Pheasant hunt to be held in honor of sportsman

PEACHLAND — The first Inaugural David Kiser Memorial Pheasant Hunt kicks off on Saturday, Feb. 13 at the Devil’s Rib Hunting Preserve.

The event, hosted by Hands of a Sportsman, honors the life of David Kiser who last his battle to liver cancer in April of 2020.

Kiser loved the outdoors — fishing, hunting, grilling — anything outside, he did. His job as a forester even took him outdoors daily.

“When we ran the obituary, we asked for donations to Hands of a Sportsman instead of flowers,” his wife Mary Beth said. “He never got to work with that group…but it was something that aligned perfectly with what he’d want.”

It was when Kiser’s obituary ran did the owner of Devil’s Rib Preserve reach out to Mary Beth. Owner Rick Carpenter was planning a pheasant hunt with the organization Hands of a Sportsman. After reading about Kiser, Carpenter knew the hunt needed to be in memory of a community man who loved the outdoors.

Hands of a Sportsman provides individuals with disabilities or life challenges, both seen and unseen, with the opportunity participate and enjoy the sport of hunting. Volunteers with the group help those disabled individuals to hunt, fish or enjoy the outdoor activities they otherwise might not be able to. The organization offers technologies and adaptive equipment such as wheelchair mounts and triggers assists to help the physically disabled with various outdoor activities.

“Of course I thought it was awesome,” Mary Beth said. “This was originally intended to be kind of a smaller starter and wanting to do it every year, but the community has backed it so much it has grown into what it is now.”

The event will host about 40 hunters during it’s first year. Donations from all around the county allowed the event to include lunch and auctions. There will be a silent auction, live auction and raffle opportunities for those who come out. Anyone is welcome to attend this free outdoor event.

Hunters were selected ahead of time. The will begin their pheasant shoot around 9:00 a.m. Lunch will be served at noon, followed by the auction at 2:00 p.m. Enough food has been donated to feed 450 people, according to Mary Beth. But any leftover food will be donated to the Anson Rescue Squad and medical personnel working that night in the county.

Auction items include a wine gift basket from The Vineyard at the Old Place, a handmade crochet baby blanket, photography packages, Carolina Cooker cooking set, fishing items, golf packages and much more. The money collected from the raffle will be donated to Hands of a Sportsman to help expand the organization and fund next year’s David Kiser Memorial Pheasant Hunt.

“We found a way to incorporate hunting, fishing, grilling and anything outside he liked is represented in the auction items,” Mary Beth said. “He was one of those that whatever he loved to do, he wanted to do it to the best of his ability.”

Kiser coached his two children in sports. He taught his son golf and he coached both baseball and softball for his son and daughter. Along the way, he would make friends with everyone, according to his wife.

“We could not have anticipated the amount of support the community has given,” Mary Beth said. “And it is all a testament to the amount of friends David had…It’s just been humbling for as many people to reach out and want to be apart of (the event).”

Hands of a Sportsman, and even Mary Beth, did not expect this amount of participation, especially for it being the first pheasant hunt for the organization. The donations and participants exceeded any expectation. This event will now be one of the biggest events of the year for Hands of a Sportsman.

The event will not only be special to honor Kiser, but it will be a celebration of his life as it falls on his birthday. Mary Beth is thankful for the hunt to be on his birthday as it gives her and Kiser’s family a positive thing to look forward.

Joe Dutton will also be honored at the event. Dutton, who passed away from COVID-19 in Dec., was going to be the auctioneer. Dutton’s son is also participating as one of the hunters. Mary Beth wanted to still include Dutton as he was on board with participating.

“I wouldn’t want to live in any other community but Anson County because when something goes wrong, they’re going to have your back and be there for you,” Mary Beth said. “I had people I never even dreamed even knew us reach out and say, ‘If you need anything, you let me know.’ You don’t get that everywhere. Anson County is special in that regard.”