Local wins hunting trip

Heroes Hunting Foundation set next week

Jess Oaks
Posted 1/29/25

TORRINGTON –A Heroes Hunting Foundation event is slated for Goshen County on February 4 and 5. At the event, a handful of military veterans from around the world, including a local veteran, …

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Local wins hunting trip

Heroes Hunting Foundation set next week

Posted

TORRINGTON –A Heroes Hunting Foundation event is slated for Goshen County on February 4 and 5. At the event, a handful of military veterans from around the world, including a local veteran, have the opportunity to reunite in brotherhood while enjoying a hunting adventure. The Heroes Hunting Foundation is a veteran-operated non-profit 501 (c)3 organization which aims to get active duty service members and formerly deployed military veterans together for a hunt led by Chris Mulhbauer, USA retired. 

According to Hunter Haltom, one of the Pro-Staff, the organization is based out of Omaha, Nebraska.  

“We have people all over the states working on ways to give back to our service members and veterans,” Haltom explained. “I was in the Navy for about 28 years, eight months, just a little bit,” Haltom joked. “I came to Omaha, Nebraska for a joint tour and we liked it enough, that when we had the opportunity to come back, we did.”

Haltom is married with four children and with his many years of service, he has been all over the world but no place feels like home in comparison to the comfort Haltom feels with his battle buddies. 

“Being together with mutual friends and other veterans that had a common need, common desire to hunt, fish or go get a burger or pizza every once in a while, kind of thing,” Haltom explained. “We realized that there was a much larger group in the community that just needed the touch point.”

The military connection is important to Haltom like the connection many veterans seek within their kind. Although Haltom feels the connection isn’t necessary for every veteran, he’s pleased to offer other service members a chance to connect, reminisce and feel the band of brothers once again. 

“Some people just need you to call them, you know, once a month or so like life friends. You can call them once a month. There are no royalties, you just go ahead and start talking immediately and everything’s fine,” Haltom said. “Then, there are others that need more specific attention based on their past and history. There are those that you’ll touch them once in four or five years and have a touch point with them and they feel perfectly connected. They don’t need much.”

The organization is continuing to grow Haltom explains, after a little trial and error. 

“We had about eight or nine core guys that wanted to give back to the community. We hooked up with some good people that taught us a good lesson about being honest and truthful and we found out that there are some better groups out there that on the surface look great and then once you get past the veneer, they’re not very good,” Haltom explained. “It’s what can you do for me. We went through some good learning processes about getting ourselves away from those people and we reached out to people.”

According to Haltom, the Heroes Hunting Foundation works with Ducks Unlimited and Whitetails Unlimited. Haltom is an associate director for Whitetails Unlimited in the Midwest Region.  That connection has allowed him to branch out his mission to join military veterans for a couple of days of hunting. 

“We do probably 25 banquets a year and it allows us to reach out and touch others, other active duty and veterans out there. Every banquet we have, we do a veteran’s gun [raffle]. All we do is ask them to stand up, bring them a ticket and give them a ticket. We come back with the other half of the ticket put it in the bucket and draw for a winning person right there,” Haltom said. “They either go home with it that night or they go to the gun dealer and pick up a rifle, shotgun, or pistol in the next couple of days.”

“All that does is just, it allows them to know that we are still thinking of them and still care,” Haltom said.

Times have definitely changed throughout the decades of military involvement however Haltom remembers what being deployed was like.

“I deployed back when, God this is going to sound weird, but deploying was cool,” Haltom said. “’Oh, you’re deployed? Oh, that’s great.’ All the things that were post-Vietnam, post-Panama, all the negativity from it – people understand that people coming back from deployments actually needed some support. I got this support. I got a lot of support, sometimes too much support.”

“When you hadn’t been touched by people in seven or eight months or a year and all of the sudden, you’re walking through the VFW post Customs receiving line and people are just touching you and giving you gift cards and talking to you and hugging you and you’re like, I’m not used to being touched and being appreciated. We make sure that we reach out to those survivors of Korea, they’re still alive. The guys in Vietnam, they’re still alive. We are, specifically, reaching out to them to let them know how much they matter to us,” Haltom reflected. “Because they’re a major part of the reason why we joined the military.”

According to Dan Rhoades, formally of Torrington, the event is open to all ages of military service members. 

“We have had guys in their 20s all the way up to late 60s,” Rhoades explained. 

Rhoades has been involved with the organization for some time now and he, like Haltom, enjoys the connection with other service members. 

“I served four years in the Marine Corps as an aircraft technician working on AV8B Harriers. I got involved with Heroes Hunting Foundation after a few guys from eastern Nebraska and I went on this hunt probably eight years ago with another organization. Then they became involved with Heroes Hunting Foundation and asked me to continue going on this hunt and organizing the event,” Rhoades explained. “That was probably four years ago. We have a great time getting veterans together and doing some hunting. I have quite a few more friends because of it.”

To participate, Rhoades and Haltom both explain is easy. Check out the Heroes Hunting Foundation – Nebraska Facebook page and watch for the opportunities. On December 13, the organization announced a hunt in Torrington. 

“Six lucky veterans, active, reserve, national guard, or retired personnel selected for two days of geese hunting. There will be lodging provided. Must have own shotgun, shells, and hunting license or required stamps. If you need a license let us know. Before commenting be 100% sure you can attend,” the post read. “[We] will be drawing winners on December 20, 2024.”

Of those winners, Travis Reinhardt’s name was selected. Reinhardt, who is currently stationed in Cheyenne, has been with the Wyoming Army National Guard for 24 years.

“I have been able to participate in this hunt a few times and it is amazing. Heroes Hunting is a great organization that brings veterans and active-duty service members together. In the last several years I have met many people, from all different branches of the service, on this hunt and it has been awesome,” Reinhardt said. “Really, this organization has allowed for service members to connect with other service members in the area and get outside to do something we all enjoy. Through this, I have met people from Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado and I am sure a few other States.”

Torrington’s hunt will be guided by WyoBraska Waterfowl Reinhardt explained. 

“It is awesome to have WyoBraska Waterfowl and their staff guide us, they do an awesome job of getting us on geese,” Reinhardt said. “I look forward and hope that I get an opportunity to participate in this hunt each year. It is a great way to get out and meet other people that have been in the military and like to hunt geese.”