Thanks to members of the Physically Challenged Bow Hunters of America, six disabled hunters from around the United States have the opportunity to come to Andalusia for a chance to take a deer with a crossbow.

To prepare for this weekend’s hunt, the six hunters and several volunteers went to the American Archery Association’s Bow Range near River Falls on Thursday afternoon.

“We have been around since 1993,” PCBA president Dr. John Brod said. “We have more than 800 members in 50 states. Every one on our staff are volunteers and no one gets paid for anything we do. We just feel that it’s important for them to be able to do things just like everyone else.”

Brod said that the organization takes hunters to different states all over the country, and depends on volunteers such as Dirk Price to set up the hunts.

Price is not only a volunteer with PCBA, but he is also a member. Price lost his sight several years ago, and continues to hunt thanks to the PCBA.

“I’m a hunting coordinator for the state of Alabama,” said Price, “I lost my sight several years back, and about four years ago I was at the Sportsman Expo here in town walking around with my seeing-eye dog. That’s when this guy come up to me and asked me if I wanted to go hunting. I told him, ‘I can’t see to hunt anymore,’ and he said ‘I’m with the PCBA and I can get you hunting again.’”

After a few years hunting with the group, Price decided to become a hunting coordinator for the state of Alabama.

“I still go on the hunts also, but now I also want to help give back,” Price said. “It just thrills me to have others out here enjoying the hunt.”

One of the hunters selected to participate was Straughn High School’s Dalton Hennigan, who has just one arm.

“I’ve been hunting for about four years now,” Hennigan said. “This is going to be my first time hunting with a crossbow. I’m pretty excited about that.”

“Dirk contacted me awhile back and asked me if I wanted to take part in this hunt and I knew it was something I wanted to do,” Hennigan said. “It’s great just being out of the house and seeing all the wildlife. The deer meat is another reason I wanted to come. That is the good stuff.”

Hennigan had never shot a crossbow before Thursday afternoon, but one would have never guessed it after watching him repeatedly hit the bullseye from 20, 30 and even 40 yards away.

“We have big buck picked out for Dalton (Hennigan),” Brod said. “Dirk (Price) has a big buck that he needs someone to shoot and we needed someone that was a really good shot to go after him. That’s why we picked Dalton to go after that buck.”

After mastering the crossbow, Hennigan said he next wants learn to shoot a compound bow, and recently had one of Team USA Archery members contact him about getting a bow set up for him.

“Samantha Tucker, who is part of the USA olympic archery team, contacted me about getting a compound bow set up that I could shoot,” Hennigan said. “Whenever I get it, she said that she is going to send a trainer down to teach me how to shoot it.”

As long as the weather allows, the hunters will begin hunting tomorrow and they will also be back in the woods on Saturday.