Shooting Sports and Conservation: Keys to Promoting our Outdoor Heritage.

The Union County Limbhangers chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) and the Riverbottom Chapter of Delta Waterfowl will be hosting a JAKES/Canvasback Club field day full of outdoor activities Saturday, February 9th at the Malloy Sportsmens Club in El Dorado, AR

The field day will provide opportunities for youth to experience the outdoors through hands-on events, education, fellowship and family fun. Those attending the JAKES field day will learn about Safe Firearms Handling and have a chance to hone their shooting skills during a Trap shooting tournament. While admission is free, there will be a $15 fee to enter the tournament. In addition, the NWTF Jakes Take Aim BB gun range will be open to everyone.

The event will also focus on conservation and outdoor recreation, with expert instructors like Kelly Haydel from Haydel Game Calls. Kelly will be teaching a duck and turkey Calling seminar beginning at 11:00. By teaching important outdoor skills and lessons in wildlife management tied into a strong family-values theme and an emphasis on fun, the events keep kids interested while learning.

“Wood Ducks usually begin to nest in February” said T.J. Wilson, Chair of Union County Limb hangars. “With the help of the River bottom Chapter of Delta Waterfowl and the kids that participate, we hope to complete 100 wood duck boxes which will be installed in the south Arkansas area as soon as possible in order to take advantage of this critical nesting period.”

“I’m pretty pumped about this event. I think this, and events like this, that to allow kids to get away from their video games and violent movies and back into the outdoors are critical to passing on our southern roots” said Riverbank Products Owner and NWTF Comitte member Chris Porter. “This event will teach kids to ‘get up and go’ and to share an interest in something bigger than themselves like helping others, friendly competition, and wildlife conservation in a fun, safe environment.”

The NWTF’s JAKES program (Juniors Acquiring Knowledge, Ethics and Sportsmanship) teaches the principles of wildlife management and safe, ethical and responsible hunting to youth up to age 17. Hands-on activities during JAKES events across North America include fishing, shooting sports, hiking, mountain biking and game calling, as well as instruction on hunting, conservation, the wild turkey and more.

National Wild Turkey Federation

The National Wild Turkey Federation is the leader in upland wildlife habitat conservation in North America. The NWTF is a nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving the wild turkey and preserving our hunting heritage.

Through dynamic partnerships with state, federal and provincial wildlife agencies, the NWTF and its members have helped restore wild turkey populations throughout North America, spending more than $331 million to conserve nearly 16 million acres of habitat. Wild turkeys and hundreds of other species of upland wildlife, including quail, deer, grouse, pheasant and songbirds, benefit from this improved habitat.

The NWTF also brings new conservationists and hunters into the fold through outdoor education events and its Women in the Outdoors, Wheelin' Sportsmen, JAKES and Xtreme JAKES youth outreach programs. Our dedicated NWTF volunteers introduce about 100,000 people to the outdoors through these programs every year.

Founded in 1973, the NWTF is headquartered in Edgefield, S.C., and has local chapters in every state and Canada. According to many state and federal agencies, the restoration of the wild turkey is arguably the greatest conservation success story in North America's wildlife history.