Crimson Trace and Camp Patriot recently teamed up to provide two Special Forces veterans, who had been wounded while on active duty, with a Texas hog hunt—and not just any kind hog hunt but a tactical one complete with night vision equipment, tactical rifles and all sorts of related equipment.
Both service members were wounded in Afghanistan and have faced an arduous and painful road to recovery. The firearms industry has been at the forefront of supporting veterans’ charities, particularly those that facilitate their rehabilitation.
“We’ve been strong supporters of veteran’s charities for years now,” explains Kent Thomas, Director of Marketing for Crimson Trace. “Our partnership with Camp Patriot enables us to donate to our troops while giving them a hunting experience like no other. When we decided to put on a tactical hog hunt, we must have hit a nerve with some of our industry friends, as the level of support has been outstanding.”
Iain Harrison, Media Relations Manager or Crimson Trace, was actually on the hunt, which took place on a ranch in the Texas Panhandle in February. Harrison says the vets had a great time, with much, though not all, of the hunting taking place at night. The vets tracked down the pigs with thermal optics, stalked, and then used night vision scopes on the AR-style rifles to seal the deal.
An added guest really enjoyed himself, too—the 11-year-old son of one of the veterans. In fact, of the nearly a dozen pigs taken during the three day hunt, it was the youngster who led the way!
“He actually scored the biggest pig of the hunt,” says Harrison. “It was a little over 300 pounds. Killed it stone dead with one shot, a 77-grain Nosler round, .223, right in the head. You hit them there, it’s pretty much lights out instantly!”
As far as the veterans, “They were thrilled with it and loved the whole experience,” says Harrison. “From our point of view, it went really well. We were able to take these guys on a great hunt and to show our appreciation, in a small way, for all they’ve done. We also had a chance to show these fine men some true Texas hospitality.”
The outfitter for the hunt was Derek Lepke of Texhunts.
The firearms industry stepped up big, too, providing the gear and equipment needed for a fine tactical hunt, including:
I2Technologies, which supplied PVS14 Night Vision systems;
Nosler Ammunition, for the 77 grain .223 rounds, plus 165gr Accubonds in .308;
Trijicon and its TA31 & TA01NSN ACOG scopes;
Leupold, for VX-R 1.25-4 “Pig Plex” scopes with Warne mounts;
A FLIR ThermoSight T50;
And Crimson Trace, with MVF-600 modular vertical foregrips with IR modules, and LDG 426 dual can lasers on SIG P226 40 caliber handguns.
Firearms? In addition to the SIG sidearms, the rifle used were DPMS LR .308’s, a Bushmaster ACR, and a SIG Sauer 556 rifle in 5.56mm for the youngster.
“Everyone at Camp Patriot was excited about partnering with Crimson Trace for this well deserved hunt for our two service members,” said Micah Clarke, founder of Camp Patriot, an organization devoted to providing veterans with outdoor adventures. “Crimson Trace continues to lead the way in mission-critical products for the warfighter and also continues to champion the cause of giving back to those who have given.”
On the Web:
Crimson Trace: http://www.crimsontrace.com/
Camp Patriot: http://www.camppatriot.org/index.html
Nosler Ammunition: http://www.nosler.com/
Trijicon: http://www.trijicon.com/
Leupold: http://www.leupold.com/
Warne Scope Mounts: http://warnescopemounts.com/
FLIR: http://www.flir.com/US/
Texhunts: http://www.texhunts.com/
Note: The veterans and the host ranch wished to remain anonymous.
