Rend Lake Deer Hunt for the Disabled

History: Around 1982, Dale Miller, Rend Lake Corp Ranger, had the idea of hosting a deer hunt for disabled hunters. The idea soon became a reality at Rend Lake. Miller was good friends with fellow ranger and Sesser-Valier school teacher Gene Morgan. Morgan, founder for the Outdoorsmen Club in 1978, saw a perfect marriage of the club members and the hunt. In the fall1983, the Outdoorsmen Club began hosting the hunt (providing all volunteer services). Since that year, the Outdoorsmen Club members have proudly taken up to 30 disabled hunters into the field each year for a weekend of firearms deer hunting.

Hunt Activities: An Outdoorsmen member is paired with a specific hunter long before the hunt begins. The member will then be assigned to build "their" hunter's opening day blind during the blind building phase of preparation.

Then after a busy evening of preparing for and cleaning up the Deer Banquet (getting done at 11:00 PM) the members must check in at 3:30 AM to prepare for their hunter's arrival. When their hunter arrives, the Outdoorsmen Club (OC) "guide" will escort the hunter to the proper travel caravan. Once the hunter is "staged", the OC guide will get breakfast for the hunter. While the hunter is enjoying their breakfast, their OC guide will check for the hunters permit, retrieve their Corp radio, get shells, and scent bags. The guide also checks on flashlights, snacks, etc. to make sure the hunter is completely ready to hunt. Before daylight, the caravans will leave for their designated area. The OC guide will ride with their hunter to their parking spot, escort the hunter to their blind, place scent, secure the hunter, and wish them well before leaving.

Once the OC guide has been picked up, he/she will be taken back to Deer Camp and wait on that faithful call, "Deer Down" from their lucky hunter. Then the tracking, retrieving, and congratulating are in order. Finally, each guide is allowed to field dress their hunter's deer IF they desire. Each field dressing is supervised by a competent adult instructor. Most deer hunt days, while beginning at 3:30 AM will not conclude until around 6:30 PM.

The Bonds: The Deer Hunt is about so much more than just providing an opportunity for someone to shoot a deer. The bond developed between hunter and guide is one that lives on long after graduation of the guide. Many hunters and guides share Christmas cards and other correspondents. Many guides and hunters will get together outside the Hunt and Club activities with their families. Some of our most outdoor oriented guides even have hosted their hunter in other hunting activities such as waterfowl and bow hunts.

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