Hunting is great recreational therapy for the disabled
The recreational therapy of hunting takes a person out of the realities of their daily life situations and into a world of primal sensory stimulation and excitement.
While quietly stalking or sitting in wait, a hunter hears the sounds from the birds, wind, insects and animal calls, then the crack, flash, and smell of gun fire. A hunter receives recreational therapy forming memories bookmarked by the smell of pine, honeysuckles, smoke of a fire, and many other smells during the hunt. The cool touch of a breeze, grass or dirt under foot while navigating country roads, forest, and open fields all leaving no time for yesterday’s worries. For the successful hunter, there is the adrenaline rush when they prepare and take the shot to harvest a deer, hog, rabbit or other prey for the table.
Recreational hunting is a mental therapy that engages the mind
Hunters are planning, coordinating, preparing clothing & equipment, and communicating with others regarding a planned hunt weeks maybe even months before the actual hunt. The actual hunt is recreational therapy that builds special memories and opportunities for joyful storytelling of adventures past. Sitting in a deer stand for hours or traveling across a field either alone with nature or together with friends or family, is a recreational therapy that puts the handicapped hunter a million miles from problems and troubling issues of the day.
The benefits of hunting as recreational therapy to the disabled person are obvious. Hunting is an experience where people commune with nature, friends and family member, with the goal of outsmarting a predator, or bringing home harvested prey like deer, rabbit, hog or ducks for the table. Sitting in a deer stand just before dawn, watching the daybreak, hearing creatures stirring around you is almost an out of body experience for a moment in time, that is taken home as the comfort food of shared memories.
The family, friends, and caretakers of the disabled person and volunteers that assist in these hunting trips also benefit from this type of recreational therapy. Communities benefit when their loved disabled family member or friend can participate in the tradition of hunting. Organizations that create opportunities for the bind, visually disabled and mobility handicapped to experience hunting get joy out of giving and a new perspective on their personal problems and challenges as compared to the others.
The benefits of hunting as recreational therapy go deep and include a spiritual connection between the land, the wildlife and mankind, all parts of nature. Yes, hunting can be good recreational therapy for the mind, body, and soul.
Fri, Mar 17, 2023 at 11:13 PM Jonathan Hannah Romaine wrote:
“I want to express my sincere thanks to Digital FOV for creating such a device that helped my son have such a successful hunt that allowed him to shoot a deer on his own. Yes, with assistance because of his deteriorating physical condition but Ian was elated with the work that he had done. Without your technology and product Ian would not have been the one who could fire his weapon on a deer. ”
Ian’s Special Hunt of a Lifetime:
Chuck’s story is about how his family and friends found a new adaptive device for hunting so that they could take him along. This device enabled Chuck, a visually impaired Veteran to once again enjoy the recreational experience of hunting with family and friends. He would later say about the experience, “Basically to me this gives the visually impaired independence cause we are totally independent with the rifle. Nobody is touching but the visually impaired person”.
This new adaptive rifle scope attachment for hunting and shooting sports can now be issued “free of charge” to qualifying blind and visually handicapped Vets by doctors and clinicians at the Veterans Administration Blind Rehabilitative Center, to support recreational therapy treatment plans.
Digital Crosshairs 1000A adaptive rifle scope clip-on allows an assisted blind hunter to independently fire a rifle.
The assistant can remotely view the rifle scope’s crosshairs and instruct the blind shooter how to aim.