by Kelly Reeves
Judges 6:12 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, “The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor.”
Far from the hustle and bustle of their hometown in the DFW Metromess, Susan and Freeman Sawyer are making a dream come true. A dream of their own that allows them to fulfill the dreams of many others. The “others” are not just any others, but very special “others.” The others I’m speaking of are injured, ailing, wounded or disabled heroes. Heroes who are suffering the long lasting effects of their service to our country, and communities. Heroes from all branches of our Military, Law Enforcement, Firefighters, First Responders, Gold Star and Special Needs Families.
Freeman Sawyer grew up in San Antonio, Texas where there were five military bases that his father serviced as a government contractor. Both of his grandfathers, all of his uncles, and most of his friends’ parents were in the military allowing him an inside view of their lives as service members. Mr. Sawyer is also the father of a son with autism which has given him a special understanding of the isolation aspect of dealing with a disability. It became important for him to find a way to cater to heroes with special needs.
Freeman has such fond memories of he and his sons spending time together outdoors while hunting, fishing, and shooting, that he wanted to make these activities possible for those who thought it no longer was an option. It became a dream for the Sawyers to find a way to make the outdoor activities they loved, be a reality once again for others; a way of giving back to these disabled heroes who served our country and sacrificed to keep us safe. This dream became the inspiration for the Heroes Ranch, a place to honor our nation’s disabled veterans and first responders with a unique hunting, fishing, and outdoors experience in a healing environment where they are welcome and supported.
Freeman and Susan began looking for the perfect place to bring their dream to life. After many months of searching, in December of 2019 they found and bought the site for the Heroes Ranch near Quitman, Texas. After the initial purchase, the construction soon began, and is still going full force at
this time.
The Heroes Ranch is over 450 acres of mostly heavily wooded ground. It was previously a tree farm and a Boy Scout campground, but was largely undeveloped until being purchased by the Sawyers. Over the last two years, the ranch has transformed into one of the country’s premier high-fenced hunting sites, catering to Heroes with special needs. These Heroes and their families can now hunt superior genetic trophy whitetail deer (250+ inches), axis deer, fallow deer and blackbuck antelope. There are several lakes on the property that hold ducks and geese in season, and are stocked with lunker sized bass, crappie, catfish and perch. Outside the high fence, guests can pursue an abundant supply of feral hogs. There are many miles of trails to walk or ride and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature.
Now, on arrival at the Heroes Ranch you are greeted with the breathtaking sight of Old Glory flying proudly atop a 150 foot flag pole, across Heroes Lake. You are immediately overtaken by the peace and serenity of your surroundings, and the abundant wildlife. The lodge, a beautiful log cabin recently renovated and aptly named the Freedom Cabin, is set up for four or more guests to spend their visit in luxury. It boasts a full kitchen, two full bathrooms, bedrooms, den, and large porch with fire pit. The rustic décor is topped off with beautiful wildlife mounts.
The Trading Post was originally a barn that was in disrepair but still had good bones and a strong foundation. After a complete renovation, it is now a rustic shop that houses gear and Heroes Ranch merchandise and swag. Guests will be able to purchase their Texas Hunting and Fishing License at the Trading Post and avoid a trip to “town.”
The Man Cave is not just for men. Women are welcome, too! It is anything but a cave. It is however, a perfect place to relax after the evening meal, catch a ballgame on TV, play some poker, or have a Shiner Bock and visit with new friends. Featuring the same rustic luxury style of the other structures on the ranch, the Man Cave has a full kitchen that is always stocked with snacks and drinks, an enormous walk-in gun safe, TV’s, shuffleboard, poker table, and arcade game system.
Although supply chain issues have been problematic for the Sawyers as with everyone else trying to complete building projects, construction has begun on the new “Heroes Hunting Lodge” and “Patriot Pavilion Center.” The Heroes Hunting Lodge will be 6,500 square feet under roof, family-friendly, six bedroom, seven bathroom, full kitchen and living areas, all designed to accommodate guests with mobility impairments or special needs. Much of the lumber required for these improvements was cut and milled on the property from trees that had to be removed for construction of roads, trails, fences, and building sites.
Heroes Ranch has a complete fleet of adaptive vehicles including wheel chair friendly side-by-side all terrain vehicles that can be driven with or without hand controls, off road track chairs, and wheelchair operable fishing boats. The hunting blinds are all the latest design in wheelchair accessible blinds. In fact, Julian Rayzor of JAR2 Farm and Ranch in Tyler, designed these one of a kind blinds produced by All Seasons Feeders (ASF). The largest blinds previously made by ASF weren’t large enough to accommodate the track chairs, so Sawyer and Rayzor made them larger, over ten feet in diameter, and added vertical windows and a wider door for easy wheel or track chair accessibility.
Freeman Sawyer has built a completely accessible and safety conscious shooting range where guests can sight in their guns or bows, practice, target shoot, or get any necessary training prior to their hunt. He also has an adaptive 5-stand sporting clay range available for guests.
Freeman and Susan Sawyer’s goal is to provide outdoor accessible family adventures and fellowship for injured, ailing, wounded, or disabled heroes and their families. “We are going to give these people a place to form a new circle of friendships and heal while enjoying one of the best weeks of their lives,” said Susan. “Our goal is to serve those who have served for us, and with the completion of the Hunting Lodge and Pavilion, we will be hosting families every week, forging friendships, and enjoying fellowship. We take great pride in hosting these heroes and their families for a unique opportunity to enjoy nature and the outdoors with a sense of freedom and peace they may not have experienced before.”
During the ground breaking ceremony, Freeman Sawyer’s uncle, retired Major General Wayne Marty said, “You know, people have dreams, and they have visions, and a lot of times that is all they are. But, you know what? Freeman took action and I want to thank him, on behalf of my generation, for his vision and his execution to make it happen.”
Heroes Ranch is a nonprofit organization with tiered levels of donor and sponsorship packages available. Donations and sponsorships allow for a no-cost weeklong ranch experience for a hero and their family. Heroes Ranch also honors sponsors with a Give-A-Hunt, Get-A-Hunt program whereby a generous donor gets a weekend hunt when sponsoring a Hero and their family. Further information is available at HeroesRanch.com or HelpingHeroesHunt.org.
