hunting for a brief time. ….

hunting for a brief time. Otherwise they said it’s been a lifelong passion.

“I’ve hunted ever since I was 12 years old,” Denzine said. “When I spent three years in the Army I didn’t hunt but every other year I have. I started bowhunting in 1955 but I didn’t shoot a deer with a bow until 1965.”

Archery technology has obviously changed a lot since then.

“At that time, of course, I used a recurve bow that shot wooden sticks,” Denzine joked. “The broadhead you could ride all the way to China on it because it didn’t cut.

“I’m going to hunt as long as I can and this disabled hunt is one of the ways I can.”

Ruesch is fortunate enough to still be able to get around in the woods and fields quite well. He and his wife work with beagles and spend a lot of time taking part in field trials with their dogs. He said they are looking forward to the national event that will be hosted by the Borderline Beagle Club in Hurley the next two years.

“I told them I’ll be back next year,” Ruesch said of the Bear Crossing Hunt. “They couldn’t have been any better.”

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 list of properties is published on the Wisonsin DNR website 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. 15 to contact sponsoring landown-ers and set up potential October hunts.

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

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