By the time firearms deer hunting season rolls around this November, the Missouri Department of Conservation expects to have three handicapped-accessible hunting blinds available for use at the Gist Ranch Conservation Area in southeast Texas County.
One of the blinds is already complete, and during the recently concluded spring turkey season, a disabled hunter from Texas County harvested a bird while shooting from within the walls of the six-foot by six-foot wooden structure.
“Our mission is to encourage people to use the outdoors, and we’ll do that any way we can,” MDC Texas County resource forester Travis Mills said. “I don’t know exactly how many, but we have other wheelchair and handicapped accessible hunting blinds located throughout the state. We felt that was lacking down here and we decided to do it.
“This might give someone the opportunity t hunt who either gave up or never started.”
When finished, the three blinds will all be located along Tower Road within the MDC’s 11,200-acre Gist Ranch area, and each will be strategically positioned adjacent to “green browse” food plots designed to attract game, (primarily deer and turkey). The completed unit sits next to a field sewed with oats, which has done some growing despite this year’s lack of precipitation.
The food plots were created combining the removal of some trees and utilization of existing open area. The spaces’ effectiveness stems from offering game access to food with close proximity of forest “edge” which provides quick access to cover. The green browse plots give game food options when “mast” crop (acorns, berries, etc.) is sparse.
“They’re designed to hunt over, by they also provide supplemental feed when there’s low mast crop,” Mills said. “This past fall, we had a lot of acorns so our food plots flourished because wildlife didn’t have to eat much of it. But in years when the mast crop is low, our food plots get used pretty heavily.”
Using the blinds requires hunters to follow guidelines to acquire a special-use permit.
“If a physician determines that a person is eligible for an exemption to hunt out of a stationary vehicle, then we can go ahead and complete the process,” Mills said. “And once you sign up, it’s not an ongoing thing. The permit has to be renewed for every big season, because some disabilities might be temporary.”
Exemption forms can be obtained on the MDC web site (mdc.mo.gov) or by calling the MDC’s Texas County office at 417-967-3385. Once the approval process is complete, hunters receive information including stipulations regarding companions, maps showing the location of the blinds, and other pertinent instructions.
“We want this to be a good experience for everyone who uses the blinds, from beginning to end,” Mills said. “We’re glad to be able to make hunting accessible to people who might not have the good fortune of being able to walk or use all their limbs. And we’re hoping to see some good harvesting going on.”
Our mission is to encourage people to use the outdoors, and we’ll do that any way we can.”