Tioga County (PA) Youth Field Day 8/22/09.

[Adam Helmer]

Yesterday we had 147 kids ages 8-14 and a parent or guardian rotate through 10 stations at the Ives Run Recreation Area. They had 30 minutes per station at Archery, Turkey Calling, Orienteering, Boating Safety, Fishing, Trapping, Shotgun, .22 Rifle, Wildlife Identification and Black Powder. It was my 10th year on BP and the kids shot flinters, caplocks and an inline at balloons 50 feet away stapled to a long target board.

Several of the kids told me they remembered me from the prior years. Another lad told me "black powder was the best station of all." After the kids shot a few rounds, the parents were invited to shoot a smoke pole and most did. Many of the parents were women who never shot a gun before and most broke a balloon. I find the day very rewarding because all the kids will one day be voters and we get to give a positive side of firearms. This YFD event marks the end of Summer for me. It is a long day for the 45+ volunteers. The kids attend the event for free and we give them a free camo hat, a shirt with the YFD logo, turkey calls and an appreciation of firearms and the outdoors. We are limited to a maximum of 150 kids at the Corps of Engineers campground due to space, time and volunteers.

The flintlock was the most popular BP arm. One lady watched me load and prime my .50 T/C Hawken before she fired it. She asked, "Do you have to do all that stuff just to get off ONE shot?" I said, "Yep, just like Daniel Boone and our Revolutionary War soldiers did."

Adam