After missing two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Wounded Warrior Hunt returns to Barton County this weekend. The hunt is sponsored by the Rooster Booster Chapter 504 of Pheasants Forever in Barton and Stafford counties.
This year, approximately 12 Warriors will travel from surrounding states for the three-day, two-night hunting experience at Lance Crosby’s Hidden Hollow Lodge and hunting areas located about 15 miles west of Great Bend. Crosby, who operates Crosby’s Wild Game Adventures with his brother Jason, has helped host the PF Chapter’s Wounded Warrior Hunt since its inception in Barton County eight years ago.
Giving back
Wounded Warrior Project is an non-profit American charity and veterans service organization offering a variety of programs, services and events for wounded military veterans following Sept. 11, 2001.
It began in 2003 in Roanoke, Va., as a grassroots effort to provide care and comfort items to injured veterans involved in the Iran and Afghanistan conflicts. The project has grown and evolved into mental health and career counseling, as well as long-term rehabilitative care and advocacy for veterans.
Scot Moeder, Roster Booster Chapter treasurer, along with fellow members Lynn Peterson and Charles Swank, began the Barton County hunt in 2013, hosting five soldiers that February.
“We wanted a way to give back to those who have given so much to us,” said Moeder. “We saw a need for a lot of military personnel who had enlisted after 9/11.”
The hunt was two years in the making, with assistance from Tim Horton of the Wounded Warrior Project in San Antonio, Texas. Crosby, also a PF member, agreed to serve as host.
Pheasants Forever Chapter 504 does hold an annual fundraiser for the Wounded Warrior Hunt and appreciates support from local businesses and organizations.
Itinerary
Friday afternoon, the Warriors are expected to arrive at the lodge for a sandwich supper.
The event begins Saturday with breakfast and the morning field pheasant hunt at 9 a.m.
After lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., the Warriors will have the opportunity to shoot clay targets before heading back into the field for the afternoon Chucker hunt.
Then, it’s back to the lodge for supper around 5:30 p.m.
After breakfast on Sunday, a European-style hunt is planned for the rest of the morning. A sandwich lunch is planned for the Warriors on their trip back home.
The hunt is meant as a rewarding experience for the veterans, Moeder said.
“It’s about healing and making connections,” he said. “When they get here, the guys are shy and standoffish, but when they leave on Sunday, everybody is hugging and promising to stay in touch. It’s rewarding for us to see these guys connect and build back up.”
