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Operation Outdoor Freedom — No-Cost Hunts and Outdoor Events

The Florida Forest Service runs no-cost hunts and outdoor recreation events in state forests and on public and private land for Florida-resident honorably discharged veterans certified at least 30% permanently service-connected disabled, and for Military Order of the Purple Heart recipients. Active duty members with service-connected injuries are covered too. It is donation-funded through the Friends of Florida State Forests account.

Verified August 27, 2026

What this benefit is

The Florida Forest Service runs no-cost hunts and outdoor recreation events in state forests and on public and private land for Florida-resident honorably discharged veterans certified at least 30% permanently service-connected disabled, and for Military Order of the Purple Heart recipients. Active duty members with service-connected injuries are covered too. It is donation-funded through the Friends of Florida State Forests account.

What it's worth: No-cost hunts and outdoor recreation events in state forests and on public and private land

  • The routes are: at least 30% PERMANENT service-connected disability with an honorable discharge; or a Military Order of the Purple Heart recipient; or active duty with service-connected injuries.
  • The Purple Heart route carries no rating threshold.
  • The events are at no cost to the participant.
  • They take place in state forests and on both public and private land.
  • It is donation-funded through the Friends of Florida State Forests account, so availability depends on funding and on the events calendar rather than on an entitlement.
  • What it is worth is the cost of guided hunts and outdoor events, which is not published as a figure.

Who is entitled to it

  • You served in the U.S. armed forces.
  • You are on one of the routes into the programme.
  • Your rating is 30% or higher.
  • You were awarded the Purple Heart.
  • You are a Florida resident.

Not sure whether that describes you?

Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.

How to claim it

  1. 1Apply through the Florida Forest Service, which runs the programme within the agriculture department.
  2. 2Take VA certification of a 30% permanent service-connected disability, or evidence of the Purple Heart.
  3. 3If you hold the Purple Heart, apply regardless of your rating — that route has no percentage threshold.
  4. 4Expect availability to follow the events calendar and the donations that fund it. Eligibility is not a booking.
  5. 5Active duty members with service-connected injuries should ask as well — they are covered.
Form
Application to the Florida Forest Service
File with
Florida Forest Service, Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Documents you will need
va benefit summary letter
No renewal needed

Sources

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.