Hancock Seed, first and foremost, wants to thank all of the active and veteran military members that have served our nation. Memorial Day is important, not as a “long weekend,” but rather as a moment for all free Americans to stop and consider what sacrifices were occurred to provide that freedom.
Few realize how difficult it is for veterans returning from combat to reintegrate into civilian life. One of the best ways for soldiers to do this is to engage in a hobby, and one of the most popular hobbies for veterans is hunting. There are more than 100 organizations nationwide dedicated to providing supplies, hunting trips, and plain camaraderie to veterans.
We wanted to take this time to highlight just a few of these nonprofit organizations, and we encourage you to share these groups with veterans that you know!
Over the Memorial Day weekend (May 26 – 28), Hancock Seed is offering 15% off of all Hancock Signature Series Food Plot orders of $50 or more. Use the promotional code AMERICAN when checking out.
Wounded Warrior Outdoors
Returning to civilian life can be a struggle for all veterans, but none more so than those who were wounded in action. Activities that we take for granted, such as hunting or playing sports, become increasingly challenging. Wounded Warrior Outdoors is one of many organizations that helps these veterans transition. One element that sets WWO apart is that it allows veterans to choose and travel to any wilderness in North America. It’s a process they call “adventure enabled.”
Veteran Outdoors
Veteran Outdoors follows a similar philosophy as WWO, in that it aims to provide therapeutic relief to wounded veterans by way of outdoor experiences, including hunting trips. One aspect that we love about VO is its video recaps of sponsored trips. Veterans deal with many emotions while returning to civilian life, and sometimes bottle it up. These videos allow the participants to share their personal stories, helping them to get thoughts off of their chest, and helping us to understand what they have gone through, and what they are still dealing with.
Cover 6 Outdoors
It is important to remember that wounded veterans are not the only members of the military that struggle with reintegration. PTSD and other issues can create difficulties for the majority of vets. Cover 6 Outdoors recognizes this and works to plan hunts of all varieties—hogs, deer, dove, duck and quail among them—for groups of vets and their families, so that they can share their experiences and take solace in each other’s company.
The Sportsmen’s Foundation for Military Families
The purpose of Memorial Day is to remember those who have fallen in battle while defending our country. This means also offering support to the families and friends of those who fell. The Sportsmen’s Foundation for Military Families offers similar hunting experiences as the ones listed above, but also advertises its services to the direct relatives of soldiers killed in service. These individuals also need our help, and SFMF does the best that it can.
Black Dagger Military Hunt Club
It is almost impossible for even the biggest organizations, such as the ones listed above, to handle all veterans. It’s important to point out that many smaller groups exist to help veterans in specific states and communities, and we encourage you to seek out your local provider for assistance. We’ll highlight one in particular, the Black Dagger Military Hunt Club, which is based near to Hancock Seed in the Tampa Bay area. This group helps to sponsor hunting trips across the state of Florida, and there are many groups like them across the United States.
