Lottery hunts yield 50 deer at Tensas
Published 12:00 am Friday, February 13, 2009
Youth and wheelchair-bound hunters bagged 50 deer during special lottery hunts held in Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge in December.
Forty youths harvested 43 deer during two separate hunts, while 14 wheelchair-bound hunters ranging in age from 14 to 65 harvested seven deer.
To assist both groups of hunters, refuge staff members and volunteers designed and built 20 hunting blinds specifically for young hunters and the physically challenged.
The blinds measured 4-by-8 feet, and were completely enclosed with windows and tin roofs.Ramps were added for the wheelchair-bound hunters.
This year marked the first year the lottery hunts took place in an area normally closed to any hunting, known as Green Lea.
The 71,217-acre refuge is about 25 miles southwest of Vicksburg, and encompasses portions of Madison, Tensas and Franklin parishes.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principle federal agency responsible for managing the Tensas River NWR, in addition to the about 560 other refuges throughout the country.