A series of six shows being aired on the Sportsman Channel will bring attention to the challenges faced by Canadian veterans and first responders dealing with the impact of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The Veteran Hunter, an organization founded by Todd Hisey, of the Cochrane area, has started filming the first of six hunts, mainly using archery, this week. Each episode will centre on the career of a veteran or first responder and how they rise above PTSD

The first one centres around the challenges faced by Chris Reader, who served 10 years in the Canadian Armed Forces and did two tours in Afghanistan. He's since gone on to form a successful welding business.

"These discussions will all happening around the background of us hunting, and hopefully at the end of the day we'll be successful in helping Chris harvest an elk," explains Hisey. "So that's kind of the theme that will carry on through each episode."

Half the hunts will be centre upon veterans who predominantly served in Afghanistan, and the other half will be with first responders.

"They will revolve around different hunts for elk or moose, and we're actually going to do a sheep hunt on horseback. So we're hoping to have a really diverse and spectacular first television season."

Veteran Hunters is hoping to secure $10,000 in sponsorships to help with production costs. The episodes will be aired by The Sportsman Channel in 2021.

Hisey had an established a relationship with Sportsman personality Jordan Walsh that helped make the series possible. Walsh filmed a turkey shoot of the Veteran Hunters in June that will be aired shortly on the network.

"The network seen the the footage and seen the candor of myself and other veterans talking about our PTSD.  That really helped convince the network that this is something that they really wanted to do and provided us the opportunity to film six hunts."

Now in its second year, The Veteran Hunters is growing its network of veterans across Canada. Several more hunts are planned in Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia this fall.

"It's really because of my veteran brothers and sisters that our organization is continuing to grow and be successful. It's the willingness of other veterans to step up. They themselves were positively impacted by the organization and truly believe in what we're doing, and want to be able to give back."

Veteran Hisey suffers from PTSD, and believed in the therapeutic value of the hunts.

While there are several equine and angling PTSD programs in Canada, Veteran Hunters is one-of-a-kind.

"We're still the only organization in Canada that really offers veterans an opportunity to hunt and be in outdoors with brother and sister veterans to connect in a way that's meaningful for them."

The episodes will certainly draw attention to their work, but it also aims to reach out to others suffering the crippling impact of PTSD that leaves many struggling to leave their own home, let alone their basement.

"It's to let other people who are being impacted by a stress injury or a mental illness or have post traumatic stress disorder know that life doesn't end with having that diagnosis."

"One of the things that a lot of the veterans really find comforting about Veterans Hunters is that my story of PTSD is similar to a lot of the other guys' stories. We may have gone through different trials in respect to the bureaucracy of the Government of Canada but in the end how we feel as human beings is very similar."

The hunts are purposely flexible.

"If a guy's having a bad day, we don't have to start the hunt right away. We can see it. So, a guy doesn't feel like he's imposing or feeling like he has to hide what he might do when hunting with civilians as compared to  hunts with his brother and sister veterans or first responders because we've all been they are. I might actually going there this afternoon, and that's OK."

"So, whether we kick off now or kick off later to chase an elk, it doesn't matter. The fact that we're out in the wilderness together and able to share without any feeling of judgement or guilt or anything like that is just great. It's liberating."

The organization took a giant step forward at a Grand Valley Safari Club fundraiser earlier this year that provided both some financial and moral support. Among other things, the funding helped to provide hunting supplies to use in their spring and fall hunts.

"I still get goosebumps when I think about it," says Hisey. 

"We've been very fortunate with some great local partners, like the Grand Valley Safari Club, and by extension some of the ranchers here have been really gracious about providing us access, especially for this fall."

To find out more about The Veteran Hunters or to help sponsor the episodes go here.

You can also email: theveterans17@gmail.com