Youth Waterfowl Day ’06

Even though the general waterfowl season is still a couple of weeks away for most of us adult hunters, yesterday was the opening of waterfowl season here in Minnesota for youths aged 15 years and under. For just one special day each fall the youngsters are able to trek into the marsh for a one-day hunt if they are mentored by an adult (who is non-hunting). The program, called Youth Waterfowl Day, was first instituted to grow more interest in the sport of waterfowl hunting by youth who experts reason must develop the tradition early in life to become life-long hunters.

The 2006 season started off in the morning quite dark and wet with storms passing through, but that didn’t seem to dampen the spirits of these kids as they were just happy to be out participating in the special youth hunt. Even Sally, the new yellow lab pup, got to experience some real-life action for the first time which was great to see. Indeed, opportunities like this are priceless as the focus is on the kids (and dogs) to learn to become better hunters with experienced, patient adults overseeing and providing the critical mentorship that will no doubt help develop these young hunters. Take a closer look at the photos and observe the smiles:

YWD2