Burning Powder – Making a Difference

May 25, 2010 In The Wild No Comments

…I spent this past Saturday at the Seward Izaak Walton League’s Youth Day at the Range…an event that is all about getting recent graduates of Hunter Education, ages 11-15 years old, out burning powder and flinging arrows…the annual event is run by local Ikes Members, Hunter Education & 4-H Instructors – and is based on 1 to 1 instruction…

Making Smoke at the Rifle Range

…the idea behind the special day is very simple - allow youngsters a chance to experience all the basic elements of the shooting arts through hands-on, live-fire ranges…this includes muzzleloading and archery which not all students have easy access to otherwise…there is no cost to participants, but each of them must bring along an adult to attend the event with them – usually Mom or Dad…

…the “bring an adult” requirement has been tremendous…somewhere in the early history of this event an instructor decided to give the adults a chance to shoot as well – this has become tradition and now each year the adults get to have some fun, too – several of which have never shot a gun or bow, either…

Straddling the Line at Archery

…now this might not sound like much but in the three years I have been involved I have witnessed a few of these parent-child teams taking their new skills home and turning it into an activity for the entire family…

…this Seward Event is great – but it is not the only opportunity for getting involved…there are various programs offered by and through the NGPC and our many partners – and we are always looking for more groups and individuals that want to make this happen in their communities…check out our website OutdoorNebraska.org