07/13/2026
“My name is Austin Kellam. I am 35 years old and was born with cerebral palsy. I have limited use of my legs and experienced a stroke at birth that affected the right side of my body.
Growing up, my parents kept me involved in adaptive sports and recreation. I’ve played soccer on crutches, gone horseback riding, parasailing, skiing with a walker, and even skydiving. I have always loved the outdoors and have never been afraid to try something new.
As you get older, it becomes harder to find organizations with experience working with adults with disabilities and the passion to create opportunities for them. After moving to Texas, hunting and fishing were two activities I wanted to experience, which led me to Disabled Outdoorsmen USA.
When I was selected for a hunting opportunity, I was nervous because I didn’t know what to expect. Before the hunt, Roy called to ask about my mobility needs and whether I needed ramps, a trigger actuator, or anything else. When we arrived at the ranch, a ramp had already been set up leading into the ranch house. Roy, Carson, Danny, and Justin made us feel welcome, and it immediately felt like a weekend away with the boys.
After spending time at the range, Carson came up with the idea to hunt from the 4x4 rather than wait in a ground blind. We found the buck, and I was able to take him on the run from about 50 yards away.
Everyone started yelling and celebrating. With all the adrenaline, I wasn’t even sure if I had hit him because he went down so fast. When we drove up to my harvest, I was overjoyed and couldn’t stop thinking about how he would look on my wall at home.
I would 100% do this again. Disabled Outdoorsmen USA opened my eyes to a whole new realm of possibilities for people with disabilities in the outdoors. The experience had such an impact on me that after the weekend, I messaged Weston to ask how I could get involved and help create these opportunities for other people like me.”
