Colorado Group Offers Hunting Trips For the Disabled
A group in Colorado is offering very unique experiences for those that otherwise may not be able to have access to - a chance for disabled individuals to go hunting.
The group, led by Coloradans Brad Harper and Cole Davis is called Outdoor Buddies and gives the disabled an opportunity to go on hunting and fishing trips.
Harper and Davis began volunteering for the group in 2016 and have been helping the disabled community experience outdoor life ever since.
Although Harper has only been with the group for roughly four years, his involvement in helping the disabled began long before that. His commitment to helping individuals with disabilities enjoy the great outdoors began years ago when he would take his brother, who was born a quadriplegic, hunting by carrying him on his back as they hunted pronghorn together.
For me, it’s leveraging something I enjoy ... and using it for something much bigger than myself. We’re just providing hunting opportunities to people who otherwise couldn’t do it themselves.
The pair offer these experiences for people who have sight or hearing impairments, prosthetic limbs, are wheelchair-bound, and even offer hunting trips to at-risk youth.
Harper and Davis operate their branch of Outdoor Buddies in Southwest Colorado near Bayfield, Colorado, and do not participate in trophy hunting.
One disabled individual that has participated in the program, Dan Lichtenwalner, had to have a leg amputated and had this to say about the program:
Nature and wildlife is my passion. Being able to do this stuff is very important to me. I’m more mobile than most. ... I couldn’t imagine not being able to be mobile and active.