Disabled Bowhunters Get New Opportunities
Have you thought about how the loss of an arm would affect your bowhunting? How about the previous bowhunter you may know who can no longer draw a bow due to age, injury or illness?
A couple of years ago, the MBA Board recognized that little had been done in Montana to accommodate the needs of the disabled in bowhunting. Other states, such as New York, had gone to considerable effort in encouraging disabled hunters to participate in bowhunting through the use of adaptive equipment. The MBA Board voted at that time to send Kent Brown, MBA's first Vice President, to a workshop on bowhunting modifications for the physically challenged. The workshop was sponsored by the Professional Bowhunters Society and the result was an impressive package of literature about adaptive equipment, their uses and what other states have done to accommodate the disabled. Equipment is now commercially available and includes modifications to keep a bow locked at full-draw, arm braces to help weakened arms support bows, mouth activated releases, tripods and wheelchair mounted bow mounts. In short, there is virtually no disability that cannot be overcome with commercially available equipment.
Using this information, the MBA drafted a proposal for the Fish and Game Commission's consideration that would allow qualifying disabled bowhunters to use adaptive archery equipment. Brought before the Commission in December 2001, the measure passed on February 20, 2002, to be effective for the 2002 bowhunting season. The final version of a Modified Archery Permit (MAP) requires a physician exam and verification that the applicant meets certain disability criteria. Once approved, the MDFWP issues a Modified Archery Permit that is not necessary to renew annually. Crossbows remain illegal during archery season.
After the Commission's action, the MBA Board felt it was imperative to educate and inform potential bowhunters of the new opportunities that were now available to the physically challenged. At the June Board meeting in Lewistown, Greg Munther volunteered to organize and conduct a series of public demonstrations in partnership with MDFWP. The objective of these workshops was to familiarize disabled Montanans with the opportunities available to them with the new equipment regulations and to demonstrate some modified equipment that the MBA had obtained for this purpose. During August, Greg conducted six workshops around Montana and invited media to assure that interested persons were exposed to the new bowhunting opportunities. These workshops afforded many disabled individuals their first opportunity to observe and shoot archery equipment and were highly successful in informing the public through articles and reports in the local media.
The MBA was fortunate to have member Jim Onderko, a disabled bowhunter from the Darby area, participate in the first series of workshops. Jim, who lost an arm in an industrial accident in 1980, used his love of bowhunting as a source of strength and rehabilitation during his recovery and is now again a consistently successful bowhunter. Along with Greg, Jim's presence at the workshops added incredible strength and credibility to the workshops. His experiences and philosophical approach to bowhunting were covered extensively by the media. Several MBA Board members and other MBA members assisted and attended the workshops held in Kalispell, Great Falls, Helena, Billings, Bozeman and Missoula. We had a mixture of disabled attendees, including an 85-year-old gentleman who still wanted to bowhunt but was unable to draw and hold a hunting weight bow. Attendees also included people with congenital or accident-induced full or partial loss of function of their upper limbs, as well as wheelchair-bound individuals. The workshops received coverage from several major newspapers across Montana, as well as local radio and television stations.
Bows modified with draw-lock devices are now available for demonstration at Great Falls, Kalispell, Missoula and Bozeman FWP offices. In addition, each FWP Regional Office and each member of the Commission has a package listing available types of adaptive equipment. There has been a steady response to date by disabled persons interested in bowhunting. We have yet to find a disabled person who we cannot accommodate with the available equipment. According to FWP personnel, as of mid-archery season, there had been 25 modified archery permits issued by FWP. We expect that number to steadily grow as more people find out about the opportunities. There are thousands of people in Montana that are disabled and many could potentially become bowhunters with these new opportunities.
