SRNS manages hunt for mobility-impaired hunters

Submitted photo.

Thirty hunters recently participated in the 11th annual Mobility Impaired/Wounded Warrior Deer Hunt at the Savannah River Site.

Mobility-impaired hunters from throughout the Southeast, and as far as Ohio, along with Wounded Warriors from the Fort Gordon Veterans Hospital in Augusta met Friday at the Savannah River Ecology Lab Conference Center to begin the two-day hunt.

"The Site is a prime location to conduct this type of hunt, and we are fortunate to be a part of such a special event," said Ed Spears, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions LLC deer hunt manager, transportation roads and grounds department. "This hunt specifically is special because it is a unique opportunity for the physically impaired hunters to be able to hunt, in a safe, controlled environment."

SRNS managed the hunt and provided sponsorship in conjunction with the United States Department of Energy, the USDA Forest Service - Savannah River, the Wheelin' Sportsman National Wild Turkey Federation and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

This year marks the 11th season of the Mobility Impaired Hunt SRS. Unlike previous years, the Wounded Warrior Hunt spans two days and is a "still hunt," rather than one involving a dog drive. The RMEF-provided feeder boxes, located near each hunter's stand, increases the number of deer within the hunters' location.

"We chose to do a still hunt in hopes of improving the hunters' chances of getting a deer," said Spears. "We not only want the hunters to have a good time but have something to take home with them."

Participants are chosen randomly through a lottery. They are escorted by an experienced hunter during the hunt who ensures their safety and provides any assistance needed.

"Each and every person that volunteers to help out with this hunt is truly blessed, and they will receive more of a reward than the actual hunter," said USFS-SR Wildlife Biologist Tal Mims, an avid hunter who has participated in the hunts since they began. "It will be the best hunt that they (the volunteers) have ever been on and don't even get to pull the trigger."

SRS offers more than 150,000 acres of land to be hunted each year, benefiting not only the hunter, but the Site as well. The hunt provides population control while offering a hunt of a lifetime to hunters.

"I am delighted Savannah River Site is a part of such an exceptional event," said Fred Dohse, SRNS executive vice president and chief operations officer. "We are able to provide these disabled hunters with the opportunity to do something they love in a safe environment."

Savannah River Nuclear Solutions LLC is a Fluor-Daniel Partnership comprised of Fluor, Newport News Nuclear and Honeywell, responsible for the management and operations of the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site, including the Savannah River National Laboratory.