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HEROES RISING OUTDOORS®

Healing Through Hunting

Founded in 2015

 

The Arizona Elk Society originally developed the HUNTS FOR HEROES® now HEROES RISING OUTDOORS® program in 2015, as an opportunity to provide FREE big game hunting experiences for Arizona’s wounded veterans. Disabled veterans that participated in the program were individuals who met qualifications outlined by the Arizona Game & Fish Department’s (AZGFD) Big Game Transfer Tag program.

 

This program legally allows tag owners to donate their tags back to AZGFD, which enables them to give the tag to a qualified 501(c)(3) organization who can then transfer it to a disabled Arizona Veteran.

 

AES has partnered with Arizona’s outfitters, guides and volunteers and various conservation agencies to provide hunting experiences that enables Arizona’s Disabled Veterans… our Heroes, to fulfill their dreams and help them ‘Heal Through Hunting’. 

 

Since our founding, the AES HEROES RISING OUTDOORS® has provided over 400+ opportunities for our Heroes for big game hunts including elk, deer, big horn sheep as well as many small game hunts.  Veterans attending these hunts and getting this ‘experience of a life time’, have expressed how it has helped them to heal ‘inside’ and for many it has given them a new-found purpose and passion of experiencing the outdoors.

 

HEROES RISING OUTDOORS®

Supporting Arizona’s Wounded Veterans

Launched in 2018

 

With the exponential growth in 2019, we provided 135+ opportunities for wounded Arizona Veterans. This included providing everything the Veteran needed for the experience, from food, to outfitting, accommodations and the tag. As more and more Heroes came through our HEROES RISING OUTDOORS® program, they expressed their appreciation for the experience and shared their desire to continue to be involved in the hunting heritage of Arizona, learn more about conservation, and participate in other outdoors opportunities.

 

‘Answering the Call’ of our Heroes wanting to ‘rise up and experience the outdoors’ we then rose to the challenge and formed “HEROES RISING OUTDOORS” to encompass new opportunities.

 

HEROES RISING OUTDOORS®
Disabled Veteran Outdoor Experiences
Hunting | Fishing | Equine | Outdoors

 

“We don’t want to provide a ‘one and done’ experience for our Heroes. We want to keep the passion alive and keep the Veterans going. That’s why we are partnering with other groups to help make this happen.”—Steve Clark, AES Executive Director

 

We are looking forward to an exciting year of opportunity and growth to help our well-deserving Heroes and invite you to join us in partnership to make it happen.

 

Answer the Call and Partner with us for HEROES RISING OUTDOORS® … For more information about Veteran Participation, Tag Donation, Volunteering or Guiding, Sponsoring or Donating to support this amazing program for our Heroes, please visit our website at: https://www.arizonaelksociety.org/heroes-rising-outdoors