The annual Youth Waterfowl clinic was held at the Clark Fork Driftyard on September 24th and was another success! Twenty six youth hunters from all over the Panhandle participated in the hunt and over 40 parents, mentors, and volunteers were there to help make it a great learning experience for the kids.
All of the hunters made it to the blind and while not everyone got a duck, most got plenty of shooting and everybody had a good time. Experienced duck hunters from the community were mentors in the blind with the kids and gave them tips on decoy setup, duck identification on the wing, and safe shooting techniques. Once they came in to camp they also got to listen to a duck and goose calling demonstration, a dog retrieval demo, and show off their ducks!
It was a great day for all involved and awesome to listen to the kids share their hunting stories. All of the youth hunters learned a lot and many were already practicing with their duck calls on the way out, getting ready for next season’s hunt!
In preparation for the Youth Hunt on September 24th, a shotgun clinic was held at the Farragut Shooting Range for any youth hunters looking to get more comfortable shooting and to practice with their shotguns. Seventeen braved the rain and wind and came down to shoot some clay pigeons and receive instruction from the Range Safety officers and other IDFG staff. The kids did amazing! Several were shooting doubles and triples by the end and all seemed to have a good time.
