By Bill Stanley

LICK FORK, CAMPBELL COUNTY, TN (SPECIAL TO WLAF) – Twenty-one veterans participated in the 20th annual Wounded Warrior hunt on Saturday with six turkeys harvested during the two day event.  Hosted by the Pine Mountain Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation(NWTF), with support from the Campbell Outdoor Recreation Association (CORA), the event honors wounded and disabled veterans with the opportunity to hunt and participate in fellowship.

“We are privileged to be able to join with these heroes and host this affair,” said Terry Lewis. Lewis and Ron Cunningham provide hunting spaces on their farms where each hunter is teamed with a guide and blind from where they hunted on Saturday morning.  On Friday evening, the hunters joined the event volunteers for dinner and met their guides for the next day’s hunt.  Each team then met again at 4 o’clock on Saturday morning for breakfast and transportation to their hunting blinds, where they hunted through the morning.

The Jellico Honor Guard presented the honors along with a 21 gun salute for the veterans.

“This was a great day for our hunters,” said Lewis. Six turkeys were killed, and several more hunters had shot opportunities, according to Terry. The weather was great, and every hunter came back smiling and talking about the day. “For the past twenty years, we have worked hard to make sure this is a quality event for the veterans, but the big secret is that I believe our guides and volunteers get as much out of this experience as the hunters,” said Lewis.

The hunters, guides and volunteers gathered for an afternoon lunch on Saturday that featured the presentation of the colors and 21-gun salute from the Jellico Honor Guard.  Jason Maxadon, TWRA Director, was the guest speaker thanking the veterans and volunteers for a great event.  The hunters then participated in a turkey shoot for a new shotgun.

Jason Maxadon, director of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency was the guest speaker at the event’s lunch.   He shared his vision for the agency and the local North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area, and shared his thanks for the event volunteers and the veterans that were honored.

Billy Ball, Chairman of the Pine Mountain NWTF Chapter, summed up the event saying “our volunteers and partners are the heart of this event, providing food, guides, and taking care of the hundreds of details needed to make their hunt a success.”  He also thanked the sponsors for their support as well as the Campbell County Sheriff’s Department, Campbell County EMS, TWRA and CORA for their support. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 04/29/2024-6AM)

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