Acadiana veterans enjoy duck hunt thanks to volunteers

Russell Dayneaux and Christopher Brandon Sullivan’s duck hunt Thursday morning, located south of Intracoastal City, was not your typical duck hunt.
These two men were able to go on a duck hunt thanks to a group of people who helped create a non-profit organization called “Hero Hunts.”
The organization’s mission statement is dedicated “to placing servicemen/women in the great outdoors. We strive to reconnect veterans with the outdoors through hunting, fishing, and other outdoor activities.”
The two veterans met at the boat launch in Intracoastal City at 5 a.m and were greeted by members of Hero Hunts. They returned by 10 a.m. with their limit of ducks.
The hunt did not cost the veterans anything. Everything was provided by Hero Hunts, an organization made up of 250 people from throughout Acadiana.
Dayneaux, from Abbeville, is a Vietnam veteran who has a hard time walking long distances because of arthritis in his hip.
Dayneaux grew up on a farm and was drafted in 1968. He was an avid hunter and hunted during the winter and filled up his freezer with meat.
But that all changed in 2009 because he hurt his hip in 2008. Due to a hip injury, he has not been able to hunt.
Fast forward to six months ago, his daughter heard about Hero Hunts and informed her father, who contacted them. Since then, he has been on a dove hunt, two duck hunts and a deer hunt.
“I got more hunts than I can handle because of these guys,” said Dayneaux after his duck hunt. “I never knew Hero Hunts existed. Because of them, I was able to go hunting. I love it.”
Sullivan, 31, is a young Army veteran who is confined to a wheelchair. He was deployed to Iraq in 2003 and was shot by a sniper. The bullet went through his neck and hit his spinal cord. He is now paralyzed from the chest down.
With the help of Hero Hunts, Sullivan has been on many hunts including deer and now duck hunting. He went to Wisconsin and killed as 9-point deer.
Volunteers for Hero Hunts loaded him onto a seat in the boat from his wheelchair. He was buckled into the boat. A specially made 24-foot long aluminum boat left the dock and within minutes the hunters were in their duck blind, but still sitting in the boat. The veterans never left the boat.
“This was an amazing hunt,” said Sullivan.”We pulled up to the blind and the boat fit right in the blind.”
Sullivan, who is from Rayne, said because of Hero Hunts, he was able to go on a duck hunt with people from the Acadiana area.