Each year, the Sons of the American Legion Detachment of Minnesota is honored to sponsor the John Zgoda Memorial Disabled Veteran Deer Hunt and the SAL Disabled Veteran Turkey Hunt held at Legionville Education Center near Brainerd, Minnesota.
Applications are now accepted for any disabled Veteran interested in participating in the hunt. If there are more applicants than openings, a lottery will be held to select the hunters. Applications can be found here, or contact one of the co-chairs for the Deer Hunt. Dave Vulcan – (507) 380-5095, Dave Bilderback (507) 250-1057, Steve Bilderback (612) 220-1333, Chuck Stone (507) 213-7517.
The SAL John Zgoda Memorial Deer Hunt is named after past Detachment of MN Commander John Zgoda, who envisioned the hunt for our disabled veterans in our state. Working with The American Legion, he sought out and finally got the permissions needed to do this hunt. The first hunt was held in 2007 and 4 disabled veterans participated. We now have up to 6 participants every year. The SAL Disabled Veteran Turkey hunt was added in 2024 to expand the opportunities to provide disabled Veterans with a guided hunting experience.
The hunt is held in late September/early October on the grounds of Legionville Education Center. It is run by volunteers from the American Legion Family who come together to provide a fun, safe, and unique experience for our participants.
