Young people up to 18 years old and their parents are invited to enjoy a day of outdoor fun at the Kelley Complex on the campus of West Virginia University Potomac State College.
The Tink Smith Collegiate Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), at Potomac State College, the only collegiate chapter in West Virginia, will host their second annual Catamount JAKES Showcase on January 27th from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free; however, lunch items will be sold at the event.
“This is an opportunity for kids to get away from their cell phones and iPads for a day and discover how exciting the outdoors can be, even if it is the middle of winter,” said Zack Liller, chapter president. “It’s also a great time for kids to connect with their parents or grandparents by doing hands-on activities they both enjoy.”
Supervised activities and seminars will include (subject to availability): turkey calling, archery, fly fishing and fly tying, water safety, scavenger hunt, trapping demonstration, predator calling, natural resource law enforcement, turkey hunting safety and NWTF JAKES Take Aim Air Rifle Range. JAKES, which stands for Juniors Acquiring Knowledge, Ethics and Sportsmanship, conveys the NWTF’s dedication to educating the next generation of smart, ethical hunters.
Local and state NWTF chapters host thousands of similar events nationwide each year in order to introduce the nation’s youth to the outdoors through the JAKES (for 12 and younger) and Xtreme JAKES (13 to 17) Hunting Heritage programs.
Many families enjoy hunting together and pass traditions on from one generation to another. Hunting is also important for the health of our nation’s wildlife and habitat because hunters fund conservation, contributing $2 billion to the American economy each spring.