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     Ussa Member Username: Ussa Post Number: 184 Registered: 03-2006 Posted From: 70.41.45.220  |
Group of kids taking part in deer hunt By Brian DeNeal Staff Writer  Stephanie Mayfield holds her five-year-old son, Jaydon. Jaydon and Brittany Zebrasky, 11, right, are both fighting a battle with brain cancer. Zebrasky is a confident hunter who has proven herself in the past and this year is hunting for a deer for Jaydon. Brian DeNeal photo CARRIER MILLS - Twelve special people are getting a rare chance to bag a deer this weekend at Sahara Woods. Brigid O'Donoghue, president and founder of United Special Sportman Alliance, for the fourth year, has brought 12 critically ill or disabled people down to Saline County's deer hotspot where there will be more skill required to get a deer than shooting fish in a barrel, but not all that much more. "When shooting, identify your target," Site Superintendent Eric McClusky said. He told the crowd of young people, friends and parents the hunting guide will call all shots and to not shoot until the guide says. He also told the parents to remain patient. "But I promise you if they don't get to take that shot, there will be another shot to take," McClusky said. He said last year's hunt was not a 100 percent success. The day was warm, sunny and breezy. But this weekend should be great for deer, though uncomfortable for humans -- rainy, chilly and ugly. The hunters will be in small blinds with about three per blind, the hunter, the guide and a parent. Illinois State Conservation Police Officer John Williamson went over the rules of the hunt for the crowd Thursday night at the Carrier Mills Municipal Building, reminding them hunting hours are dawn to dusk and to keep in mind Sunday's end of daylight savings time. Outside of those hours firearms need to be unloaded and tucked away into cases. The hunters need a complete blaze orange vest and hat even inside the blinds. The deer will be checked in at the main office of Sahara Woods as soon as possible. "But the main thing we want to do this weekend is to have fun and to have fun we have got to be safe," Williamson said. "The only thing I want to say is I welcome you. You are very welcome and we are glad to have you all," McClusky said. McClusky and about all travelers between Saline and Williamson counties should welcome the hunt. No one has legally hunted the property of Sahara Woods in years. Sahara Mine previously owned the property and the state and mine reclamation crews are slowly but surely turning it into the Sahara Woods Fish and Wildlife Area. While the land has been left alone, the only predators for the scores of deer there are vehicles traveling on Illinois Route 13. There are numerous accidents on the highway, not only in the fall when the deer are most on the move, but all year long and seemingly every day. "We encourage you to shoot does," Williamson said. Each hunter is permitted two bucks, but there are 50 permits to go around for the 12 hunters. The fewer does there are on the property, the few new deer there will be next year. "From a management standpoint, we would like to see them take does," McClusky said. While the hunt helps drivers in our area, it means a chance for the seriously ill youth to shoot a deer, take it home and feed their families. Brittany Zebrasky, 11, of Hartland, Wis., has a freezer full of meat. Her brain cancer does not keep her in the house. She has shot several deer and a bear on various hunts all over the country. "I met Brigid who sets up hunts all over and all the hunts I've been on have been awesome," Zebrasky said. She is confident in her shot. "I really love hunting and if somebody tells me I can't shoot I say, 'Set me up at a gun range.' I can shoot a bullet in the dead center of a quarter at 100 yards," Zebrasky said. She said she proved herself in New Mexico when the guides wondered if she was too small to hunt safely. She claims two bullets passed through the center of the same quarter. Zebrasky told O'Donoghue she wanted to hunt, but did not need the meat. She wanted to give the meat to another family of a child with a serious medical condition and O'Donoghue found Jaydon Mayfield, 5, Louisville, Ky. "He is the love of my life. A very nice guy, very kind. He is hyperactive like me," Zebrasky said. Mayfield will be in the blind with Zebrasky, having the hunting experience, but without firing a gun. "(O'Donoghue) said she had a little boy for me to hunt for. She told me he had a brain tumor and all. That's how I met him," Zebrasky said. Jaydon's mother, Stephanie Mayfield, said Jaydon's father was a hunter, but she needed his help battling her own breast cancer and the two are spending leisure time helping Jaydon fight his battle. Zebrasky, who explains the spelling of her name as a combination of the words "zebra" and "sky," had advice for all hunters, whether healthy or ill. "If you don't get anything, don't be upset. Just be glad you are out there hunting with your family and friends and don't get upset. Don't make a big fuss if you don't get anything. That's not what hunting is about. It's about friends and family," Zebrasky said. After the meeting to discuss the hunt and to distribute permits, Harrisburg Cub Scouts distributed pizza to the crowd. The hunt began today and ends Sunday. |
