Webster County Sheriff Adds Another Youth Hunt

Since 2003, the Webster County Sheriff’s Office has hosted an annual youth deer hunt for a few boys from the Georgia Sheriffs’ Youth Home. The year’s event, which included hunting, fishing and skeet shooting, took place the second weekend of November.

“Mr. and Mrs. Baker Alston, of Weston, have graciously let us use their beautiful cabin in the woods to house the boys each year, and local business donations pay to feed the boys, staff and volunteers,” said Webster County Sheriff Randy Dely. “The deer are processed by local processors at no charge, and the meat is taken back to the Youth Home.”

The hunt has gained so much local traction that Mr. and Mrs. Byron Rogers, owners of the Lanahassee Plantation, in Preston, offered to host a second weekend of youth hunting. It was decided that the additional weekend would be for girls from the Georgia Sheriff’s Youth Home

“The girls enjoyed deer hunting and fishing and hanging out with all the volunteers just as much as the boys,” said Sheriff Dely.

The Georgia Sherriffs’ Youth Home has five campuses in Georgia. They are currently housing about 60 children. Children find themselves in the Youth Home because they are abused, abandoned or neglected. Some of them are orphans. Simply put, they are victims of unfortunate circumstances.

“Sheriff Dely and his staff do such a wonderful job organizing and hosting this weekend, it is a real special treat for those who are able to come up and hunt,” said Shaun Eilders with the Georgia Sheriffs Boys’ Ranch. “The children are selected on the basis of having good grades at school, good behavior at school and the Ranch, being respectful, completing their chores as expected, and having shown an interest in hunting and the outdoors. This trip is really a reward for meeting the high expectation we have for our children.”

For both camps combined, 10 kids killed eight does, one buck and one hog for an impressive 100 percent hunter-success rate.