The North Texas Disabled Youth Hunt is put on through the combined efforts of several area ranches that are located in northwest Texas and members of the North Texas Sportsman's Consortium as well as a non profit 501c3 organization, Dream Catcher Outdoor Adventures. 2012 was the first year this hunt was conducted and it was viewed as a resounding success by all. The children had a wonderful time participating in a wide variety of activities and most were successful in harvesting deer.
Ranches generally in the Eastland County area offer opportunities to harvest excess does and management bucks. These ranches typically are game fenced, highly managed for quality and quantity, and offer top notch hunting conditions. Hunters have an excellent opportunity to see lots of wildlife and harvest a deer.
Among the various activities the children participated in were a hunter safety course including practice loading, handling and firing a rifle. A guide was assigned to each child and they were able to spend time before hunting so they could not only bond, but the guide was able to evaluate the hunter's capabilities and skill level. Besides the deer hunt itself, there was a trip to a local fire station for a tour through the facility, discussion with fire station personnel about fire safety, and a ride in a fire truck. Meals (three/day) were a focal point, being not only top shelf cuisine, they allowed everyone to hear the stories of each outings' events. Stories of successes and failures were told and enjoyed by all. The last evening was a blow out bash with a campfire, barbeque, guitar picking and singing, and a ride up in the dark by an assembly of cowboys mounted on horseback ready and willing to take anyone on a ride that was ready, willing, and able. A hayride to and from the barbeque was enjoyed as well.
The event ran from noon Friday to departure after hunting on Monday morning. The experience included not only by the children, but their parents/guardians were encouraged to come as well. Attendees were provided lodging in a local hotel in Eastland, Texas.
The 2013 North Texas Disabled Youth Hunt promises to be even better than our maiden voyage last year. Our goal is to learn from prior year's experiences and to focus on bringing joy into these kids hearts through a wonderful outdoor experience. We want to grow the event but never sacrifice quality for numbers so each year will be a learning experience and the following year will benefit from what knowledge we have gained. If we can provide a quality time for these youth and grow the numbers so that more can participate that will be the best of all worlds. So far, we think we are doing it right, but we also have goals to make it even better.
We are taking donations to put this hunt on at
www.rally.org/huntforadream . Any help would be MUCH appreciated. Thank y'all
