Courtesy photo Veterans, Heroes’ Harvests staff, firefighters, community members and volunteers pose outside the Ensign Township Fire station after last year’s turkey hunt. The event is again coming to the area in May.

ESCANABA — For the fourth year running, a nonprofit that organizes outdoor activities as a means of therapy for active duty military, veterans and Gold Star families is holding a turkey hunt in the Upper Peninsula.

Heroes’ Harvests is a 501(c)(3) founded on the recognition of the need for “dynamic therapeutic environments” for service members who may have faced physical and emotional stress in the line of duty. Group recreation has shown to yield positive results and is often more comfortable than traditional, clinical therapy.

More specifically, “the physical challenge, goal achievement, and camaraderie found with outdoor activities parallel experiences that make military service profoundly meaningful and rewarding,” as the Heroes’ Harvests website states.

The SGM(R) Shawn Runkle Great Lakes Turkey Hunt of 2024 will again take place at Timberdoodle Lodge, which began as the Anderson hunting camp. The family rents out the eight-bedroom, three-story lodge — which is advertised as accommodating up to 50 people — and 500 acres of private land throughout the year, but for a week in May, use of the property is donated to Heroes’ Harvests.

A slew of volunteers, groups and businesses come together to make possible this hunt and other activities coordinated by the nonprofit.

Director of Operations Heroes’ Harvests Peter Bruno said that such events usually try to gather about 10 to 15 veterans. The Shawn Runkle Great Lakes Turkey Hunt, renamed last year to an honor an Army veteran who loved hunting and fishing and passed away in 2022, is directed towards service members from around the greater Midwest. Last year, the event attracted nine participants and close to 30 supporters.

“We try and make sure we have at least that much staff there, so that, you know, vets really aren’t having to do much other than hang out and meet other vets and share their experiences,” said Bruno.

Volunteers from the U.P. and Wisconsin scout the land, mentor the veterans on hunts, make connections with landowners, recruit donations from business sponsors and prepare meals during the trip.

One major player at the Great Lakes excursion is the Ensign Township Volunteer Fire Department, which provides their hall for a dinner one night, bringing together the hunters as well as the community members who contribute.

Rapid River Knifeworks supplies knives to be given as prizes, Frapps Meat Market donates meat, Jasper’s Sugar Bush donates maple syrup, Walton’s Game Processing provides their services, Biggby donates coffee, and Vortex Optics and Phelps Game Calls supply equipment.

Applications for the upcoming event are due April 12. Those interested may apply to participate or contact the organization with other questions via their website: heroesharvests.org.