Ridge Runner Hunt Club
Mr. Dan Hess (Donnie Loftis) – Padgett’s Creek Reserve
Mr. Keith Douglas (Donnie Loftis) – Rabbit Road Hunt Club
Mr. Walter Oates – Triangle 113 Farm
Mr. Ron Roberts – Beulah Creek Hunt Club
Mr. Kegan Roberts – Fowken Farm
Mr. Rusty Sellers – Rackmaster Hunt Club
Mr. Terry Shockley – Trophy Buck Hunt Club
Mr. Frank Sistare – Fairforest Timber Company
Mr. Jeff Strickland – Strickland Property
Oct. 31- Nov. 1 - Laurens and Newberry counties hunt
LAURENS COUNTY
Mr. Charles Blackmon – Blackmon Farm
Dr. Wallace Boyd – Quaker Creek Farm
Mr. Chip Brownlee – Brownlee Farms
Mr. Ricky Childers – Benjamin Property
Mr. Steve Frantz – Southern Timber Associates
Mr. Chris Grant – The Clinton House Plantation
Mr. Tom Hawkins – Hawk’s Nest Hunt Club
Mr. Tim Howard – Sugar Flat Hunt Club
Mr. Steve Johnson – Johnson Farm
Mr. Wade Pitts – Pitts Place
Mr. Tom Pope – Tojo
Mr. Danny Roach – Pacolet Milliken Enterprises
Mr. Dave Schemm – Triple S Hunt Club
Mrs. Penny Spearman – Spearman Property
Mr. Bryson Thomason – Fuller Gray Farm
Mr. Paul Tollison – Mill Creek Farm
Dr. Derrick Wessinger – Hurricane Hunt Club
Dr. Claude Woollen – Woollen Farm
NEWBERRY COUNTY
Mr. Terry Cotney – Lester Estate
Mr. Rusty Harter – Piedmont Conservation Club
Mr. & Mrs. Roy Jones – Mudlick Lodge
Mr. Gary Stephens – Belfast WMA
Mr. Otis Taylor – The Scott Place (TCA)
Mr. Lee Walsh – Belfast Hunt Club
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