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Jesse's Hunting > Hunting Articles > The Diana Factor (Women in the Field) > Teaching the Next Generation at Woodie Youth Camp
Teaching the Next Generation at Woodie Youth Camp
Heather Reddemann - JHO ProStaff
- MN
August 24, 2005
Educating today’s youth about all aspects of the outdoors and sportsmanship ensures that our next generation will become well-rounded hunters and conservationists… aware of all the factors that affect the habitat and populations.
Duck Banding and Friendship
Summer camp has always been about making new friends, but at Woodie Youth Camp, attendees also participated in activities such as duck banding. |
The 17th Annual Minnesota Waterfowl Association’s Woodie Youth Camp was held August 14th through the 20th at the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. Girls and boys from across the nation participated in the only focused, directed waterfowling camp in the country.
The PWLC has 325 acres of both native unbroken and restored prairie, over twenty wetlands, and an oak savannah as its learning facility. It is the perfect backdrop for kids to learn how important waterfowl and wetland conservation truly is. Unlike most other summer camps, Woodie Youth Camp campers can wake up before the sun, set up in a goose decoy spread to practice calling before breakfast, and spend the majority of each day in the outdoors.
For these seven days the campers learned all of the important aspects of becoming true, all-around ethical hunters. Classes extended from duck and goose calling, to law and ethics, to studies of wetland invertebrates, and a veritable smorgasbord of other topics. The kids were eager to participate and practice what they had learned throughout the week.
Teach them right
Volunteer instructors taught campers everything from shooting skills to wildlife biology and ecology. |
Steph Pinkalla from the Twin Cities in Minnesota said of the camp, “I was really happy the way we were treated as equals and how we were expected the same effort as the guys. It was nice to meet other kids the same age who enjoy the same interests like hunting.”
The camp is free, but applicants must submit a written essay to attend. Only about forty campers are chosen each year. The small number of attendees allows each camper to receive individual help and thorough education. All campers are from age 13-15 years of age and must have their firearm safety certificate. This camp is funded by the support of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Fergus Falls Fish and Game Club, Montgomery Sportsmens Club, MWA’s local chapters, and charitable gambling locations. Instructors from all around the state donate an entire week to focus on a wide variety yet specific areas of waterfowling.
Each camper can only attend the Woodie Youth Camp once, as it is an introduction to all aspects of waterfowl hunting. In this writer’s opinion, this is a camp one will never forget. Its importance to the future shouldn’t be underestimated either. The campers learn how to make a daily effort toward restoring and preserving the natural resources that are so valuable to hunters and non-hunters alike.
The campers were divided into four separate groups: Mallards, Redheads, Canvasbacks and the Blue Winged Teal. Each group took classes all week, sharpening their skills and learning a lot. At the end of the week campers competed in shooting, goose and duck calling, game preparation and cooking, waterfowl identification, a Woodie Camp test and an individual decoy painting contest.
According to Courtney Evavold, a young lady from Dalton, Minnesota, “it was really fun learning more about the ducks and their habitat and the individual one-on-one help that was available made it easy to pick up on the duck and goose calling.”
Parents came the last day for a luncheon and slide presentation of the past week’s events before heading home with their children. The campers received special awards and certificates for completing Woodie Camp successfully. As a highlight of this last day, the participants voted on the one camper who they would most like to take hunting. That award was presented to Jay VonBank from Minnesota.
This year, I was lucky enough to be a counselor at Woodie Camp. One of my fondest memories of Woodie Camp was the duck banding we did one early morning. It was a great experience for me, and was great to watch the kids handle the duck and release the ducks safely. I was amazed by the effort, knowledge, skills and compassion that was given by the entire staff and volunteers. Brad Nylin and Teresa Rondeau were the Camp Directors, who made sure everything ran smoothly. They have put together a fantastic youth program.
I am looking forward to attending again as a counselor next year. You can’t put a price on education, and Woodie Camp is all about educating those who it will benefit in the future and make a difference in the life of each and every individual who attends.
To learn more information on Woodie Camp you can go online to: http://www.mnwaterfowl.com/sitepages/pid44.php
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