'Great Deer Hunt' Makes Difference In Lives Of Oklahoma's Disabled Veterans

It's hunting season in Oklahoma.

All over the state, deer hunters are scouting out their spots in the woods. But up in Miami, a group of disabled veterans are getting their shot at life-changing hunt. It's an Oklahoma Moment that's teaching some of the nation's bravest veterans how to live again.

There are six veterans who will be hunting 2,200 acres of land over the next few days, though they all say it is about more than just a hunt.

Guide: “Is your hand OK?”

Alexis Scott: “It just shakes a little.”

Getting behind the barrel of a gun is nothing new for U.S. Army SSG Alexis Scott.

Guide: “Can you see OK?”

Alexis: “Yes sir.”

She spent close to 20 years in the Army as military police officer and served two tours of duty overseas, but Alexis hasn't fired a shot since she was hurt during an explosion in Iraq.

“I have metal plates in my neck,” she said.

It's an injury that got worse once she came home. She was paralyzed briefly on her left side, but now she's regaining her physical strength, and her emotional health is being tested.

“You feel like you're a target, like you can't do everything you used to anymore, so that's why I hide out and stay home all the time, out of fear,” she said.

And that's where the Paralyzed Veterans of America comes in.

“Rehab doesn't end at the hospital doors,” Paralyzed Veterans of America Mid-America Chapter President Bill Kokendoffer said. “We've got to offer something else.”

For six years, the PVA's mid-America chapter has been honoring disabled veterans with its "Great Deer Hunt." Everything from the food, the lodging, the guns and even the camo has been donated for the hunt.

Cheri Arnold harvested a buck during the hunt last year; she's back this season to support Alexis.

“The therapy is huge being out in the woods, being able to watch the day awaken and not have the cares of the world out there,” Arnold said. “It's just peace and solitude and watching God's creation.”

The four-day affair starts with ceremony that shuts down Miami's Main Street, and a flag as big the town's tallest building is always waving in appreciation.

“Really what Miami and Ottawa County and the residents here show is the heart of America … what respect and honor should be given to all veterans,” Kokendoffer said.

It is a small-town tribute, but it's making a big difference for our nation's heroes.

Guide: “Wanna go again?”

Alexis: “Yes sir.

Guide: “She wants to do it again.”