Hands of a Sportsman depends on landowners to achieve its mission of 'Partnering with the outdoors to put smiles on the faces of those taking on some of life's toughest challenges.'

It was late fall with the end of deer season only a few weeks away when landowner Randy Albertson of Seagrove, NC contacted HOAS through the Donate A Hunt online application. He was eager to host a disabled hunter before the season was over. HOAS was able to quickly identify hunter Alan Brackett of Browns Summit, NC from the online Hunters Applications for HOAS first paired deer hunt.

Once the match was made Randy & Alan talked over the phone to work out a date that was good for both of them. On the morning of the hunt Alan arrived well before daylight ready for a day of hunting. Randy had an accessible ground blind setup & was able to drive Alan’s truck right to it. The hunt was on!

Although the deer weren't moving that day both enjoyed being in the blind watching all the other wildlife. "That’s why it’s called hunting," said Randy!

The two have created a friendship for life through the fellowship of hunting. As a landowner Randy has committed to building accessible box blinds that are insulated & heated for future accessible hunts. In addition, he's adding food plots to help bring in those big bucks. Thank you Randy for being HOAS first landowner host & we look forward to many more hunts in those new blinds. Congratulations to Alan for being the first hunter to be paired with a Landowner through HOAS online process.

On Saturday, September 24, 2016 (NCWRC Youth Deer Day) The LandTrust hosted its inaugural Youth and Disabled Youth Hunt on our Point Property in Davie County! This hunt, in partnership with Hands of a Sportsman and Pass'n it on Outdoors, gave six youth hunters the opportunity to harvest a deer. Earlier in the week, all participants and their parents attended a safety briefing where they learned firearm safety and the importance of hunting as a conservation tool. Participants harvested four deer over the course of the day, and observed wild turkey in the field. NCWRC's Cody Fulk was on hand to process harvest data as well as assist in teaching our participants how to correctly tag their deer. We would like to thank everyone who participated and assisted with this successful event! We look forward to hosting more sportsman events in the future.

The LandTrust for Central North Carolina is a private, non-profit conservation organization working with private and public landowners to conserve the special natural areas, family farms, rural landscapes, and historic places of the central Piedmont. Operating in a 10-county region that includes Anson, Cabarrus, Davidson, Davie, Iredell, Montgomery, Randolph, Richmond, Rowan, and Stanly counties, The LandTrust works to conserve the legacy of our natural and cultural heritage for future generations.  Beginning in 2017, The LandTrust will offer a Sportsman Membership that includes chances to hunt LandTrust owned property through our new Hunter Access Program.  Check out our website www.landtrustcnc.org or call 704-647-0302 for more information on how you can support The LandTrust by becoming a sportsman member