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On Sat. (10/14) my local chapter of Pheasants Forever (Logan Creek, in Nebraska) will be holding our second Youth/Mentor Hunt in cooperation with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Last years event went very well, and we hope things run as smoothly this year. The event is supposed to be set up for youth that otherwise would have limited chances of hunting, such as those living with single moms, non-hunting families, etc., you know, kids that have an interest, but nobody to help them develop it. Looks like we again will have about 20 kids.
The only real requirement is that the kids must have passed the NE Hunter Safety course (by regulations of G&P), we will even supply the shotguns for them to use if they need one.
The event will start off at the local Isaac Walton League clubhouse with donuts and coffee/hot chocolate and introductions, splitting up into small groups, pairing kids with a mentor, etc. Then we will give the short presentations on wildlife habitat (by a G&P rep), gun care, dog care, communicating with landowners - asking permission, and a couple of other topics, always emphasizing safety. The kids will rotate through these in small groups and then be allowed to shoot some blue rocks with the either the gun they bring (after an inspection by one of us) or use one of the 5 youth model 20 g. 870s that we purchased last year. During this time we will give the kids any help, shooting tips we can and try to help them break a few rocks.
After the informal trap shoot we split up into pairs of youth/mentor and head for the field to join up with the dog handlers. In the field at any one time there will be 2 kids and their mentors, and 2 dogs and handlers. There will be birds provided by G&P, and planted by one of their guys and PF members just shortly before each group. (The land were the hunt is taking place is a 1/4 section farm owned by an old bachelor, on his death it will go to G&P and has for the last several years been pretty much under control of our chapter. It has had the habitat developed with various types of cover - tall grass, windbreaks, foodplots, etc. and does have a high population of wild birds, we just want to increase the odds of some of the kids getting a bird.) We will rotate 8 dogs through the different fields, (using only shorthairs and other pointing breeds rather than flushers to try and keep more control of the situations and hopefully get the kids into shooting positions, emphasizing safety and awareness.)
After the hunt, we will have (hopefully) a short presentation on game prep/care and then lunch.
The following weekend, the youth only pheasant season opens, and hopefully some of our members will get with some of the kids and take them out again as this may be one of the few times the kids get the chance, not to mention one of the few times that we get the chance to make a difference in a kids life, countering all of the b.s. spewed forth by the media on the evils of guns, the cruelty of hunting and all of the other garbage the various anti groups are putting out.
bergie
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