Their Hunt.
Our Honor.
The land was always meant for this.
We bought the original 1,100 acres in 2018. In 2020, we added another 400. In 2025, we picked up the final tract to bring Buck Lake to 1,600 conserved acres of mostly contiguous land here in Middle Tennessee. From day one, the goal was a place we could open up to the people who deserve it most.
Most of the people we host have been away from their families for too long. Veterans on deployment. Kids in treatment. First responders running on fumes. Buck Lake Outdoors creates a weekend where they can be in the woods together. Every hunt is fully guided, fully outfitted, and free of charge. Travel, lodging, meals, gear, and processing. All of it.
It's a small operation, run almost entirely by volunteers, funded by donors. It works because of the people who give what they have. Weekends. Gear. Sweat equity. Skills and talents. Gas money. Whatever they've got to give.
Three groups. One open gate.
Veterans & First Responders
Combat-wounded service members, police, firefighters, EMS, and others injured in the line of duty. Bring your kid or grandkid. We've been hosting these hunts for five years through our partnerships with Hero Hunt and Cross the Divide.
Special Needs Guests
Children and adults with physical, developmental, or cognitive disabilities. Wheelchair-accessible blinds, adaptive equipment, and patient guides who love the work. Caretakers, parents, and family are always welcome on the property.
Critically Ill Children
Kids facing serious illness, hosted alongside their parents or caretakers for a weekend away from treatment. We've partnered with United Special Sportsman Alliance for three years to coordinate youth hunts during youth season.
Sixteen hundred acres, held in trust.
Flat to gently rolling hills, hardwoods, and open food plots. Whitetail, turkey, and predator hunts on land. Bass and bream on an 80-acre lake. The property is under conservation easement, which means it stays undeveloped in perpetuity. We work closely with the TWRA, USDA/NRCS, US Fish & Wildlife Service, and Quail Forever on deer herd management, turkey population, and lake habitat.
A 3 a.m. drive, and a buck by sundown.
Brayden Wilcox had been in his 28-day immunotherapy infusion at Vanderbilt. His family had been planning the hunt with Buck Lake for weeks. Then on Thursday night, two days before the trip, a hiccup in his treatment landed him back at Vandy.
He was discharged at 10:30 Friday night. They came home, packed the truck, and his dad Wil pulled out of the driveway at 3 a.m. Saturday morning headed for Buck Lake.
His mom Charlie didn't hear a thing until 5 that afternoon. A spotty text came through. Brayden had taken his first buck.
They got home around 7:30. Both Wil and Brayden were exhausted and over the moon. By 11 p.m. that night, Charlie had both deer broken down, quartered, and in the freezer. The buck's head was wrapped and set aside for Wilson's Wildlife Artistry — Buck Lake's guides had offered to mount it.
It takes a lot of good people to keep the gate open.
If you fit one of these descriptions, the gate is open.
Buck Lake Outdoors works through three partner organizations to host hunts. Choose the one that fits you and we'll handle the rest. There's no cost to you, ever. Travel can be covered when needed.
- Veterans & First Responders Apply through Hero Hunt →
- Special Needs Guests Apply through Buck Lake Outdoors →
- Critically Ill Children Apply through USA Childs Wish →