Free Life Membership
Still free membership with the Purple Heart organization. There is a chapter in Winona

Faulkton South Dakota VFW all inclusive disabled Purple Heart Pheasant Hunt 2010

Five Purple Heart VFW members were drawn of all the applicants across the nation and I was one of them. I arrived in Faulkton SD Saturday after a 11 hour drive getting lost with finding the rally house which was rural from town. A few hunters were there talking with our host Pat McGrath. There was a mix up with lodging because of new ownership of motel so with luck got the last room in the towns Super 8 Motel for the first night. The next day getting placed where I should be in the West Side motel in a cabin with two other fellas for the remainder of the hunt Gene and Steve from Oregon. Donated for the veterans use for the hunt was John Deer Gaiters from neighboring town of Gettysburg the County Implement company, This really cut down on time going to and from hunting spots. Next day the hunting started a little after shooting time hunting a low land area with swamp. It was productive with hunters getting shots and birds. None came my way. After lunch we hunted some areas with good results but no birds for me..

Sunday and Monday we hunted pretty much the same spots only adjusting our standers to where the birds mostly flew the previous day. I got two birds with the group getting a total of 11 pheasants.

Tuesday was awesome a dream come true that I will cherish forever! ! After shaking out a few spots in the morning a farmer that has food plots for pheasant habit that rents his land out to the tune of $400 a day per hunter per gun, donated his time and property to hunt two of his plots to the veterans. My God was there birds in these two plots! Several hunters ran out of shells to include me with getting my daily limit of 3. The group did very well even our WW2, 94 year old vet John got plenty of shooting getting a bird.

Wednesday with high wind and gust nearing 60 miles a hours it was not so productive and miserable. Each night ladies of the town cook a nice meal for us being served in the American Legion and Mrs. McGrath had lunch for us at their farm.

The hunt continued with going to the same haunts but with the high wind it was really tough. I didn’t make the last hunt of the days as was wind beat but 6 birds where shot for the day by the group.

Thursday After getting beat up from the wind yesterday the veterans are excited to yet do another day of hunting. This evening the group is going for a treat is having a meal out in the town of Orion for the 5 chosen veterans. A lot of the support hunters left the hunt going home today.

I left Friday as my license expired with shaking hands with all around with a invite from Pat McGrath to return next year. This was a hunt of a lifetime for me and I will dream if it for a long time and when someone mentions pheasant hunting will have a big grin on my face. Thank you so much for this opportunity and to all that made it happen for the 5 disabled Purple Heart veterans.

David J. Meyers
Life Member Post 1287
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