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Area youth get chance to go hunting
Greene County law enforcement officers picked up six boys after school last Friday -- and took them hunting for the weekend.
Worthington Deputy Marshal Don Richardson said the "Greene County Law Enforcement Youth Hunt," operating under the auspices of the local FOP, gives several kids the opportunity to go on a hunting trip twice a year.
"We pick them up on Friday and keep them for the weekend," said Richardson. "In the spring, we go on a turkey hunt and in the fall, a deer hunt."
Richardson credits Indiana Conservation Officer Steve Haynes with starting the hunt in 2006. Since Haynes moved out of the area, Richardson has continued to work on organizing the hunts with his wife, Sherry Markle-Richardson, who is a dispatcher at the Greene County Sheriff's Department.
Applications, available in school counseling offices, are accepted from those who want to go and sometime school counselors make recommendations.
"We take kids that don't get a chance to go hunting. They're generally 11-15 years old and they come from all over the county," said Richardson. "These are not necessarily 'disadvantaged' kids, and they're not troublemakers -- we don't take troublemakers. These are kids who we think would benefit from the chance to go hunting and spend a weekend with officers."
Once the hunting party has assembled on Friday afternoon, the young hunters are given some firearm safety training, get chances to practice shooting, have dinner together with officers and then they all settle in together in a cabin for the night.
Each child is paired with an officer for the hunt and they share the officer's firearm. They hunt all day on Saturday and on Sunday morning, but all gather back together for meals.
Six young hunters were taken this spring but they have taken as many as 10.
The kids who participated over the weekend, and the schools they attend, included: Brent Dunn, Linton; Scott Wheeler, White River Valley; Rusty Bickel, Shakamak; Dorian Conklin, Calvary Christian; Austin Bond, Bloomfield; and William Holder, homeschool.
Officers recognized for their participation in the hunts included: Richardson; Cpl. Chad Crynes, Cpl. Paul F. Clark II, Det. Josh Goodman, Officer Heath Murray and Reserve Officer Kent Medlock, all from the Linton Police Department; Deputy Jeremy Inman of the Greene County Sheriff's Department who serves as the FOP president; Sgt. Kevin Hobson of the Indiana State Police; Conservation Officer Blaine Gillan of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources; and Greene County Prosecutor Jarrod Holtsclaw.
The hunt is made possible by donations which covers the cost of boots or any other gear the kids need.
"We raffle off a shotgun every year to help pay for this, and we want to thank every business and individual who gave a donation -- too many to list but they know who they are," said Richardson. "We also thank Don and Greg Wile for the use of their property and cabin."
The group has room to spread out over 1,600 acres on the Wile property.
"Last year three turkeys were taken, four the year before, and at least one deer has been taken every year in the fall hunts," said Richardson. "But this is not just about hunting. The main thing, this not only gets the kids out into the woods, but it gives them a chance to spend time with and be friends with the officers."
For more information about future hunts or to make a tax-deductible donation, contact Richardson at the Worthington Police Department, 875-2424, or Markle-Richardson at the Greene County Sheriff's Department, 384-4422.