Local deer hunt for disabled continues to grow

Two deer were harvested and, more importantly, eight hunters enjoyed valuable time in the outdoors during the third annual Bear Crossing Outdoors gun deer hunt for disabled veterans.

The hunt began on Saturday, Oct. 2 and continued through Sunday, Oct. 10 on properties located west of Medford as part of Wisconsin’s annual nine-day period for such hunts.

Originally started in 2019 on 400 acres of land owned by James and Lori Livingston, properties owned by neighbors Jack Johnson and Gary and Lisa Kohn have nearly doubled the available land and more could be added in the future.

According to James Livingston, 12 hunters initially registered for the hunt, though eight eventually took part as four had to back out due to illness or other circumstances. Disabled hunters are always joined in the field by a family member or support person on their hunts. At least one hunter was out during each day of the nine-day season.

Jim Frischmann, who has taken part in all three Bear Crossing hunts, bagged a 6-point buck this year, while Duane Pecher, back for his second year, harvested a doe late in the hunt.

Livingston said the crew is up to five hard-sided wood blinds scattered among the properties for hunters to use and five large pop-up blinds. The volunteer crew helping out opening weekend included Livingston, Johnson, Rick Schneveis, Mike Czerniak and Dave Noeldner.

Rae Kohn was the oldest hunter in the bunch and Paul Michler, soon to be 89, was right up there as well. Kohn hunted at points in all nine days, assisted by two of his sons.

“It doesn’t bother me that I didn’t see any deer,” Michler said as the hunters had lunch together at the Hammel Town Hall on opening day. “It’s all fun just getting out in the woods.”

Michler, an Air Force veteran and lifelong Medford resident, was hunting on opening day with his grandson Mike.

“I was engine chief on engines for the dock system I was at,” Michler said of his Air Force days. “So I worked on B29s right down to C54s. Lots of do-little bombers and B25s. I liked B26 engine a lot better because they didn’t have as many oil leaks.”

Michler said he earned accolades for helping design a special wrench that was able to better get inside the engines to gets nuts and gaskets in place to stop those oil leaks. He also said he’s enjoyed a lot of success deer hunting as he once had a run of 15 years that he got a buck each year with the bow.

“I had lots of years with two bucks. I had the four years where I shot three, the last one I shot three bucks in the same drive, a 9- an 8- and a 4-pointer,” recalled Michler, who said he’s been a deer hunter since 1947.

Cravings prepared the box lunches that were enjoyed by the hunting group on the first Saturday. The costs were covered by donations from the various sportsman’s organizations, along with the Klossner-Dietzler VFW Ladies Auxiliary.

Wisconsin sets aside nine days in early October each year for the gun hunt for disabled hunters. The annual process starts with landowners enrolling their property for the hunts with the Department of Natural Resources by June 1. After the land is enrolled, the property list is made public and interested hunters who possess a valid Class A, C, D or long-term Class B shoot from a stationary vehicle disability hunting permit have until Sept. 1 to contact sponsoring landowners and set up potential October hunts.

More information on the deer hunts for the disabled can be found on the DNR’s website, dnr.wisconsin.gov. Search key words “disabled deer hunt.”