Hunting With Heros - Veteran Outdoor TV And Polaris Give Back

V.O. started about five years ago when host Wes Higgins returned from his deployment in Iraq. While in Iraq, he and his buddies dreamed of getting back home to do some hunting and fishing. Wes promised his friends that when they got back from Iraq, if they came out to west Texas, he would show them a good time hunting. As it turned out, a couple of the guys were hurt pretty badly during their tour, but Wes was hell-bent to deliver on his promise. After a call to his brother-in-law, Cody Hirt, they arranged to take the guys on an awesome hunt, and from that point on they were hooked. After several of these hunts, the guys felt they needed to share this experience with everyone. They were also convinced the veterans needed a platform to tell their stories. They set out to make a TV show about it. "I think it's important for people to know how this all started. We aren't some big network with an enormous production budget. We are three guys who, with the help of our family and friends, have made this a reality," Hirt says. "The show isn't about us. It's about this country's warriors and their families. One of the first things we tell them at the beginning of the trip is that it's their show!"

Donna Beadle and I arrived in San Antonio, Texas, on a Thursday night, and by Friday morning, Staff Sgt. Jim Stanek was about to find out that he was the newest member of the Veteran Outdoors family. Jim is from Long Island, New York, where he was an ironworker and firefighter. After assisting in the recovery efforts at Ground Zero in the days following 9/11, he joined the Army and served three tours of duty in Iraq. During those three tours, his vehicle was hit with IEDs (improvised explosive devices) 27 times. These blasts, along with a close-quarters battle incident, resulted in severe injuries, including a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and they subsequently led to reconstructive surgery on his shoulder, hand and ankle. Additionally, Jim suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). His short-term memory is not good, and many of his childhood memories are lost.

Billy organized all of the parties involved, and I eventually asked Hot Donna at Polaris if she could hook us up. Since Polaris is an American company that builds some killer ATVs and side-by-sides for both civilian and military duty alike, it was no surprise when Donna accepted our invite and came through with two Ranger Crews for this ultimate hunt. "Polaris was honored to provide Hunts for Heroes with a Ranger Crew," Donna told me. "After experiencing a hunt firsthand, it felt good to give back to the veterans who give everything to protect our country." Jim had actually used a Polaris Ranger when he was serving in Iraq. "We used the Polaris Ranger in combat on my second tour," he said. "We mounted 50-caliber machine guns on the bed, and the barrel went over the roof." The Ranger Crews would also allow us to easily move our equipment and transport us during the hunt, thereby making it a more enjoyable experience.