November 2005
UNION SPRINGS DEER HUNT TO BENEFIT CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

World-Class Hunting, Old South Charm are Just a Hunt Away by Jaine Treadwell     Kyle Curington, asst. manager of Bonnie Plant Farm, is sitting on a 350 lb. boar hog with 3-inch cutter. The hog was bayed up with his hog dogs and killed by his hunting partner Clifford Dawson. The Conecuh River begins its meander through South Alabama near the little town of Union Springs in Bullock County. So, when Bullock Memorial School closed its doors about five years ago and its board of directors agreed to donate its facility to First Baptist Church, the church deacons took that into consideration. They aptly named the school "Conecuh" for the River, "Springs" for the town, and "Christian" for its purpose and commitment. Kyle Curington, vice chair of the board of directors of Conecuh Springs Christian School, said First Baptist Church of Union then graciously and generously donated the facility to a dream. "First Baptist had a Christian daycare program and wanted to expand but was limited," Curington said. "A K-12 Christian school was a dream for a lot of people in our area. When Bullock Memorial’s board of directors gave all of its existing facility, about a quarter million dollars, to the church,  we began to realize that dream." The church donated the facility to the board of directors of the aspiring Conecuh Springs Christian School and the dream became reality. In the spring of 2005, Conecuh Springs Christian School graduated its first class — three seniors. "All three of them had been with us since the school opened four years ago," Curington said. "We are beginning our fifth year and we have 60-plus students. We are growing and people are beginning to believe that the school will be here. As that happens, we expect our school to continue to grow." Curington emphasized that Conecuh Springs is not a private school. It is a Christian school. "We are a non-profit organization and we are an interdenominational school," he said. "We are Christian based and we have a faculty of strong and outstanding teachers. We are here to stay."   This deer mount, hanging on Adam Dawson’s den wall, represents a sample of the hunting available in the Bullock County area. Dawson is the son-in-law of Kyle Curington.   However, operating a school of any kind is a rather expensive venture. Tuition alone will not pay all the bills. But the board and parents of Conecuh Springs are finding ways. "We must have outside fundraising events to bring in the revenue that we need," Curington said. "Union Springs is noted for its field trials and we do lunches for those. We also have an October Fest and  several barbecues. Now, we are tying something new for us, but something that has been successful at other schools : a deer hunt." The Conecuh Springs Christian School Deer Hunt is set for the weekend of Jan. 19, 20 and 21. Bullock County is known for its deer hunting. The 2004 deer population in Alabama was 1.8 million.  Bullock County is one of the top three trophy buck areas in the state. "Local private landowners have donated their time and property to our cause," Curington said.  "The majority of tracts are under QDM (Quality Deer Management). Low hunting pressure and high quality deer give our hunters great opportunities to harvest trophy deer. Space is limited  and only 25 hunters will be accepted — so it’s important for hunters to make their reservations early. "We realize that schools with established hunts attract 100 or more hunters but we didn’t expect to explode with our first hunt. We are content to start small and grow." Even though the organizers of the hunt can’t guarantee a trophy deer for the hunters, they can guarantee good hunting opportunities. "Our hunt is planned for the last week of deer season when the deer will be in full rut and that will make for good hunting. And, they will be hunting off grain plots, in creek bottoms and hardwood bottoms, so the chance of getting a big deer is good." In addition, the Conecuh Springs Christian School Deer Hunt offers something that many other hunts can’t – wild hogs. "We have a large wild hog population in our area and some of the land owners will offer hunters the chance to shoot one of those," Curington said. "I’m a wild hog hunter myself and I know a lot of hunters would like to take a hog home. They are mighty good meat." The Conecuh Springs Christian School Deer Hunt offers hunters a great weekend of fully insured deer hunting with a one rack buck and three doe limit and with, perhaps, a chance to bag a wild hog on the side. The cost of the total package is $750 and includes fully guided full-day hunts on Friday and Saturday with transportation and field care of game, continental breakfast and lunch on Friday and Saturday, a barbecue cookout on Thursday night and a steak cookout on Friday night. An advance payment of $400 is required to hold a reservation with remaining balance due by January 1, 2006. Children must be accompanied by an adult. The cost for non-hunting children under 12 is $100. There will be a mandatory orientation for hunters on Thursday night. All hunters are required to provide a rifle or bow, large cooler for deer storage, Alabama hunting license, proper clothing, lodging and transportation to Union Springs, which is just 40 minutes from Montgomery and three hours from Atlanta. Air transportation facilities are only 45 miles away. For more information, call 334-202-3454 or visit the Conecuh Springs Christian School Deer Hunt website at www.conecuhsprings.com. Jaine Treadwell is a freelance writer from Brundidge.