NAGA News January/February 201626

C ircles within circles; ideas from ideas. We glean many ideas from each other to pass on

to other NAGA members. Our Family Fun (now Field) Day was inspired by Vern Beavers’ presentation at the 1998 NAGA convention about their community outreach event in Kansas, a great way to give back to the commu-nity, and spark an interest in outdoor activities.

As our small way to educate and inform the general population on the issue, we aimed at an outdoor event in mid-September 1998. For the first, original date, the registra-tions were abysmal. We had a grand total of four. “It’s too late,” I thought.

“They have all gone over to football.” However, we rescheduled for the second weekend of October and got 70 participants and many, many volunteers. Since then we have had a high of 250, and an average of 100.

The recall of dove hunting was the big political Issue One in Ohio that year. Many wildlife groups banded together behind keeping this newly won game season. NAGA’s current Executive Director, Rob Sexton, then managed the campaign to keep dove hunting which was called “Ohioans for Wildlife Conservation” on behalf

of the Wildlife Legislative Fund of America (WLFA), which is now the Sportsmen’s Alliance. On Election day, we won 60% - 40% and won all

88 counties in Ohio.

We pulled in favors from all the organizations we had sup-ported: Christian Bowhunters Association, Ohio Bowhunters Association, Ohio

Trapper’s Association, Ruffed Grouse, National Wild Turkey Federation, and our State Wildlife Department, among others. A speaker discussed the dove hunting issue with the group, and we established a template of seminars followed to this day.

At the time, the Fun Day was a new concept, and since then many organizations have adopted some version of youth outreach day. We eventually differentiated the name to highlight the outdoor nature of the activities, rather than just a playtime.

Family Field Day has been held for 17 straight years with a wide variety of seminars and activities. Our “Big Four” events are archery, fishing, shotgun and rifle ranges. There are at least four wildcard activities each year: orienteering, geo-caching, Ohio wildlife, rattlesnakes, tree stand safety, turkey hunting, elk hunting.

Ideas are only limited by ones imagi-nation and resources.

Grandfatherly puppet Bucksaw and handler Dan gave a great semi-

Introducing Women & Youth to the Outdoors by Peg Ballou, Elkhorn Lake Hunt Club

Giving Back with a Community Day

Anger is a stone throw

n into a wasp’s nest.

27NAGA NewsJanuary/February 2016

nar on turkey hunting for years, with both parents and kids interacting with Bucksaw as he explained safety measures while Dan’s son demon-strated down range. We have had Life Flights fly in- by choice, not necessity- and this past year our own Aviat Husky airplane graced the lawn in a simulated hunting camp.

One of our daughters loves drama, and when she is home for the event she portrays Wanna B. Bright, who isn’t very bright, and makes bad decisions while turkey hunting. She and a straight man, usually a conservation officer, have a discus-sion about safety, and later she is led away to receive a citation, which is NOT a Chevy car...

We provide a lunch for our par-ticipants and volunteers. In the early days we had bratwursts, popular in this German heritage region, and hotdogs, among other dishes for folks to try. We have simplified the menu to a one-bowl Road Kill Stew of venison, elk or other donated meat, and venison chili. The more options we give our guests, the more complicated the procedure becomes. Good whole grain bread plus Elkhorn brownies and lemonade round out

the meal.About

ten years ago we started a youth hunt sponsored by our local feed company,

Kalmbach Feeds. We limit the age to twelve to seventeen, and require hunter orange, a hunter education certificate and accompanying re-sponsible adult. In fact, all participat-ing youth are required to be escorted by an adult. Besides being the safe way to handle children, we also know that youth excited about an activity still need the oversight and funding of an adult!

We also solicit items to be given away. Those organizations we sup-port often donate extra freebees.

We have a great many publications like NSSF and NRA safety materials, Department of Natural Resources publications, and small items like flashlights, keychains, drink cozies and so on. Names written on com-

puter labels are placed on each prize with larger items like firearms drawn at lunchtime before the larger group, and the donor acknowledged. All our participants go home with a wide variety of materials all for the low registration donation. We have found there is less appreciation for an event when totally free,.

Support for any event is directly proportional to the appreciation shown, so thank you notes and sheets for our donors are laid out on tables for participants to sign. Families that have been coming for

years know the drill: sign the forms, make out a Thank you note attached to the gift, and we make sure the donor receives it.

Providing a press release and a personal invitation to the local paper and radio station serves two purpos-es- getting positive coverage of ones facility, as well as for the hunting community in general.

There is a lot of work, and one whole day of income is lost in pre-senting this activity at the club, but a future in young people is gained. Every family we influence to ap-

preciate the outdoors and partake in an outdoor activity is a tremendous gain. In the long run, it is worth it. Our participants go home tired, happy, and with good memories and family experiences. Many return again and again, and have become friends of our family and the hunt club. H

10th Bi-Annual International Pheasant Management SeminarHeld in Janesville, Wisconsin USA

March 6-9, 2016Seminar includes:• A three day intensive seminar including two afternoons of extensive tours of MacFarlane Pheasants• Hands on necropsy lab and egg breakout lab • Informational sessions led by U.S. gamebird producers • Presentation by the manager of one of the largest U.K. gamebird producers• Sessions led by university experts • Extensive networking time with gamebird producers from around the world

Contact: Sarah Pope at s.pope@pheasant.com

2821 S. U.S. Hwy 51 • Janesville, Wisconsin 53546 U.S.A.608-757-7881 • www.pheasant.com

For a complete list of seminar speakers go to www.pheasant.com/seminar