Youth

Fall Hunter Education 2024

The 2024 Fall Hunter Education Class was held on 8/17 and 8/18 at the St. Joe Valley Trap and Skeet Club.  Phyllis Keckler advised that there were 16 participants which was a very nice turnout.  The session was conducted by DNR Officers Bryan Beneke and Gannery Htoo and we thank them for their support.  We also extend a Thank You to the St. Joe Trap and Skeet Club for again allowing us to use their outstanding facility.  Lastly, this very important Youth program would not continue without the ongoing support of Youth Chair, Phyllis Keckler and her husband Jim.  Thank you for your continuing efforts in this area.

Spring Hunter Education 2024

The Spring Youth Hunter Education class was held on April 13th and 14th at the St. Joe Trap and Skeet Club.  We had good attendance with 15 young students and the class was very productive.  Once again, Phyllis (Youth Chair) and Jim Keckler organized and conducted the event.  A special Thank You goes to Officers Bryan Beneke and Isaac Saxton from the DNR, who provided the instruction.  We would also like to thank the St. Joe Trap and Skeet Club for again allowing us to use their excellent facility for the program.  We consider this program to be a key part of our Youth initiatives and commend Phyllis and Jim for their ongoing support.

Youth Pheasant Hunt

 2023 Youth Pheasant Hunt

The annual Youth Pheasant Hunt was held on Saturday, December 2nd at St. Joe Trap and Skeet with approximately 30 youth attending.  As usual it consisted of some instruction and practice at the trap range, before venturing into the field for some live bird action.  Following their experience in the field,  all those attending were treated to a lunch of hot dogs and homemade venison chili.

Most of those in attendance got at least one bird and we had a lot of positive comments from both the youth participants and the adults who accompanied them. Thanks to all the volunteers who make this event possible, especially Jim and Phyllis Keckler and Thom Maher who organize and manage the event.  We extend a special Thank You to the members of St. Joe Trap and Skeet who have generously shared their outstanding facilities with us for many years. We are also very appreciative of the support from the Indiana DNR.  We believe this is a valuable experience for the young hunters and will continue our sponsorship in future years.

Fall Hunter Education Class

Fall Hunter Education Class - The 2023 Hunter Education class was held September 9th at the St. Joe Trap and Skeet Club.  It was well attended with a total of 23 youth participating.  Thanks to Phyllis and Jim Keckler for organizing and overseeing this important event.  Thanks also to Indiana DNR officers who provided the instruction and St. Joe Trap and Skeet for allowing us to use their excellent facility.

Northeast Indiana Chapter 182 Youth Activities

A major priority for Chapter 182 is to introduce Youth to Conservation and Hunting, and more importantly, safe Hunting.  Each Spring and Fall we conduct a 2 day Hunter Education Class in cooperation with the Indiana DNR.  There are typically 10 to 12 participants in each class, and to date there have been forty two (42) Hunter Education sessions involving nearly 650 youth participants.

Also, from 2009 thru 2022 the Chapter conducted a Youth Dove Hunt at Pigeon River Fish & Wildlife area near Mongo, IN. To provide adequate supervision and assure everyone's safety, this hunt is limited to 14-16 young hunters each year.

For the past twenty (20) years, the Chapter has sponsored a Youth Pheasant Hunt, and this has involved over 700 young men and women. This is normally held on the first Saturday in December. There is one group of hunters in the morning and one group in the afternoon with the Chapter providing lunch for all participants. The session begins with a Safety meeting, then the young hunters go to the trap line for further instruction and practice. The final step is to actually go out in the field, and, with the assistance of advisors and dog handlers, they get to hunt real pheasants. Many thanks to the Officers and Members of the St Joe Valley Trap and Skeet Club  for making their outstanding facility available for this event.

Chapter 182 has sponsored 11 Field Days in recent years, in cooperation with the DNR, Division of Fish and Wildlife.  These Field Days are focused on habitat creation and management, and various  conservation practices.

We have also sponsored several individuals at Leupold Education Workshops in recent years and consider this an important Conservation Forum.

These are just some examples of what Chapter 182 is doing to promote youth awareness and education in the areas of hunting and habitat conversation.  This will continue to be an important priority for our Chapter.