The North Carolina Handicapped Sportsmen, Inc (NCHS) is a 501 c 3 non-profit organization working with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC), Triangle Chapter of SCI, Wake County Wildlife Club, Armed Forces Foundation, Paralyzed Veterans of America and other organizations and individuals working around the state who believe in our goal. NCHS will continue to contact other PVA, WWP support groups, and other veterans’ organizations around the state. In addition, our organization will continue to reach out to children’s hospitals, medical, and rehabilitation facilities. We have one goal, “helping all handicapped people in the state have access to the great outdoors.”

Again, this year NCHS had a great hunt in Pender County. The Pender Possible Hunt has turned out to be an amazing event steeped full of Southern hospitality and fellowship. This year, the hunt seemed to have a very special meaning for a few of our new hunters. Their enthusiasm touched the hearts of those who witnessed their smiling faces and heartwarming stories.

We blessed to receive a $4,000 grant from the NC Triangle Chapter of SCI for a new adaptive shooting rig. In the weeks leading up to the Pender Possible Hunt, we struggled to get all the equipment needed to put the new rig together. It was a bigger challenge to get everything together than I would have ever expected. We purchased a new HQ 100 shooting rig from Be Adaptive, a new 7mm.08 from Legacy Sports, a Digital Day-Night scope from ELCAN Optics, and, believe it or not, a bedside hospital table to mount it on.

I have to say “thank you” to my 18-year-old son Alan. Alan took the time to help me figure out how all this was going to be put together.  He also figured out how to operate the new digital scope.  In addition, he mounted an 8-inch monitor on the back of the shooting rig so the handicapped hunter using the rig would have a great view of what the scope displays. Alan was looking forward to being the person who would sit with Cole Houston, a 13-year-old young man who was recovering from multiple brain surgeries in addition to other health issues.

Cole, who had never bagged a deer, was looking forward to his first hunt. Sean, Cole’s father, said that after every surgery all he wanted to know was if he was still able to go deer hunting. With the help of some very generous landowners and volunteers, Cole was sitting in a blind November 2nd with Alan and a video man hoping to get a chance at his first deer. That evening, Cole harvested a nice spike buck. The smile on his face said it all. Using our other adaptive shooting rig donated by SCI, NC Triangle Chapter several years ago, Debra McKinney was successful on her very first hunt. She also harvested a spike buck for her first deer.

Every year we are blessed to have some great sponsors. Van Products provides not only provides financial support, but also sends great people like Ms. Janet Harmon out to the hunts with a van to help handicapped hunters move around. The NC Triangle Chapter of SCI has helped with grants over the last several years to help us purchase adaptive shooting equipment that allows hunters who would never have the chance to hunt without this special equipment. In addition to our great sponsors, all the wonderful volunteers that have continued to support NCHS is over whelming.

NCHS Vice President Tony Robinson spends many hours in the field helping handicapped sportsmen and even more hours at his desk trying to keep up with the website and facebook page. With Tony’s help, we will continue to provide as much information on the website about events here in NC that we can. Trying to keep up with the new social media is a task. We are trying to find more ways to increase our funding so if anyone has any ideas please let us know.

NCHS will be at the outdoors shows again this year in Raleigh, Hickory, and Wilmington. I hope everyone comes to visit us at the outdoor shows. While there, buy some raffle tickets for the gun raffle too! Happy Holidays to everyone.

Edward Mays
President NCHS

To announce that there must be no criticism of the president... is morally treasonable to the American public.
Theodore Roosevelt