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Volunteers support second Wounded Warrior Hunt at Eau Galle Recreation Area

Published Feb. 25, 2014
Volunteers and veterans with the Wounded Warrior Project participated in the second deer hunt at the Eau Galle Recreation Area,
near Spring Valley, Wis., Dec. 14.

Volunteers and veterans with the Wounded Warrior Project participated in the second deer hunt at the Eau Galle Recreation Area, near Spring Valley, Wis., Dec. 14.

Jon Sobiech, planning, left; Tom Drinken, Wounded Warrior
participant; and Scott Pariseau, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
volunteer, review a map of the Eau Galle Recreation Area prior to
heading out to the deer stands at the park, near Spring Valley, Wis.,
Dec. 14. This was the second Wounded Warrior hunt at the park.

Jon Sobiech, planning, left; Tom Drinken, Wounded Warrior participant; and Scott Pariseau, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service volunteer, review a map of the Eau Galle Recreation Area prior to heading out to the deer stands at the park, near Spring Valley, Wis., Dec. 14. This was the second Wounded Warrior hunt at the park.

District staff volunteered their time Dec. 14, 2013, to support the second Wounded Warrior Hunt at Eau Galle Recreation Area, near Spring Valley, Wis.

Volunteers with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and a few outdoor enthusiasts also helped.  

Jon Sobiech, planning, said the event was a great opportunity to support the veterans and get outdoors. 

For many of the volunteers, the event began weeks earlier. Sobiech said the volunteers scouted several areas within the park to determine where tree stands and ground blinds could be positioned.  

Despite these efforts to get the veterans an opportunity of harvesting their own deer, the cold weather forced the deer to hunker down during the hunt. At the end of the day, none of the veterans were able to harvest a deer.  

The six veterans braved the cold and the lack of deer didn’t sightings deter their spirits. Josh Walker, an Army veteran, said it was great to just get outdoors and be with other veterans and outdoors enthusiasts.   

In addition to Walker, the other veterans included Travis Vliet, Dan Hinze, Shawn Plante, Matt Goetsch and Tom Drinken. They were assisted by Paul Sickman, Dave Hausman, Jim Devlin and Brad Peterson, all with the DNR, and Jon and Jeff Sobiech. Corps employees Bryanna Sauer, resource management; Steve Clark, planning; and Kelli Phillips, operations, provided food for the hunters.