Deer stands used in program for young hunters are stolen

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_np=...6&u_sid=582751

LINCOLN (AP) - Fifteen deer stands used by participants in the State Game and Parks Commission's hunter-mentoring program have been stolen.

Two bowhunters and their six teen-age proteges had installed the stands - places where hunters can stand and hunt from - in August and had logged many hours hunting out of them since the deer archery season opened Sept. 15.

"Who they really hurt are the kids," said Jim Tubbs, a volunteer bowhunting mentor for the Game and Parks Commission.

Tubbs and fellow mentor Steve Woitaszewski each had been teaching three Lincoln teen-agers through the program, which is designed for young archers who have limited or no opportunities to hunt.

The group had exclusive hunting rights north of Lincoln on the former city landfill, which is otherwise closed to the public.

On Friday, the hunters discovered the stands were stolen.

"Everybody was pretty depressed," Tubbs said.

The mentors owned six of the stands; the Game and Parks Commission had received nine as donations to the program.

Some were portable platforms; others were ladder models. They are valued at $50 to $100 each.

Each stand had been chained and padlocked.

The commission has been matching young hunters with mentors since 1998. The program is open to youths between ages 12 and 18 who pass the state's bowhunter education course. There are 65 youths and 20 mentors in the program this year.

The archery season remains open through Dec. 31. The mentors said they would continue hunting on the property this season.