|
| News |
|
| Greene County Club Hosts Special Hunt for Kids |
| |
| By Wayne Harrell |
|
Posted Tuesday January 31 2012, 1:28 PM |
| |
|
|
Four deer were killed during this year’s youth hunt at The Oaks Club in Greene County, and all 17 of the boys and girls from John Croyle’s Big Oak Ranch youth homes had a great time during the event.
|
|
|
|
View All Images (3)
|
|
Nov. 12 was a banner day for youngsters from John Croyle’s Big Oak Ranch, which are Christian-based homes “for kids needing a chance.”
It was also a special day for the members and guests of the Oaks Club in Greene County as we hosted the seventh annual hunt for kids from the ranch. I can promise we adults got as much fun and satisfaction out of the day as any of the kids.
Even though fewer deer were killed this year than in the past, everyone enjoyed their time in the outdoors. And the question remains: How do you define success? I think it’s not in the actual numbers relating to results of any endeavor, but in the enjoyment of the pursuit and the satisfaction of the participants.
When you see a young person with a huge smile, and they give you a hug and a big thank you, you know you’re onto something special. That’s exactly what happened at our most recent Youth Hunt at The Oaks.
We had 17 youngsters, both boys and girls, all loaded with enthusiasm and excitement only a kid can possess. Several of the house dads told me once school starts in the fall, all the young hunters want to know when deer season starts and what they have to do to qualify for the trip back down to Greene County to the Oaks Club. They have to qualify by keeping their grades up, their deportment and citizenship in good standing, as well as showing good sportsmanship to their fellow students.
The day began with a welcome to all the participants and Oaks members as well as guests. A brief safety session was followed by some shooting instructions from Steve Naish and Dwight Thrasher from the Law Enforcement Section of Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. They shot .22 rifles and participated in skeet shooting with 20-gauge shotguns, as led by Tommy Atkins. Mike Sievering from Alabama’s Wildlife Section showed all the kids how to trap fur-bearing animals and demonstrated the use of different traps.
After the trip to the shooting range, a hot-dog lunch was served, gift bags were opened, and the kids were assigned stands for the afternoon hunt. The Oaks is very fortunate this year to have as a new member, a professional outdoor videographer, Donny Jones. He took one of the kids to a food plot and actually videoed him killing a nice buck. The video will be edited, and the Ranch will be able to use it in its promotions. In all, four deer were taken, and most of the participants saw deer. One of the young ladies, having never shot at a deer before, made an incredible shot when she killed her deer with a single shot at 262 yards! Man, that’s tough for anyone to do.
Again this year, we had an outstanding list of sponsors, and without their support this fantastic events for the kids couldn’t take place.
In addition to our sponsors, three local landowners took at least one of the young hunters to their property so we could spread them out more and give all a better chance at a deer. They are very much appreciated, and each of them told me they enjoyed the hunt as much or more than the kids.
For those out there who love to hunt, it’s a great sport. But, if you take the time to share it with a young person, I guarantee you’ll become a better person for it. It’s all about giving back!
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
|
|
