Big Hearts Outdoors: helping people of all abilities be sportsmen
Special deer hunt planned this Saturday with 50 hunters
By MICAH HENRY
Imagine being confined to a wheelchair and longing to go hunting — who in this area would you turn to for an experience like a deer hunt?
Area residents formed the group Big Hearts Outdoors (BHO) last year to help people facing physical challenges be able to go hunting and fishing.
BHO President Guy Mundy and member Kevin Mann took time out recently to explain how the group formed and its plans for a hunt this weekend.
“My buddy called and said, ‘Hey, would you be interested in helping someone with a disability hunt?’ I thought, ‘Hmm. That’s interesting.’ So, we did it and we absolutely loved it,” Kevin said. “It was very unexpected. When you start doing something like that, you don’t know what to expect. If you’re not around people with disabilities, you’re a little bit afraid.”
The next year, Kevin again participated in the hunt and loved it even more.
“We started inviting our friends, and everybody loved it. It’s hard to explain to people what we do. We’re just spectators and we help. We see a glimpse of that person that year. Afterwards, we’re friends with some of them for life. Some of them, we may talk to occasionally. Some of them, I talk to every week — hunters and family members. It’s a special thing, undescribable.”
Kevin said the hunts are a large part of his life. He pointed to a large picture frame in his office, containing photos of many hunt groups through the years.
“Now, wherever I go, if I see someone with a disability, I look them in the eyes. You’re not afraid. That’s what most people want; they want you to treat them just like anyone else. If you’re around someone with disabilities, you’re used to it. But if you’re not, like I wasn’t, then you’re more afraid than comfortable. I’m not now. That’s the part of it that, personally, I love.”
HELPS BLIND HUNTER HARVEST DEER — Big Hearts Outdoors member Kevin Mann was part of a group which helped hunter Ryan Harvey, who is blind, harvest a deer in an earlier hunt. Above, left to right: kneeling – Stuart Efird, Ryan Harvey, Mike Plemmons; standing – Kevin Mann, Kyle Efird, and Jacob Mann.
Guy noted that one hunter corrected him and said he was challenged, not disabled.
Guy and Kevin first became involved several years ago with the group known as Hands Of A Sportsman. Guy said the Hands group provided wonderful opportunities for hunters in the region. However, some local members wanted to specifically provide hunting and fishing events closer to Alexander County and the surrounding area, so they formed the non-profit Big Hearts Outdoors a few months ago.
“We’re very blessed. We started out in January with zero dollars in the bank,” said Guy. “First off, we had to get insurance. In this day and time, it is very difficult to get insurance when you mention guns or hunting. My daughter found us insurance. It wasn’t cheap, but we did a chicken barbeque in January and raised more than enough money to pay for that.”
The first BHO event was a squirrel hunt with dogs, which was hugely supported by the community, raising enough money for a deer hunt this fall.
LENDING A HELPING HAND — Above, Big Hearts Outdoors President Guy Mundy is part of a group of volunteers who love to help hunters with challenges have a special hunting experience.
The initial goal was to provide deer hunts for about 25 hunters.
“We didn’t realize where we would be at, money-wise. I just kept praying about it,” Guy said. “As we went on, Kevin and I were over the t-shirt sales. I was recovery from hip surgery. I was home, so I was on the phone a lot. It was really a blessing because of the sponsors we’ve got this year, and the guide list kept growing. We got to thirty hunters, then we got to forty hunters. I said, ‘Lord, fifty is it.’ So, the number we have now is fifty. We’ve got enough money to pay for this hunt, and then some.”
Guy noted that it is definitely a group effort to pull off a successful hunting event. “It’s a tribe,” he explained.
Part of the logistics of BHO hunts include hunter selection (there is a Selection Committee), retaining and recruiting guides, hunting locations, and skinners, preparing food for the personnel, paying for motel rooms for out-of-town hunters, fundraising for special equipment needed for hunts (such as ground blinds, hands-free, “sip-n-puff” breath powered trigger devices, and visual aids for blind hunters).
The effort doesn’t go unnoticed by hunters or their families. The group rolls out the red carpet, so to speak, for these very special hunters. There are plenty of high-fives, smiles, conversations, and bonding moments.
“I feel like a star,” one boy told Kevin on the first hunt which he assisted.
There are many local people involved in BHO, including its board members: Guy Mundy (President), Ken Harrington (Vice President), Christy Smith (Secretary), Pam Cook (Treasurer), T.J. Smith, Adam Mays, Chad Kerley, Amanda Kerley, Derek Hedrick, Cody Plemmons, Rhonda Collins, and Kenneth Banner.
Big Hearts aims to do five structured events per year. These will be a squirrel hunt, deer hunt, a family fishing day on a pond, a boat fishing day on Lake Hickory, and a youth turkey hunt.
With money left over from the five events, Big Hearts will help members of the region with items such as constructing wheelchair ramps, paying bills, buying groceries, etc. “It’s not just about hunting and fishing; it’s about reaching out and making a difference in the community, taking a load off people who are going through hard times,” Guy noted.
“It’s overwhelming, the amount of money and time people contribute to Big Hearts Outdoors,” he added.
The hunt this Saturday will kick-off with a meal and meet-n-greet on Friday evening at the Taylorsville Lions Club Fairgrounds.
Hunters are coming from all over the region, as well as other states such as Texas, Oregon, New York, and Mississippi.
The public is invited to attend the event Saturday, which will include a fundraiser barbeque and all the fixings. Local cooks are asked to bring desserts including cookies, cakes, and pies to the Fairgrounds on Friday evening or Saturday morning for the event also.
In addition, Big Hearts is partnering with the Alexander Central High School Class of 1987 and the Jeff Fox (Foxgamer6) Foundation which will be collecting new and gently used sports equipment at the event, to be donated to the Alexander County Recreation Department. Monetary donations will also be accepted to the Fox Foundation.
Guy wished to thank all the event sponsors and personnel who assist Big Hearts Outdoors.
To find out more or to support Big Hearts Outdoors, visit their website, bighearts-outdoors.com, or follow them on Facebook.
