ROCHESTER, Minn. – Tom McLaughlin sat shotgun in a Polaris ATV with his blaze orange jacket, 870 Remington shotgun and wooden walking stick while he was driven out to his hunting blind on the far side of Chester Woods Park.
Through miles of winding trails, the low roar of the ATV seemed the only noise in the snowy park, except for the occasional gunshot.
The 71-year-old disabled Vietnam vet was one of 41 hunters in this year's Disabled American Veterans Hunt.
"This is a unique situation," McLaughlin said. "This is really a benefit to disabled veterans who don't have a chance to go out and hunt, if not at Chester Woods."
Once a year for the past seven years, the park is closed down for veterans and their dependents to hunt whitetail deer. A perfect pairing, the park's trails create greater accessibility for the veterans, who in turn help control the deer population.
While his son sets up his own tree stand, McLaughlin, who was shot multiple times and lost his left leg in Vietnam, hunts in a ground blind with a heater (and snacks) in an area that allows him to walk around in the woods according to his own abilities.
He's harvested one deer throughout his four hunts, but he said it's really not about the deer.
"This gives me, being a veteran and having a son who's a combat veteran, the opportunity for us to get out and do something together that we don't always have the chance to do with my limitations," he said. "This way, 'Dad' gets to go along, and he gets to spend time with his son."
