Award-Winning JAKES Day, Mentored Hunt Sees 24th Year
Maryland’s NWTF Monocacy Valley Chapter is known to be an R3 (recruit, retain, reactivate) powerhouse, hosting an annual enriching event for local youth.
It’s not uncommon for the local NWTF Monocacy Valley chapter to see over 100 youth show up for its Annual JAKES Day, and for the event’s 24th year, it was no different, with 108 kids arriving from across the state for a day of learning about the outdoors, conservation and drawing for a chance to go on a spring mentored turkey hunt.
The day kicked off with a morning of trout fishing in a pond stocked for the event. At lunch, all youth received a turkey call. And after everyone was filled up on burgers and hotdogs and got to yelp on their turkey calls for a bit, the youth were divided into smaller groups and rotated through five stations: woods walk, shotgun patterning, archery, bird dog demonstrations and turkey calling.
“These stations are designed to teach woodsmanship, turkey hunting strategies, conservation and the importance of knowing your equipment and taking ethical shots,” said Russ Leith NWTF Monocacy Valley Chapter president. “We really strive to bridge the gap to turning these kids into lifelong hunters and conservationists. That is why we follow up this event with the opportunity to hunt.”
After a day full of smiles and learning, chapter volunteers held a drawing to see who would get the opportunity to participate in the chapter’s mentored turkey hunt, which was held just recently on Maryland’s youth day.
“We took 30 kids out hunting this year, 16 of them first timers,” Leith said. “Twelve harvested birds, seven of which were first-time turkeys!”
The chapter and its mentors are known for building relationships with the family of mentees through their JAKES Day event, which has led chapter mentors to taking not just the kids, but the whole family afield for deer and waterfowl hunts.
“There’s a reason we’ve been doing this event for so long; it does what it is designed to do, create lifelong hunters,” said Lee Jernigan, Monocacy Valley Chapter vice president. “We look forward to this event every year, and there are no plans to slow down.”
The local Monocacy Valley Chapter has received national recognition for its JAKES Day event over the years, including receiving its third R3 Award this year at NWTF’s 2023 National Convention and Sport Show.
Established in 1981, the NWTF’s JAKES program is dedicated to informing, educating and involving youth 17 and younger in wildlife conservation and the wise stewardship of our natural resources. JAKES events help pass on the traditions of responsible hunting, teach the principles of habitat management, hunting ethics and safety.
For $10 a year, JAKES receive a year subscription to JAKES Country magazine (four issues), a chance to win a hunt of a lifetime and a membership card.
In addition to JAKES Day events, NWTF chapters across the country host various events that engage youth in the outdoors, including mentored hunts for a variety of game species.