Registration open for IDFG kids camps
Bowhunting is just one of the many skills taught during the Idaho Department of Fish and Game's ‘Learn to Hunt and Fish’ day camps. Last year's first edition of the event was wildly successful.
Courtesy of IDFG
Adventurous children unite!
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game’s (IDFG) Panhandle Region office recently announced their dates for the upcoming ‘Learn to Hunt and Fish’ day camps and registration is open.
Kids aged 10-15 will be given the opportunity to earn their hunter’s education certificate, participate in live fire activities with firearms and bowhunting equipment, learn basic outdoor survival skills, tracking, and learn the science behind the various hunting seasons.
IDFG Communications Manager T.J. Ross explained how the benefits of these camps extend way beyond just earning a hunter’s education certificate and may even prompt the kids into wanting to expand their outdoor training.
“The primary purpose of these classes is to get participants hunter education certified,” Ross said. “The additional skills gained are icing on the cake. However, we will be offering a variety of hunting and shooting sports skills classes as we move into spring and summer, so there will be plenty of opportunity for folks to engage in additional classes, should they desire. At the end of the day, we strive to create safe and ethical hunters through hunter education and serve as a resource to individuals in the public interested in learning new hunting, trapping and fishing skills – all under the umbrella of our new skills classes.”
Some of the additional classes include field dressing and skinning, and compass/orienteering, survival.
Last summer IDFG hosted their first day camp at the Farragut Shooting Range Center – every available spot was filled and the campers couldn’t stop talking about how positive the experience was.
This year, they plan on improving upon that success by adding a full day for the ins and outs of fishing.
“These day camps offer participants the opportunity for hands-on learning with a variety of skills outside the scope of a standard hunter education class,” Ross said. “Some of those skills include fishing basics, blood trailing, compass/orienteering, survival and more. Ending the class with a hunter education certificate and skills to hit the woods running is pretty unique.”
The camps cost just $9.75 per camper and are for kids aged 10-15 who have not yet earned their hunter’s education certificate yet and run from 8:30 a.m. through 4 p.m. each day.
The dates for this year’s three day camps are June 14-17, July 12-15, and August 16-19.
Registration is now open for the classes and can be found at www.idfg.idaho.gov/region/panhandle.
For more information on the day camps please contact IDFG Volunteer Services Coordinator Wendy Koons at (208) 769-1414.