A message from our founder

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The vision for the Future of the Veterans Hunting and Fishing Network .

     This organization was started to be a network available for veterans across the nation to come and find out what resources are available in their state. We also wanted to compile a list of states that offer discounted permits for veterans with disabilities. As we all know, who have been in the military, when you PCS sometimes it can take a while to find places to hunt and fish. Having a place to go where you can find local veterans or other active duty members to help you get outdoors can ease some of the stress of PCS'ing. That is just one of the missions of VHFN. What we also would like to do, in the future, is purchase land across the nation that state teams manage for hunting and fishing. Forming up duck ponds and managing them to attract waterfowl of all sorts, planting food plots and managing the forest to attract trophy quality deer, elk, turkey and other wild game.  All the while building handicapped accessible blinds on the properties to accommodate our warriors who may need it. 

   We also want to reach out the the veteran and active duty community who may be struggling with transitioning out of the military, as well as dealing with mental health issues and most importantly PTSD. As warriors we sometimes feel like it may be seen as weak to ask for help. So we want to provide a place where veterans and active duty who are struggling with the rigors of PTSD, can feel comfortable talking to someone. Sometimes meeting a fellow veteran or service member on a hunt or fishing trip can lead to the development of a friendship where they feel comfortable talking about their issues. and that friendship can possibly be the thing that keeps a veteran or active duty service member from doing somthing that is irreversible.  We also have started looking to partner with organizations that offer Equestrian PTSD therapy. I felt with my own PTSD issues through equestrian therapy, and would love to offer it to other who it may help.  As well as eventually we want to develop our own equestrian therapy ranches. 

  We know that being the family member of an active duty member or a veteran can have its own challenges so we want to support them as well. Especially if the active duty member or veteran is struggling with PTSD. We would like o support them by offering places to go as a family to get away from the stress of daily life for a while as well as offering marriage counseling services and retreats.  We would like to offer the same trips for families as we do the active duty member or veteran. Most notably the service member and their children. Because any of us who have served and had children knows the pain of missing important life milestones in your children's life due to deployment or training requirements.

  In supporting the family we also want to provide a place for the families of forward deployed service members to be able to come in their times of need.  A kind of crisis team if you will.  Because it never fails that while the service member is deployed, things still go on at home and most likely if a vehicle is going to break down it will be while the service member is deployed or away on training. Also a part of the Crisis team will be for veterans and active duty members who are struggling due to being laid off or injured at work and do not have the financial support to make ends meet. We would like to be able to make sure our veteran and active duty communities have the support they need to survive.

I know this has been long, but this just scratches the surface of the goals we have for the VHFN.  If you choose to partner with us or sponsor us with either financial support or by volunteering your time and resources, I want to say a huge thank you. We cannot do this on our own, it takes a family, and the military community is our family.

Thank you

Herbert (Rob) Robertson

President/Founder

Veterans Hunting and Fishing Network