Birds Bucks & Berries Pheasant Hunt
October 25, 2007

The land at birds bucks and berries was full of people, pheasants and cheers as handful of unique hunters headed to the fields.
They bagged bird after bird on a beautiful fall day.
Ten hunters with disabilities, with the help of dozens of volunteers, got their first chance of the season to watch the pheasants fly. "I do have a disability. I'm an amputee below the knee on my right leg," stated Steve Bruggeman, a hunter from Lennox who lost his leg after being shot while serving for the Coast Guard.
"It's great because when you end up in a wheel chair, hunting is pretty limited when you're used to doing it years before," said Steve Thompson, a hunter paralyzed in a snowmobile accident.
As volunteers from North Central Chapter Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Sioux Falls Storm Football team walked the fields, the hunters worked as blockers and picked off one bird after another.
"Oh, it's definitely nice. Get a group of people together willing to put you in the back of their truck. With them not hunting and you get to do all the shooting, so it's nice," said Keith Cooper, a hunter paralyzed in a motorcycle accident.
And while they weren't hunting, the volunteers had just as much fun.
"The paralyzed vets group is a bunch of guys that absolutely love being outside. Everybody's having fun today. A lot of jokes being told and stories being told, so a great day all the way around," said Bruce Weller, co-owner of Birds, Bucks, and Berries.
The Pheasant Hunt was sponsored by Birds, Bucks & Berries; Sioux Falls Storm; Wild Dakota Outdoor Television & Honey Baked Ham Company. Wild Dakota filmed this hunt for their television show and is now available on CD. If you would like a copy of this, please contact the North Central Chapter PVA at 800-505-4782.