Air Force veteran Bill Frost established what he originally called the Pickaway County Disabled Veterans Hunt in 2010 with just an idea, some public land, a handful of volunteers, and 10 hunters.
Today, thanks to the hard work, long hours, and perseverance of Frost and the dedicated group of volunteers — as well as an additional venue provided by a few fellow South Central Power Company members — the event has grown from that single day of hunting and fellowship at Deer Creek State Park into the Dan Fout Memorial Hunt, a two-weekend event with 50 hunters and more than 100 volunteers at multiple locations in Pickaway County.
The hunt was renamed in 2016 after the passing of Fout, who had been Frost’s right-hand man and instrumental in getting the hunt up and running. This year’s hunt was scheduled for Oct. 31, Nov. 1, and Nov. 14.
Participants engage not only in hunting, but in a variety of shooting competitions every year.
Frost says he founded the event because he wanted to give veterans with disabilities an opportunity to take part in one of his favorite activities, hunting, that they likely wouldn’t have otherwise. And he encourages veterans with all levels of disability to take part.
“They suffer daily with mental or physical things they have wrong with them because they served our country,” Frost says. “If you have any doubts about thinking you can’t go hunting because of your disability, whatever it is, I really want you to please reach out.”
In real terms, if a hunter can’t shoot, Frost and the other volunteers will simply find a way.
“We’ll take anybody and everybody, no matter what the level,” says Nik Philiopoulos, a U.S. Navy vet who’s attended every hunt except the first one. “They’ll find a way for you to get a chance. If it’s an equipment issue and you don’t have equipment, or you don’t think you can shoot because you’re paraplegic or can’t use your arms, we will find a way.”
“We have a guy from Chillicothe, he can use his arms but doesn’t have the strength to cock his bow and he can’t get out of his chair,” Frost says. “Another guy is paralyzed from the chin down, so he does everything with a computer from the arm of his chair, using a mouthpiece.”
But Philiopoulos says being a disabled vet isn’t a one-size-fits-all deal — at first glance, in fact, casual observers might not even recognize he himself is also disabled. “I originally signed up as a volunteer and when Bill learned I was a vet, I started hunting too,” he says. “It was one of the first activities I did after all my surgeries. I needed to start working on my social skills, and I just wanted to go somewhere where I could hang out with guys no matter what was wrong with us, and our injuries weren’t the topic of the day. It was about hunting and socializing.”
While Deer Creek is still a participating site for the archery portion of the hunt, the event took off, Frost says, after a chance encounter with Arnie Gabriel, who had been a substitute teacher at Logan Elm Schools, where Frost was a counselor. “The greatest day in the history of the hunt was the day Arnie walked into my office and said, ‘Tell me more about your hunt,’” Frost says.
Arnie’s brother, Alan, who is a member of the South Central Power Company board of trustees, is a veteran, and their father was a World War II combat veteran. They offered the use of their farm to host a portion of the event starting that second year, and it’s been held at the Gabriel Farm all but three years since.
“Our father would certainly appreciate us hosting this on the farm,” Alan Gabriel says. “Besides Ohio, we have guys coming from West Virginia, Indiana, Michigan, and as far away as Texas. The service clubs in our area like the VFW, American Legion, and AMVETS and South Central Power and all the other sponsors have been great.”
As you might expect, it takes some long, hard days from the volunteers to plan and execute the life-changing experiences for those who have served (and sacrificed) for the nation.
Arnie Gabriel’s wife, Diane, decorates the barn and hosts a Saturday night dinner that is anticipated as much as the hunting. Meanwhile, volunteers like Philiopoulos and Army veteran Paul Holly rove the fields setting up blinds, trimming shooting lanes, and cutting and clearing paths. “If you’re a hunter, you think, ‘If I was hunting here, what would I do? What would I want to see?’” Holly says.
Holly, whose deployments included the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan, says he was motivated to volunteer by his wife. “She kind of kicked me in the butt because she was tired of me sitting around the house,” he says. “It just kind of clicked. It gave me a sense of purpose, a sense of camaraderie — that’s the biggest thing.”
“And if someone bags a deer, it means a lot to them; they’re like little kids — smiles from ear to ear and as happy as can be,” Holly says. “And the guys in wheelchairs, they don’t have to get up and mess with everything; they just get to shoot. They’re on cloud nine.”
