Supporting our veterans: Helicopter Hog Hunt fundraiser supports local ranch for veterans of all eras

Since 2011, the Young County Warrior Ranch has held one event to support military heroes of all eras at the facility located outside of Graham, the Helicopter Hog Hunt Fundraiser.

YCWR is a nonprofit organization located on a 20-acre ranch on 1889 Turtle Hole Road in Young County. The event will be held this year from March 19-22, with all proceeds going to support the efforts of the organization.

The goal of the organization is to assist all veterans, specifically through the support of physically and mentally wounded veterans as well as active duty veterans and their family members.

“YCWR is important to us because we’re (...) trying to give back to the veterans that come here. We try to provide them a place where they can connect once again with their former service members, or meet new ones and create new friendships,” YCWR Board Member Dana Lindley said in a previous interview.

The facility includes a fellowship barn with a kitchen, a 30-man bunkhouse, a stock tank and a rifle range. Veterans of any era are given full access to the ranch for free.

In order to keep operation of the ranch, it hosts the Helicopter Hog Hunt during the third weekend in March where 12 helicopters will fly over 50,000 acres of land in North Texas to hunt hogs.

Hunters will travel to the ranch Thursday, March 19, train the next day Friday, March 20 on helicopter safety on aerial marksmanship, shoot on Saturday, March 21 and then head home Sunday, March 22.

Each year, hunters from across the country meet at the ranch to receive training, relax and bond with one another.

Lindley said that since the event began in 2011, members of the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, Marines, U.S. Coast Guard as well as first responders have assisted and participated in the hog hunting fundraiser. 

He said both new and old friendships are made by veterans during the event.

“The friendships (can be) relatively new, but they’re a solid friendship and you can see it all through the event this weekend that guys are really bonding, or coming back together,” he said. “People that hadn’t seen each other in quite a few years are coming back together and actually reconnecting those friendships.”

Lindley said civilians pay for a spot to shoot hogs on the helicopter and with those proceeds they provide a ride for veterans who come out to the event.

“Our veterans do not pay for this. We try to provide that for our veterans in an effort to give back in some way. Hopefully we provide a good service for the paying shooters (and) we provide a little bit of a thank you for our veterans and we get to maintain our facilities for another year,” he said.

The cost to sponsor a shooter is $1,000 per sponsor which will pay for a wounded veteran or Goldstar family member who will shoot during the event.

Those who want to participate in the shoot, the cost is $1,500 per person which includes helicopter ground training, live aerial marksmanship training, a total of 20-30 minutes of wild hog hunting from a helicopter Saturday and all meals included.

A limited number of 30 hunters can sign up each year for $2,500 per person to receive an additional 20 minutes of hog hunting during the Friday training day.

For those that want to participate in steel target shooting from a helicopter, the cost is $250 per person. 

For more information about the event, visit warriorhoghunt.com, or the Young County Warrior Ranch’s Facebook page.