Pheasant season is still several weeks away in South Dakota but today the shells were flying. A special group from Paralyzed Veterans of America had the opportunity to take aim at the birds as part of their sports and recreation program. It's a matter of gaining independence and enjoying the great outdoors.

The rainy drizzle wasn't enough to dampen the spirits of some veterans today. It's part of the sporting activities the Paralyzed Veterans of America work to offer those who are disabled.

“When this type of freedom is taken away from folks the first thing they think is how am I going to be independent and how am I going to hunt, fish and all the things I used to do,” Ryan Green with Paralyzed Veterans of America said.

That's what this trip is meant to do, to offer those who are disabled the chance to take aim and after a big breakfast the guys load up.

With safety and fun being the most important factors in the day those vets in wheelchairs are loaded onto a truck and transferred to a pickup and they'll head out hunting.

“It's that feeling of inclusion. Bring back those old feelings of the fall and the fever to hunt,” Green said.

With the tall corn dotted with bright orange the hunt is on. While these men might never get the chance to walk through the fields, they will still have the chance to enjoy the thrill of the hunt.

“What you could do before, can I still do it? Sometimes you can, sometimes you can't, it's a challenge,” Hunter Steve Thompson said.

This is one challenge that these veterans have overcome.

“We all get shots, we can't guarantee we're going to hit a bird but we have so much fun with the opportunity there,” Green said.

The hunt was a group effort by Top Gun Hunting, Wild Dakota and the PVA. Several volunteers and sponsors also helped to make sure these veterans could make it out in the fields.