Disabled hunter pushing for more accessible hunting rules

Though he was born with spina bifida and uses a wheelchair to get around, Lumsden’s Bobbie Cherepuschak considered himself an outdoorsman from a young age, always eager to go deep into the bush.

It led him to take up hunting, especially after he got his first kill, a deer, in 2003. By then he had a few unsuccessful attempts under his belt.

“From that point on I knew as soon as I hit that deer that it was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” he said.

Now 32 years old, Cherepuschak is pushing the province to change hunting legislation so that he can do what he loves from the seat of his wheelchair, instead of the cab of his truck.

He has a special permit from the province that allows him to fire his gun from his truck; he renews the permit every five years.

But Cherepuschak wants the right to hunt from a motorized wheelchair, which he can purchase from one of several U.S. companies. Until he gets the OK from the provincial government, he’ll be confined to his truck away from the trails and forested areas that some big-game animals (like deer, moose and other ungulates) often use.

“This should happen, because it gives more equal opportunity for guys in my situation to do what guys like you can do on foot,” he said.

The 2019 Hunters’ and Trappers’ Guide, the most recent one available, says for big-game hunting, it’s illegal to “carry or transport” a gun through any area unless it’s in a case and in a vehicle.

The guide also says that “ATVs, snowmobiles and passenger vehicles may not be used on wildlife lands for any purpose at any time with the exception of retrieving legally killed big-game animals using the shortest and/or least impacting route or under permit for specific authorized purposes.”

He has the support of the NDP’s Trent Wotherspoon on working to make hunting more accessible for him.

“I raised it directly with (Environment Minister Dustin Duncan),” Wotherspooon said.

“He stated that he appreciated that. I think we’ll go from here, so I would hope we can work constructively in a united fashion on this front.”

Wotherspooon added that the NDP caucus is ready to push the file during the next legislative session, if it comes to that.

The Ministry of Environment didn’t make Duncan or other officials available for comment.

It emailed a statement, which said it “believes that all hunters, regardless of ability, should have access to the public resource … The ministry is conducting a review on how we permit physically disabled hunters. The ministry has nothing further to add on this individual case.”

For his part, Cherepuschak said hunting is about more than just shooting and killing an animal. He said that being outdoors is his “medicine,” and that he has extra motivation to get outside because he uses a wheelchair.

“It shows people it doesn’t matter if they’re able-bodied or confined to a wheelchair. Get off your butt, go out and try it,” he said.

Tracking animals is part of what got him hooked.

“It’s pretty tricky. You have to kind of read the deer and kind of think to yourself, ‘If they see me, where are they going to go? Are they going to stay there? Are they going to get spooked and run off? Are they going to just ignore you?’ You never know,” he said.

“I love to eat the meat from the animals, I love to cook … I love the outdoors. I’ve loved them ever since I first started hunting. And I’m hoping it’s going to be a rest-of-my life kind of thing.”

Through his work over the past seven years at Cabela’s in Regina, Cherepuschak has found support from other hunters who use wheelchairs when he mentions the motorized wheelchair to them.

“They want to get back into (hunting) after they’re injured, or whatever. They’re all like, ‘Why didn’t we think of this and try to get this ball rolling years ago?’ ” he said, referencing the potential rule changes to the hunting and fishing guide.

Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation (SWF) president Darrell Crabbe said his group is also supportive of a legislative change that would allow Cherepuschak and other disabled hunters to use mobilized wheelchairs.

Were such an amendment made, the SWF would initially purchase one such wheelchair for hunters to rent out, he said. Crabbe estimated the cost for one would be about $30,000.

Wotherspoon confirmed he had also spoken with Crabbe about the matter.

For the time being, Cherepuschak will be playing a waiting game until either the environment ministry announces changes to the Hunters’ and Trappers’ Guide, or Wotherspoon and Co. raise the issue in session. MLAs are set to return to the Legislature on March 2.

The pharmaceutical company Rexall estimates there are about 260 babies born in Canada each year with one of the three types of spina bifida.