About 70 people, including hunters, sponsors, dog handlers and volunteers, turned out for the final pheasant shoot of the 2024 season at Mont Royal Plantation in Swainsboro, Ga, according to Terry Reynolds, President of Wounded Warrior Retreat, Inc. 

“The wounded warriors had a good time,” Reynolds said.  “Actually, everyone involved had a good time. The shooters took home about 225 pheasants. As far as numbers go, it’s the best they’ve ever done.”  

The warriors enjoyed breakfast about 7:45 a.m. and left to get on stands bout 8:15.

“Normally, we put two on each stand, but some stands had three because of friends or family members who wanted to shoot together,” Richard Driggers, First Vice President of WWR, said.  “Usually we have a warrior and sponsor on each stand, but it worked out well because those with three on a stand were taking turns and two were shooting at a time. In most cases, it looked like the third person was acting as a spotter and trying to alert the other two about incoming birds.  It was a packed event, and that might be a result of the fact that everyone knew it was the last pheasant event of the year.  Anyway, it seemed like everybody was enjoying themselves.”

At lunch time, Reverend Casey Shaw of the First Baptist Church in Swainsboro provided the devotional.  Wounded Warrior Retreat is a faith-based organization that provides religious counseling for warriors, and the devotional is part of every WWR event. Then hunters, sponsors, dog handlers, and volunteers sat down to a noon meal of barbecue chicken, green beans, slaw, and Brunswick stew. It was a time to discuss good shots and misses and for old friends to catch up on the latest news concerning the families of their friends.

WWR has provided several deer, quail, and pheasant hunts in Tattnall, Evans, Emanuel, McIntosh, Jenkins, and Wheeler counties in 2023 and 2024 along with fishing events.  In the fall of 2024, several turkey hunts are scheduled for Evans, Emanuel, and Jenkins counties.

Wounded Warrior Retreat is a faith-based organization that gives wounded warriors an opportunity to get together and enjoy the outdoors including hunting and fishing events from coastal Georgia and Florida to as far north as Tennessee.  Some warriors are confined to wheelchairs as a result of wounds suffered in combat, and care is taken to make sure they can participate equally and enjoy themselves. 

For more information, contact Terry Reynolds at 478-494-3758 or Richard Driggers at 912-290-1108.