Wheelchair Hunts Offer Great Hunting

Scotty Byers with a great-looking 12-pointer he shot on the Piedmont NWR wheelchair hunt in 2012. This year’s wheelchair hunt at Piedmont will take palce Oct. 14-15.

As the 2016-2017 deer season is rapidly approaching, the excitement builds as I gear up for this season. However, even in my excitement, I have some concerns.

In the past few years, the number of wheelchair hunters has declined on many of the public hunts. We just don’t have the turnout like we once had. I know we have lost some longtime hunters, and they are greatly missed, but we are not seeing any new faces.

I really enjoy the annual wheelchair hunt at Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge, but we just don’t have many hunters anymore. In 1992, 40 hunters turned out. In 2014, only 10 hunters showed up. 

This year will mark 26 consecutive years I’ve hunted the Piedmont wheelchair hunt. This year’s hunt is Oct. 14-15. This two-day hunt includes a scout day on Thursday, with the hunt on Friday and Saturday. This hunt does require a permit that can easily be obtained by contacting the Refuge at (478) 986-5441. If participating, you also need a letter from your doctor stating that you are confined to a wheelchair.

When checking in at the campground, you will be issued a numbered poker chip. Take the chip when you go hunting and return it when you get back. If a chip isn’t turned in after everyone is supposed to be back, the staff will know who is missing and the location they are supposed to be.

Piedmont is a 34,000-acre refuge, which obviously gives wheelchair hunters plenty of room to space out. With miles of gravel roads that are well maintained and lots of foot-travel trails that wind through the woods, it makes for very easy access to load and unload your powerchair or ATV.

Piedmont is hands down the most accessible wheelchair hunt I have been on. The campground has a huge pavilion with concrete floors and a concrete walkway leading down to the restrooms and shower house. Each shower has a bench and plenty of room to maneuver your chair around inside.

If you are looking for a place to hunt and meet other hunters who are in wheelchairs, look no further than the Piedmont hunt. Share the day’s events around the campfire in the evening after a great meal provided by some of the best cooks around.

Thank you to all the volunteers who offer their time to cook, scout, track and help us hunters when we need an extra hand. If you would like to volunteer or donate food items or drinks, contact Piedmont’s Assistant Refuge Manager Carolyn Johnson at (478) 986-5441.

Also, check out “Disabled Sportsman Of Georgia” on Facebook to keep up with some of our hunts.

Editor’s Note: The following areas  offer 2016 non-quota wheelchair deer hunts: Piedmont NWR, Albany Nursery WMA, Flint River WMA, River Bend WMA and Savannah NWR. To see information on those hunts, turn to page 67 of the 2016-17 Georgia Hunting Seasons & Regulations.