Local NWTF and Delta Waterfowl Chapters Host Youth Event
OutdoorHub 02.11.13
The Union County Limbhangers chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) welcomed kids from Arkansas and Louisiana age 17 and under to a JAKES Take Aim field day event chocked full of outdoor activities for all ages. The event was held on Saturday February 9th at The Malloy Sportsman’s Club in El Dorado, AR.
The field day provided opportunities for kids to experience the outdoors through hands-on events, education, fellowship and family fun. Those attending the JAKES event learned about duck and turkey calling from Kelly Haydel with Haydel Game Calls and built approximately 100 wood duck nesting boxes. Meanwhile, other kids chose to participate in bb gun shooting as well as compete in a trap shooting tournament and learn about firearm safety.
“This is the first year that we have held the JAKES event in El Dorado” Said NWTF Regional Director Corey Dunn. “Having the trap shooting range at the Malloy Sportsman Club and the other facilities there made it a near perfect fit for introducing kids to shooting sports and teaching them about wildlife conservation all while having fun.”
Events like the Union County Limbhangers JAKES event are part of the NWTF’s JAKES (Juniors Acquiring Knowledge, Ethics and Sportsmanship) program and are held throughout the country. The JAKES program teaches the principles of wildlife management and safe, ethical and responsible hunting to youth up to age 12. Xtreme JAKES is designed for teens 13 to 17 years old, and provides opportunities and challenges more in-line with older JAKES members’ abilities and experiences. Hands-on activities during JAKES/Xtreme JAKES events across North America include fishing, archery, hiking, mountain biking and game calling, as well as instruction on hunting, conservation, the wild turkey and more.
The NWTF is a national nonprofit conservation organization that was founded in 1973 and has worked with wildlife agencies to restore wild turkey populations across the US. Now, NWTF’s volunteers raise funds and work to improve critical wildlife habitat, increase access to public hunting land and introduce new people to the outdoors. JAKES events like these could not happen without generous donations and fundraising efforts such as the Union County Limbhangers Hunting Heratige banquet that will be held on March 30th, 2013 at the American Legion in El Dorado.
