Fall foliage creates a colorful canopy to set the scene for the Hero Hunt at Mark Twain State Park.
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Missouri State Parks takes great pride in honoring and showing gratitude to our military veterans for their sacrifices and service to our nation. This is done in several ways, but the most popular events are the Hero Hunt at Mark Twain State Park and the General Crowder Deer Hunt at Crowder State Park.
“These hunts began in 2018 at Mark Twain State Park,” said Brett Barnes, deputy regional director for the Northern Region of Missouri State Parks. Barnes and another state park team member, Jeff Crook, took the lead in coming up with the Hero Hunt, modeling it after a hunt the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hosts every year, as well as a veteran hunt hosted by the local Missouri Department of Conservation agent.
“They have a hunt for disabled persons at the Corps of Engineers land at Mark Twain Lake and our team always volunteers there — they set up cots and tents, and help get everything prepared before and then help during the actual hunt,” Barnes said. “The Twain team is full of avid outdoorsmen and asked if they could do something like what the Corps does, and it grew from there.”
Barnes met with a Missouri Department of Conservation agent who had done a previous veterans’ deer hunt. Unfortunately, the Fort Leonard Wood company he had partnered with was no longer in existence because the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were winding down.
“We tried to go down that route, but that didn’t work out. We were struggling to find hunters and relied on other hunters, friends and family members to get veterans’ names,” Barnes said.
Eventually, the park partnered with the Missouri Veterans Commission to advertise the hunt and select the veterans. Rachel Hoemann, superintendent at Mark Twain State Park, said she believes this is a great opportunity as many veterans like to hunt and it’s a way to give back.
“There are only two qualifications for the hunt: You must be a veteran and you have to be a Missouri resident. The veterans have to personally pick up and turn in the application at their local service office. Once they apply, MVC gives us their names and we randomly select the hunters. In the past, we’ve had 15 veterans, but this year we will be selecting 20!” Hoemann said.
Barnes said it took a couple years to get the kinks worked out, but now it’s streamlined. So much so that other parks have followed suit. Last year was the first hunt held at Crowder State Park. These hunts take a lot of planning and work, he said.
“All of the team members at the park have to be onboard 100% to pull them off and we really need to thank the staff at both Mark Twain and Crowder state parks for their hard work making these hunts such successes,” Barnes said.
Anna Persell, park superintendent at Crowder State Park, said she went to the Hero Deer Hunt at Mark Twain State Park in Fall 2022 to see how they did it.
“We wanted to give back to veterans and felt like this was such a unique opportunity,” she said. “We felt like more than one park needed to provide it. The event allows them to come hunt on an area that is not regularly hunted. It also lets veterans visit and share stories with other veterans and guides.”
Amelia Klenke, assistant superintendent at Mark Twain State Park, agrees that the event is a great experience for everyone involved.
“I actually attended the very first Hero Hunt in 2018, even though I didn’t work for Missouri State Parks yet. I volunteered in the kitchen and helped provide meals for the hunters and staff. At the time, Brett Barnes was the assistant superintendent and I remember watching him work and talk to people, and thought ‘Wow, what a cool job he has!’ Then, three years later, in 2021, I was hired to fill the assistant superintendent role and now I get to work on this great event every year!” Klenke said.
Matt Enos, senior chief, USN (ret.), was a first-time participant at the General Crowder Deer Hunt this past fall. He also harvested the biggest buck.
“The hunt was an excellent opportunity that I encourage all eligible veterans to apply for,” Enos said. “The location offered plenty of deer with a variety of hunting environments. Anna and all of the staff and volunteers made the entire experience inviting, friendly and enjoyable. Each hunter was provided with a knowledgeable guide who was familiar with the area and very accommodating to the various needs and abilities of each hunter. The lodging and dining accommodations were all provided on-site, which allowed more time for everyone to get acquainted and for the veterans to ‘break bread’ and swap tales as we like to do.”
Barnes is a self-described Army brat, as his father served in the military. Barnes, himself, is also a veteran having spent two-and-a-half years serving in active duty with the U.S. Army and seven-and-a-half years with the Missouri National Guard.
“Before partnering with MVC, I didn’t know what all benefits I was eligible for, but because of the hunt and talking with the Veterans Commission, I found out what all I was missing, so I encourage all veterans to talk to their office. This is a perfect partnership with the Veterans Commission and Missouri State Parks.”
Enos echoed Barnes, “Overall, the hunt was a great opportunity that provided like-minded veteran hunters a truly relaxing, rewarding and enjoyable hunting and fellowship experience that I would gladly participate in again.”
