Hunting with Heroes helps veterans heal

RIVERTON - Compared to most of the United States, a relatively high percentage of Fremont County's residents are veterans.

Many people who live here have spent time serving in the military – and many others want to support and give back to local veterans. A few times a year, people gather for a special veteran-focused event: Hunting with Heroes, which takes disabled veterans hunting, free of charge.

"Wyoming is the only state in the union that allows this type of hunt," explained Riverton-based Hunting with Heroes Wyoming team member Darin Coyle.

In Wyoming, he said, anyone can apply for a big game tag and donate it back to an organization like Hunting With Heroes, to allow someone other than the person who initially applied for the tag to use it. Most states offer hunting tags purely on a lottery system, he noted, which doesn't allow for permits to be donated in the same way.

"There's no other state that does this ... It's the generosity of the community and the state that makes it possible."

Hunting with Heroes was founded in 2013 by two Wyoming veterans, Dan Currah and Colton Sasser, and operates in counties across Wyoming.

The goal of Hunting with Heroes, the nonprofit organization's website explains, is to "offer a progressive healing environment ... a community where [disabled veterans] can discover hope again, no matter what battles they continue to fight physically or emotionally."

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 30% of all veterans have some form of disability related to their time in the military.

A Hunting with Heroes banquet and fundraiser at the Fremont County Fairgrounds, scheduled for Saturday, April 13, will include both live and silent auctions as well as giveaways, games for kids, and "just all kinds of fun that we provide for the community," Coyle said.

All proceeds from the banquet stay not just in Wyoming but specifically in Fremont County, he added.

"There is nobody on the payrolls," he remarked.

While there are typically a few Hunting with Heroes hunts throughout the county over the course of the year, the big annual hunt is based out of North Portal, north of Riverton, around mid-September (usually over opening weekend).

The hunt's events kick off on Friday; Coyle takes the group of veterans to the NationalMuseum of Military Vehicles just outside of Dubois. Saturday morning, the hunters take off, and in the evening they gather back into the North Portal Fire Hall for a big dinner the whole community is invited to – free of charge.

Hunting is an important part of Wyoming's culture, and these kinds of activities also give veterans a chance to potentially form new connections with other people who have had similar experiences.

"It's been good – it's been huge," Coyle described the impact of Hunting with Heroes events.

But the cost of visiting the museum, big game tags, and providing a free meal to anyone who wants to attend the dinner adds up.

Fundraisers such as the upcoming banquet help make the hunts and surrounding events possible.

For those interested in lending a hand with local Hunting with Heroes events in the future or potentially donating tags, Coyle may be reached at 307-851-1634 or darincoyle@ gmail.com.