ELLERBE — Around a steaming cauldron of deer stew on a grey fall morning in Ellerbe sat dozens of hunters and veterans swapping stories of triumph and disappointment while pursuing the one thing they were sure they had in common: a love of hunting.

They were resting from the morning hunt, which had more than 20 veterans paired up with a member of the Price Richardson and 6 Point hunting clubs to try their hand at deer dog hunting, a first for many of the veterans. The teams took up positions along the edges of about 400 acres of land (not including the nearby gamelands) northeast of Ellerbe leased by Price Richardson. Once everyone was set, in positions that have been used by hunters for decades, they released 20 packs of hounds in a staggered succession into the center of the woods to stir up the deer.

The forest’s silence rises and falls like the ocean, heaving with the ever-present possibility that you could fail to react when the moment comes, and is broken only by the roving hounds’ screeching barks to signal that they’ve caught a scent of a deer nearby. The chaos means the value of stealth is much less than when solo hunting, and it makes it a question of when you’ll see a deer, not if.

“It’s exciting when you’re a stander and you hear dogs barking from three different directions so you don’t know where the deer are coming from and your heart’s pounding,” said Bryan Bray, president of Price Richardson.

The hunt was a partnership between the Price Richardson and 6 Point — two hunting clubs that have hunted together since the ’50s and include three generations of hunting partners — and Fallen Outdoors, a nonprofit organization that provides free outdoor activities for veterans across the country. The veterans apply and then are chosen for the events based on a lottery system. Saturday was the first event Fallen has held in Richmond County.

Fallen Outdoors has made its mission to reduce the number of veterans suicides in the United States. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says that roughly 17 veterans die from suicide per day. To curb that figure, Fallen connects veterans with the activities they did before their service and always, as their name suggests, outdoors. Those activities range from hunting to cornhole tournaments to kayaking trips to concerts, according to pro staffer Gabe Padilla.

Padilla said through these activities the veterans are able to build a support group that can help them in times of need. He told the story of a veteran in Raleigh who was in distress and sent a message to the group chat from Fallen. Within an hour, a handful of former strangers were at his door to see him through.

“It’s veterans taking care of veterans,” Padilla said.

Greg Locklear killed a deer in the morning hunt, and said he had been a part of many events with Fallen. He said the “tranquility” of being in nature, along with the demands of being patient and quiet, are healing.

“Being outdoors is therapy enough,” Locklear said.

For James Schneider III, Saturday was his second time ever hunting and he killed his first deer, an 11-pointer. Schneider was hunting with his father, James Jr., who served two tours in Iraq, as well as in Bosnia and Afghanistan with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Infantry Divisions.

James III reassured his father after a morning without a kill, “You’ll get one dad.”

Bray said the Price Richardson Hunting Club felt it was time to give back. He never loaded his gun the whole day but said it was one of the best day’s of deer dog hunting he’s had in 40 years of hunting.

“I could care less if I kill a deer,” he said. “This is a way for veterans to get back to what they’re used to doing.”

The veterans were able to kill a total of 16 deer on Saturday, with 12 coming in the afternoon hunt. Jeremy Fowler of Derby and Jamie Carter of West End, who was stationed at Fort Bragg, were paired together. Carter had to take his gun apart three times to because it kept malfunctioning, and the two had realized that if they got the chance, he only had one chance to hit a deer.

Fowler spotted the deer cutting over a patch of downed trees behind them and stepped behind Carter to give him the shot. The deer was in a “full sprint” through thick forest, and Fowler said Carter stuck the barrel of his shotgun through a gap in the trees and hit a “perfect shot.”

Proud of his hunting partner, Fowler said, “We had a little brotherly love moment.”

Carter said he had only ever done skeet shooting before so he knew how to lead his shots. It was also his first time killing a deer with a shotgun and the first time hunting with dogs.

Greg McAuley with Price Richardson said it was “humbling” to see so many veterans with smiles on their faces, including Josh Kerns of Virginia, a triple amputee who served with the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion in Afghanistan. Kerns killed two deer on the day. This was Kerns second time going out with Fallen, and said it has helped him meet people with similar experiences.

“That’s why we’re all here, the guys that give their life and limbs for us,” McAuley said.

https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/web1_Hunt5-1.jpg

Hounds jump from their cage to kick off a three hour deer hunt northeast of Ellerbe on Saturday.
https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/web1_Hunt2-1.jpgHounds jump from their cage to kick off a three hour deer hunt northeast of Ellerbe on Saturday.

Stephanie Terry serves deer stew to the dozens of hunters and veterans gathered at her and her husband, Mitchell’s, property on Saturday.
https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/web1_Hunt3-2-1-1.jpgStephanie Terry serves deer stew to the dozens of hunters and veterans gathered at her and her husband, Mitchell’s, property on Saturday.

Greg McAuley leads a pack of dogs into the forest on Saturday.
https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/web1_Hunter-w-dog-1.jpgGreg McAuley leads a pack of dogs into the forest on Saturday.

Lane Lejeune, Greg Locklear, James Schneider III, and Emery DeLonge pose with their kills from the morning hunt. This was Schneider’s first deer, an 11-pointer.
https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/web1_Hunt1-1.jpgLane Lejeune, Greg Locklear, James Schneider III, and Emery DeLonge pose with their kills from the morning hunt. This was Schneider’s first deer, an 11-pointer.

Jamie Carter and Jeremy Fowler load the deer Carter killed with a “perfect shot” on Saturday.
https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/web1_IMG_5297-1.jpgJamie Carter and Jeremy Fowler load the deer Carter killed with a “perfect shot” on Saturday.

Gavin Stone

News Editor

Reach Gavin Stone at 910-817-2673 or [email protected].