Ducks Unlimited to Host Youth Waterfowl Hunting Clinic Aug. 15 and 16

Children 16 and under are invited to join Ducks Unlimited for a free youth waterfowl hunting clinic on Friday, Aug. 15, at 8:30 a.m. This is the seventh year for the event, and children who have been waterfowl hunting are encouraged to bring a friend who has not.

“We are passionate about duck hunting and we want to help instill that passion in future generations of hunters,” said Tim McNaboe, DU regional engineer and volunteer workshop instructor. “By teaching our youth the necessary skills for duck hunting, we hope they will take those to the field and experience the thrill for themselves.”

During the clinic, participants will learn the skills to safely enjoy waterfowl hunting. Activities include duck identification, decoy spreads, hunting gear, introduction to hunting safety, duck calling and retriever training. The first 20 (ages 9-16) to register will have the opportunity to participate in shooting training at Capital City Sporting Clays Range (12951 71st Ave. NE, Bismarck) the following day. The shooting training will include safe gun handling tips. A parent or guardian must accompany children at the shooting range and during the clinic.

The hunting clinic will be held at the DU office at 2525 River Road in Bismarck. Activities will run on Friday, Aug. 15, from 9-11:30 a.m., with sign-in beginning at 8:30. The shooting activity will have two sessions on Saturday, Aug. 16, from 8:15-10 a.m. and 10:15 a.m.-12 p.m. Registration is required for the workshop. To sign up, contact Jennifer Kross at (701) 202-8896 or jkross@ducks.org.

Also available to families with young hunters is the opportunity to check out a trailer full of decoys and blinds used to hunt waterfowl. The trailer and this year’s workshop are sponsored by DU and the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. North Dakota Game and Fish purchased the trailer with funds from the Encouraging Tomorrow’s Hunters special grant program, and Avery Outdoors donated the equipment.

By calling DU’s Bismarck office at (701) 355-3500, families with young hunters can reserve one of three equipment packages: a fully equipped trailer with goose and duck decoys for field hunting or one of two bags of floating duck decoys and marsh seats for duck hunting on a wetland.

Ducks Unlimited

Ducks Unlimited is the world's leader in wetlands and waterfowl conservation. DU got its start in 1937 during the Dust Bowl when North America’s drought-plagued waterfowl populations had plunged to unprecedented lows. Determined not to sit idly by as the continent’s waterfowl dwindled beyond recovery, a small group of sportsmen joined together to form an organization that became known as Ducks Unlimited. Its mission: habitat conservation. Thanks to decades of abiding by that single mission, Ducks Unlimited is now the world’s largest and most effective private waterfowl and wetlands conservation organization. DU is able to multilaterally deliver its work through a series of partnerships with private individuals, landowners, agencies, scientific communities and other entities.