Youth introduced to hunt with fathers

Special to theNews-Standard

The East Texas Chapter of Blast & Cast Men’s Ministries hosted a youth hunt on private properties located in Trinity and Houston counties January 12-14, the second youth hunt in the 2023-2024 deer season.

Eight boys and their fathers attended, and many of the boys were able to experience their first deer hunt under the supervision of experienced chaperones.

Trinity County Game Warden Anthony King and Houston County Game Warden Eddie Lehr both volunteered for the event. The boys were able to take pictures with the wardens, and Warden Lehr helped ensure that the boys understood the rules and regulations for hunting white-tailed deer in East Texas.

King even made time to volunteer as a chaperone at the event and enjoyed a day in the blind with a lucky father and son.

The opening orientation, safety briefing and dinner was attended by 45 members of the local community, with area landowners and numerous volunteers on site to support the boys and their fathers.

The following morning was quite cold with temperatures in the mid-20s, and it seems the local deer preferred the warmth of their bedding areas. The hunting was slow in the cold weather, but the boys harvested three deer and a feral hog while learning about sustainable and ethical wildlife management practices.

As a special treat, participants were able to witness a public baptism. Kenneth Pichotta, a deer hunter in Trinity County who was present as a volunteer at the event, made a public profession of his faith in Jesus and was baptized in a stock tank at the ranch on Saturday afternoon. After the frigid morning temperatures, it was a very bold and extremely cold statement that the event participants will not soon forget. It was also a great reminder that while the kids benefit from the hunting opportunity, it is usually the fathers and the volunteers who get the most out of the evening devotions and fellowship offered through the ministry.

Special thanks go out to Dwight Pyle, Scott Williams, and Ben Jones for allowing the boys to hunt on their land, and to the many volunteers who helped put the event together.

Blast & Cast Men’s Ministries is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to pointing outdoorsmen to the cross. Follow them on Facebook to catch new weekend events, videos, outdoor devotions, and more. Applications for next year’s youth hunts will be available on their website, www.blastandcast.org, sometime next summer.

A duck decoy carving clinic, a clay shoot, and numerous fishing events will be open for registration soon. If you would like to get involved as a volunteer or a landowner, please e-mail [email protected] for more information.