A program that gets fresh game meat to disabled veterans started in Missouri, spread to Montana, and its boosters hope it might come to Wyoming.
The idea is direct and simple: Find a veteran who needs game meat, a hunter who is willing to donate it and a butcher who can process it.
“As it expanded, I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, this could expand (into a) nationwide thing, where we can get people all over the country fed,” Scott Hettinger of Missouri told Cowboy State Daily.
Putting Food In Veterans’ Freezers
Hettinger is the founder of Charlie 22 Outdoors, a Christian faith-based organization that organizes hunting trips and other events for veterans.
Most recently, Charlie 22 launched a program through which hunters can donate their game animals to veterans who are no longer able to hunt for themselves.
So far, it’s taken hold in Missouri, Texas, Illinois, Texas and Montana, he said, mostly through social media and word-of-mouth.
Hunter Chaz Arthur of Bozeman, Montana, told Cowboy State Daily that he heard about it through his brother-in-law, Erik Resel.
He recently shot a white-tailed buck near Livingston, Montana. The deer will be butchered by Yellowstone Game Processing and donated to a Marine Corps veteran who has COPD.
“I actually found it to be a pretty darn fun way to hunt. I put an interesting spin on it,” Arthur said.
“You usually go out hunting with your own trophy expectations, but this time, you’re also trying to kill an animal to provide someone else with meat,” he added.
A White-Tail Hunt With A Twist
Arthur said his harvest of the buck happened in such a way it seemed as if it was meant to be.
“We’d hunted quite a bit and looked at some bucks, but I didn’t really see anything that I wanted to take,” he said.
On the last day, they decided to head back toward home early, so they wouldn’t be driving in the dark, with deer on the roads and highways.
Then his wife realized she’d left her wedding ring in their camper.
“When we went back to get her ring, this buck was standing right by the camper,” Arthur said.
“We went on a mini-hunt to get that buck,” he added.
They promptly took the buck to Yellowstone Wild Game Processing, near Bozeman.
Owner Cody Lightfoot told Cowboy State Daily that when he heard about the Charlie 22 program, he knew that he had to take part.
“We’re basically full at this time” because hunting season is in full swing, and big game carcasses are coming in droves, he said.
“But we decided we wanted to be part of it, no matter what,” Lightfoot said.
“I feel like veterans gave something to us, and there’s not a lot I can do for them, so this is a way I can help,” he added.
Venison Wrapped In Bacon
Hettinger said his organization covers all game processing and delivery costs for veterans. Each recipient gets the animal processed, packaged and frozen.
Joey Rose lives in Neosho, Missouri, and served in the Navy from 1979-1983.
He loved going hunting, but his lung capacity has deteriorated to just 18%, so he’s unable to do it now.
“I can’t hold a gun steady,” he told Cowboy State Daily.
He sorely missed having fresh venison, so he was thrilled to get a call from Charlie 22.
“They called me up and said, ‘Hey, we’ve got a deer for you.’ And they meant, a whole deer,” he said.
He can’t wait to prepare venison meals. His favorite is backstrap meat, wrapped in bacon and cooked on a grill.
“I’m looking forward to having some of that for dinner,” he said during an early afternoon telephone interview.
“I think this is an excellent program. Especially at this time, when grocery prices are sky-high,” Rose said.
Where To Next?
Resel told Cowboy State Daily that he and his wife, Sydney, have for years coordinated a hunting and outdoors-based Christian ministry.
That’s included hunts in South Africa, where the meat is donated to needy people in that country.
When he heard about the Charlie 22 program, he knew it would be a good fit in Montana and coordinated getting Arthur’s deer to Yellowstone Wild Game Processing and then to the needy veteran.
He’s working to coordinate other donations in Montana. Ideally, the hunters, butcher shops and veterans should be in the same general area, to keep processing and transport fees low.
“It’s good, healthy protein for the veterans, and we have a good time outdoors with our families,” he said.
Arthur said he’s more than happy to keep participating.
“I’m excited for next year, if the stars align for me to do this again,” he said.
Arthur, who frequently hunts and fishes in Wyoming, hopes the good will continues to spread.
“I’m hoping that people take notice and spread the word. There’s all kinds of little towns across Wyoming and Montana that could take part in this,” he said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
