By 
West Virginia hunter Chris Ellis finds inspiration in fellow hunter Randy Benear.
This story was originally published in the November 2023 issue of Wonderful West Virginia. To subscribe, visit wonderfulwv.com.
Written by Chris Ellis
Photography Courtesy Randy Benear
A hunter’s heart is hard to define but easy to recognize when seen. Some hunters are born with it, while others simply allow themselves to grow into the sport and lifestyle. Either way, a true hunter has the heart to get up day after day during the season, often in the pre-dawn hours, in search of the game that stirs their desire, no matter what weather Mother Nature brings or what other obstacle life throws in their way. Call it heart, passion, desire, or simply how we hunters are built, it’s the purest definition of someone who deeply cherishes living to the fullest the privilege to go afield and be immersed in the natural world—not as a visitor or spectator, but as an active participant.
I have seen others who follow their hunter’s heart. The young hunter so eager to hunt that they don’t sleep the night before; another who, no matter what the weather report is calling for, still goes out; the tenured hunter who takes a day off or volunteers the weekend to introduce a new person to the lifestyle we all cherish as people who love the outdoors—they all have one thing in common: passion for the animals, their pursuit, their environment, wildlife conservation, and giving back to the resource and sport that has provided them so much joy and happiness in their life.
Randy Benear is a prime example of a hunter who blends his passion into personal goals and a heavy workload of giving back, honoring the definition of a sportsman.
Benear has experienced many challenges following his hunter’s heart—no doubt about it. This hunting season will be his 43rd year in a wheelchair after an accident left him with a broken neck in 1980. Even so, the 58-year-old has taken his fair share of whitetails. He is an active member of the hunting community and a volunteer for many outreach programs that help special needs men, women, and children follow their own hunters’ hearts by becoming active, hands-on participants in wildlife conservation.
I have often written about the stages of a hunter’s career. This is a common topic among hunters, especially lifelong hunters like me who now are getting a little long in the tooth. These stages range from a new hunter who play an active part in wildlife conservation by filling their tags to aging hunters who give back in some small or large way to the sporting lifestyle, the critters, and the wild lands and waters that allow us this privilege. If you are lucky, you may have someone in this stage in your life or your community, someone who is willing to become a mentor or a teacher, willing to take new hunters afield.
I was reminded of these stages during a recent conversation with Benear, a man born with a true hunter’s heart who exhibits all the stages, as far as I can tell, to the fullest. He is one of the people doing good for the sport, a hunter who truly knows what it means to play an active role in our community.
A Man of Honors
Benear has served on the West Virginia Hunter Education Association’s Board of Directors for over 12 years as a district representative, committee head, and vice-president of the association, and was inducted into their Hall of Fame back in 2017. He was instrumental in getting class paperwork into the computer system for registration, making it easier to register for classes and manage class rosters and records.
Benear has helped to promote hunter education by helping out at handicap-accessible hunts, the Archery in the Schools program, youth church activities, and special events for the WVHEA. He runs a booth at the WVHEA DNR Rendezvous each year and was the person who developed the first web page for the WVHEA—the first of its kind in the United States. And he continues to offer his help.
In addition to his work in hunter’s education, Benear has been a district volunteer instructor and was named the State Volunteer Instructor of the Year. His resume is impressive, a list of coordinator positions for sportsmen’s events and hunts around the state. He has worked with WVDNR for special needs antlerless hunts and was instrumental in developing the first DNR-dedicated handicap class in Institute, with 176 students, 36 of whom were participants with special needs. For his work and talents, Benear was named the 2007 Sportsperson of the Year by WVDNR and was selected by the WV Bowhunters Association as the 2020 Bowhunter of the Year.
After a lifetime of hunting and giving back, Randy is nowhere close to being finished. In fact, he has a goal to take a Pope and Young trophy-sized whitetail buck measuring 125 inches of scorable antler, a massive challenge for any West Virginia bowhunter. If that wasn’t a big enough goal, he has his sights set on taking a black bear in his home state with a bow, a rifle, and a traditional, primitive-style muzzleloader—a black powder rifle with a flintlock or percussion cap action.
Passion is hard to measure on a scale. You can’t buy it over the counter or teach it to someone who is not interested. It lies deep within who you are: a hunter. After a conversation with Benear, it is obvious that he loves to share his passion with others in our state. As far as his goals to take a trophy whitetail and a bear with a bow, a rifle, and a traditional muzzleloader—my money is on him simply because he has accepted the challenge. I’ve seen his heart, and so have many others. And for that, we, as hunters, should all give thanks.
By 
