Having a handicap or disability shouldn’t stop you from doing what you love. Fortunately, in these modern times, we are managing to keep up with the needs of our handicapped brothers and sisters. Today, we have numerous adaptive, special gears and devices for disabled hunters. Thanks to this gear, they can perform just as well as any other hunter. If you are a person in need of this type of equipment, or know someone that does, then this article will show you some of the most useful stuff for a disabled hunter.

1. Heavy-Duty All-Terrain Wheelchairs

Just like any ole’ hunter couldn’t do with out a good pair of hunting boots and a solid hunting backpack, a disabled hunter can’t do without a wheelchair that would fits his hunting needs. A regular wheelchair won’t do, unfortunately. That is why I included in this list a heavy-duty wheelchair that can take on any type of terrain.

These types of wheelchairs comes in all shapes and sizes and are catered to fit any type of special need. Most importantly, they are designed to withstand all types of terrain such as rocky, wet and muddy, or other types of rough terrains.

If you require a special mechanism for trigger activation as well, then don’t worry, because some hunting wheelchairs have specially-designed trigger activators, that can be operated by the hand or chin. Other than that, you can also have a hunting wheelchair customized for you, so you can hunt as efficiently and comfortably as possible.

2. Hunting Hearing Aids

For our fellow hunters out there who have problems with their sense of hearing, there are special hearing aids available on the market. This type of hearing aid can both increase your hearing as well as protect it while hunting.

So how does it work? A special hearing aid will be able to enhance your hearing up to a certain amount of frequency for you to be able to hear your surroundings clearly. On the other hand, it can also protect your hearing by sound compression that can protect you from loud gun shots.

Another feature you also have to look into when selecting hunting hearing aids is the ability to cancel noise. A hearing aid should be able to do this, so you can hear every twig snap and every step resonate around you.

3. Heater Body Suit

If you are partially paralyzed but can still use some parts of your body to hunt, you may need a heating or heater body suit in order to keep all of your extremities warm. I stress the need for this because some hunters may not feel the cold and thus make them more prone to frost-bite and other cold-related injuries.

Other than that, if you are bound to a hunting wheelchair or a tree stand with limited movement, it’s important to keep a heater body suit with you. The lack of movement can decrease the circulation in your body, thus making it more difficult to heat yourself up. A heater body suit will aid you in this.

4. Gun Mount or Tripod

For hunters who use hunting wheelchairs, a gun mount or gun tripod is just as essential as a tactical pen is to the guy who’s taking note of the scores. A gun tripod is essentially used to shoot a rifle while sitting in a wheelchair, with a designated height to make the shot more accurate just as it would be in a standing position.

If you want your hunting to be more comfortable, you can also use gun mounts that are attached to wheelchairs in order to shoot from your position. I recommend getting both of these special gears for disabled hunters, as it can greatly increase the accuracy of your shooting.

5. Gloves

Of course, you’re going to need to have gloves in order to push your wheelchair around. Especially if it’s not an automated wheelchair. Special gloves are available for this purpose at your local adaptive gear store, or you can opt to buy a pair at a sports store.

A word of advice though: if you want your gloves to last long and remain unfaded for an extended amount of time, I recommend buying a durable pair that’s made of high-quality material.

6. Special Trigger Mechanism

Having no hands or just one hand doesn’t need to be a hindrance to hunting. Handicapped stores offer a special trigger mechanism that is operated by the mouth. Essentially, you mount the mouthpiece of the trigger mechanism to your gun. This will then allow you to bite down on the mechanism whenever you need to take a shot.

Other trigger mechanisms can be attached to your finger, and are suitable for hunters with little to no hand movement.

7. Bow Mount

For bow hunters who have limited mobility or limited strength, there are available bow mounts that can allow you to hunt with ease and comfort.

How do these bow mounts work? The mount will hold the weight of the bow for you while you pivot it to the direction of your target. With limited mobility and strength, you need to focus the weight and pressure of the bow (especially when it is drawn) in order to shoot accurately.

Similarly, crossbow cranks are available for people with the same handicap. Crossbow cranks enable the hunter to reload easily without having to use a lot of strength to load a new arrow into the crossbow.

8. Rotating Device

It can be a hassle to rotate the entire wheelchair once you see something good to shoot. Thankfully, some adaptive hunting gear manufacturers have available rotating devices that can do this task for you.

Simply put, it is a special device that you place your wheelchair on, and you can control it either manually or electronically. This device will allow you to rotate 360 degrees so you won’t have to do it manually. Of course, I recommend this for hunters in wheelchairs who also love to hunt birds.

9. Scope Camera

Some hunters may not be able to lean or bend down to the height of their rifle’s scope in order to see what they are shooting at. That is why there special scope cameras available that allow you to see through the scope of the rifle while sitting down comfortably in your wheelchair.

Scope cameras are highly efficient and isn’t that different from looking through the actual scope. However, if you don’t have the budget for a high-end scope camera, you can use special apps for this purpose and attach your smartphone on the rifle instead of a camera. The same principle applies: the app will allow you to see through your scope as if you’re looking into it.

10. Motorized Tree Stand

Hunters in wheelchairs won’t be able to climb onto the tree stand on their own. For this purpose, motorized tree stands were made available, so that a wheelchair-bound hunter would only have to transfer himself onto the tree stand chair, and use the motorized mechanism to lift himself up to a sufficient height.

If you’re in a wheelchair and wish to try out tree stand hunting for those does and bucks, I recommend getting your own motorized tree stand, instead of going through the hassle of climbing up there yourself. Unless you have a lot of upper body strength, ofcourse.

On the other hand, some tree stands allow you to take your whole wheelchair onto it and go high up, but these are more costly and difficult to install.

Conclusion

Hunting is a hobby and sport for everyone. That is why special gear for handicapped hunters is available today to address their needs specifically. In this article, we’ve highlighted the most important and most popular gear on the market today, and we really hope it helped you select some that are suitable for you.

Did you like this article? If you did, feel free to leave a comment, suggestion, or question down below. Don’t forget to share this with your friends as well. Thanks for reading!

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About the Author Brian

Hello, I'm Cindy. I’m a super duper mega hiking enthusiast, with a love for everything that has to do with outdoors, hiking, gear, footwear and more.

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  1. Looking for a pair of insulated, waterproof, high hunting boots in a wide width and has a zipper that goes past the ankle, or a lace up boot. I have my ankle fused to my foot, and cannot bend the ankle, making it near impossible to put on and take off a high boot. I found one from Lacrosse that would have been good, but it does not come in wide width and the zipper did not go down far enough. Does anyone know where to find a boot like what I need?

      1. I’m in the same boat as Mike. I had ankle fusion and cannot find a pair of rubber boots that zip low enough. PLEASE do you know of anywhere I can go.

        Thanks

        Chuck

        1. Hi Chuck,

          Sorry to hear about the problem you’re having. You’ll have to enlighten me, though…

          You say you need rubber boots that zip low. What exactly do you mean by that?

          Sincerely,

          Brian

  2. Hi Brian,
    I am looking for a pair of hip waders for my son who is disabled. He wears an AFO (Ankle Foot Orthosis) on right foot because of drop foot. The boot has to be wide width and have a shaft that stretches to allow the AFO in.
    Do you all make these or know of anyone who does?

    1. Hi Kimberly,

      Maybe one day I’ll build a review page dedicated to hip waders. But right now, we don’t have such a page on Boot Bomb.

      We don’t make’em, but there are plenty of hip waders available on Amazon.

      Sincerely,

      Brian

  3. This article helped me a lot! Thanks Brian. What bow sight would you say is best for a rather novice guy like myself that’s quite new to the whole archery thing? I’ve considered the Trophy Ridge Peak 5 Pin bow sight, but I’ve got a feeling it’s way too pro. An article I read says it’s ideal and more accessible for beginners. Do you have any other suggestions? Many thanks Brian!

    1. Hi John,

      I’ve checked out the Trophy Ridge Peak 5 Pin and I find mostly good reviews. Based on that, I’d say it’s hard to go wrong with it.

      Sincerely
      ,
      Brian

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