LOXLEY, Alabama — For the fourth straight year, people with disabilities will be making memories this weekend with a deer hunt at the Old Brady Hunting Club, located east of Highway 59 and north of Interstate 10 between Loxley and Bay Minette.

The Making Memories Hunt is open to children and adults with disabilities, most of whom are confined to a wheelchair, who would otherwise not be able to experience the joy of hunting, said Darlene Comstock, who helps organize the event with her husband, Travis.

“We help with the organization, but it takes a lot of volunteers to put this on, and we are so appreciative of them,” Comstock said.

Both longtime hunters and members of the Old Brady Hunting Club, the idea for the hunt was born out of a friend with a daughter who had Spina Bifida.

“When their son was old enough, we helped teach him how to hunt and when she learned that she was pregnant with a little girl, she wanted us to help with her as well,” Comstock said.

But when they learned that the girl would be confined to a wheelchair, she said, the mother was devastated.

“One of her first thoughts was, how was her daughter going to be able to hunt confined to a wheelchair,” Comstock said.

When the daughter became old enough, Comstock said, they approached her mother with an idea.

“What if there was a way for, not just Kirsten, but others like her to be able to enjoy the hunting experience,” she said. “They were so excited.”

The first year, about 15 hunters signed up for the event, including their friend’s daughter.

“She ended up being the very first participant to harvest a deer,” Comstock said. “We heard a ‘bang’ and thought, ‘well maybe this is going to work.’ Moments later, our phones started blowing up with pictures of her, next to her deer with her arms raised in the air like she had scored a touchdown. She was so excited.”

This year, there are nearly 40 participants, Comstock said, 25 of whom are confined to a wheelchair.

The hunting club is set up with wheelchair accessible shooting houses. Each guest is accompanied by two guides, one who assists with any needs they might have and is there in case of emergency, and other who knows the area well and can bring them back when they are done.

“Some of our guests are physically able to pull the trigger themselves,” Comstock said. “For those who are too weak, we have it set up where they can push a button, which pulls the trigger, so they are actually able to participate in the hunt and aren’t just there to observe.”

Through support from volunteers and local businesses, the hunts provide lodging for out of town hunters; lunch and dinner on Saturday and lunch on Sunday; door prizes; gift bags filled with goodies; cash prizes for the biggest buck and doe harvested and hunting equipment and accessories.

Handicap accessible restrooms are also provided and participants are able to keep what they harvest, Comstock said.

“We are able to give away a ton of gifts,” she said. “Santa will also be on hand to give out gifts. They will leave there feeling like it’s Christmas.”

This year, film crews will also be on hand from Mossy Oak and BowHunters.com.

The BowHunters.com crew will be filming the entire weekend for a special which will air on the Outdoor Channel in January, Comstock said.

There is no cost to participate in the event. To be considered for participation, interested hunters must submit their names and subsequent information as soon as possible for a guaranteed spot.

For registration information, contact Darlene Comstock at 251-747-6417 or Travis Comstock at 251-747-6418. These interested in volunteering or becoming a sponsor can also contact Darlene Comstock.

“There’s just no way to describe the sheer joy on someone’s face after they’ve come back from successfully harvesting a deer,” Comstock said. “Our goal is for everyone who wants to participate to be able to experience that feeling. There’s really nothing else like it.”