This year’s 17th annual Junior Pheasant Hunt was again held at the Bransford Game Bird Club. This hunt, as the ones over the last 17 years, was a great success. All of the kids shot at least one bird and most limited out. As in the past several years, the young hunters met at the RV Park’s Club House before each hunt. In the morning they had the opportunity to enjoy pastries and hot chocolate before the hunt. After the morning hunt and before the afternoon hunt, the Juniors, and their parents, were served hot dogs and Gene Bohner’s World Famous Chili. Many of the kids, and their parents, stayed around for the evening’s Billy Gianquinto Waterfowl Techniques Seminar.

When I have done these reports in the past, I usually just put in the number of kids that hunted and the number of birds that they shot. This time I would like to describe what has to happen to put one of these hunts on. While the Junior Hunters are waiting in the RV Park’s Club House to go out, W.U. staff and member volunteers go out to the field and plant five pheasants, for each Junior Hunter. A hunt consists of no more than 10 Juniors, their parents and W.U. volunteers. Prior to each hunt, one of the W.U. volunteers meets with the Junior hunters, at the Club House, and gives them a safety talk and explains how the hunt is to be conducted. If youth hunters do not have a gun or have a gun that is too large for them, they are fitted with one of W.U.’s youth shotguns courtesy of a grant from the NRA 5 years ago. The group meets again out in the field near where the hunt is to be conducted. They are given a 2nd talk reaffirming safety and how the hunt is to be conducted.

The Junior Hunters are taken into the planted field where they form a line. At this point, the parents and volunteers stay behind the Juniors and let them hunt. Some of the members, staff and volunteers bring their dogs for the Juniors to hunt behind. The volunteers spread themselves along the line and make sure that the Juniors don’t walk to fast, keep their line straight and make sure that they are hunting safely.

After the group makes two passes through the field, many, if not most, of the Junior Hunters have their limit of three birds. Those that have not limited out are given the opportunity to continue to hunt in a group or they can break off and hunt on their own, under their parents supervision. The Juniors have to be out of the field by 12:00, for the morning hunt and by 5:00 for the evening hunt. The W.U. Staff and volunteers replant the field between the morning and afternoon hunts.

It takes many people to put on the Junior Pheasant. Each and everyone deserve huge thanks for their efforts, year after year, to put this Junior Pheasant Hunt on. I would like to start with Rick Copeland and his staff in the office for handling the reservations and publicity. For W.U. staff members Jerry DelGado, Jimmy Boggs and Bubba Parker for getting the pheasants and helping the volunteers plant them. For Dave and Joanne Conrad, Larry Main, Steve Pate, Dennis Corvello and Frank Schattner who helped to plant the birds and for working with the Juniors. Last, but by no means least, Mayor Gene Bohner and Assistant Mayor Carl Bersch for their help with getting the Juniors signed in and for the coffee and hot chocolate in the morning and the hot dogs and chili for lunch.

Editor’s Note: Doug Ridgway initiated the Junior pheasant hunt program seventeen years ago. He has been present at nearly everyone since. Thanks Doug.