RE: disabled hunters?
I am disabled from a spinal birth defect that caught up with me and have had to have 4 spinal surgs. to keep me on my feet. I have lost some of the use of my left leg and my left foot is mostly useless and no feeling. I have no reflexes in either leg.
I was in a horrendoush car crash that left me with a demolished left shoulder and moderate head injury. Shoulder reconstruction has left me unable to shoot a bow anylonger. That was total devistation to me.
I now have a crossbow permit for the state of WV. I used it to take a 4pt last fall. It isn't "bowhunting" as I knew and loved but it is still close range fun. Starting this fall I will nolonger be using ladder stands and use ground blinds. I used them some last year and it was different but effective.
I do use rifles to carry in the woods for big game but haven't fired one in 8yrs now. I have let my kids do all the shooting for the past 15yrs for the most part, or haven't seen a buck that was bigger than anything I have taken in the past. My son and daughterkeep meat on the table I like to take one a year with bow (Crossbow now)....I did take a couple deer to finally harvest something with a gun I bought some years earlier. I have a feeling I will be back to hunting on my own this season as my son is 21 and my daughter is not hunting as much as she once did. As for rifles I have several and like to make excuses to need more. My 2 deer go-to's are a Remington 700 Stainless in .270WSM and an Encore with many different barrels from pistol to shotgun, but my favorite deer bbl is .243 win. I have Savage 112 LO-Profile w/Thumbhole Stock and fluted bull bbl in .204 ruger and a Ruger 77/22Hornet that I use for varmints. I picked up a Tikka Model 695 that was still NIB in 30-06 that I topped with a Redfield scope, for an "all around" rifle. Funny thing is I used 12 rds to sight it in with my pet '06 reload and it hasn't left the safe in 4yrs. (it may be for trade if anyone has another toy they aren't using). otherwise I have some rifles and shotguns that have sentimental or collector value that stay tucked in the back of the safe.
Shotguns are something I used to dearly love hunting with but now I am just not able to hunt upland game and I miss it as well. I may still use them on turkeys from time to time, but I have obtained a Ruger 10/22Hornet that is a real tackdriving turkey taker.