Every hunter dreams of bagging the big one. For Mary Kate Byrne, Sam Tuminello, Caitlin Huffines and Claire Kenda, their hunting dreams came true Sunday afternoon.

The four St. Mary’s Catholic Youth Organization members were scouring the streets of Natchez during the youth group’s scavenger hunt collecting items to send to the troops in Iraq.

Four teams went from door to door Sunday requesting donations from toothbrushes and toothpaste to playing cards and Frisbees.

Each item the teams collected added to their total score. Some items like snacks added five points. Others, like dental floss added 10 points.

With one knock of the door, Byrne, Tuminello, Huffines and Kenda had the winning trophy in sight &045; 29 bottles of sunscreen. That and 66 bars of soap far outdistanced their competitors with a total score of 900 points.

For other teams, the big one eluded them. But the hunt was still fun.

Meagan McCalip, Kirby Richard, Madeline Jeansonne and Lindsay Pennington piled into their vehicle in hopes of a win Sunday.

Things started slowly for the four. What began as a can of Spam and a few bars of soap ended up as three armloads of items ranging from stamps and envelopes to Girl Scout cookies and powdered drink mix.

&uot;We wanted to give them a little gift from home,&uot; said Jennie Guido, president of the group.

In all, the youth covered four 8-foot long tables with items that will be boxed up and sent to soldiers of the church, Guido said.

&uot;We want the troops to know that there are still people at home thinking about them,&uot; CYO member Bo Myles said.

&uot;Just not the first week of the war,&uot; Kenda added.