Last year, I had the honor of heading up to the Marvin Robbins Memorial Juniors Turkey Hunting Camp which was hosted by the National Wild Turkey Federation. At the camp last year, I was able to see first hand how the National Wild Turkey Federation partnered with multiple other organizations like the Arizona Game and Fish, Arizona Elk Society, The Phoenix Varmit Callers, and many more, to provide a positive and safe learning environment for young hunters just entering the world of turkey hunting.

Since last year was such a positive experience for me as a mentor hunter, I jumped at the chance to help out again. Rich Williams of the Arizona Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, pours his heart and soul into the Marvin Robbins Memorial Juniors Turkey Hunting camp. The camp provides the youth hunter and an accompanying adult (free of charge):

• A mentor hunter
• Free food (courtesy of the Arizona Elk Society)
• Several seminars on turkey hunting and other outdoor skills
• Prizes for each youth hunter in camp
• A fully equipped archery range

The Arizona Game and Fish Department has been working with the species specific organizations (like NWTF, Arizona Elk Society, etc.) to help create camps that pass on the heritage of hunting to the next generation. The AZGFD has a full list of the mentored hunting camps that serve not only youth hunters, but adults as well. They can be found on the Outdoor Skills page of the AZGFD website

I was able to head out with a father and his two sons on Saturday, and we were able to get into some gobbling early on Saturday morning. Although we were never able to seal the deal on the birds, several other youth hunters were successful over the weekend. Being a part of something like the Marvin Robbins Memorial Juniors Turkey Hunting camp is extremely for me as an outdoorsman. Between the camaraderie of camp and the passing on of the hunting heritage, I look forward to participating with the National Wild Turkey Federation Juniors Camp for many years to come.

The post Arizona Turkey Hunting: NWTF Juniors Turkey Camp appeared first on Arizona Wanderings.

The weekend of June 30, I had the opportunity to head to the high country of Arizona and participate in the Hunting and Angling Heritage Workgroup for the second time. The winter meeting was a great opportunity to get introduced to many of the members of the HAHWG, and I was extremely excited by what this group of outdoorsman was doing. The HAHWG’s goal is “to gather leaders in the industry, conservation groups, youth groups and wildlife management professionals to synergistically preserve the hunting angling tradition.” The workgroup is organized by the Arizona Game and Fish Department in coordination with a steering committee. Craig McMullen and Doug Burt of AZGFD do a fantastic job of orchestrating the event, and the special speakers and group discussions were genuine.

The long and short of the Hunting and Angling Heritage workgroup is this: Outdoorsman – hunters, anglers, trappers, etc. – have a vested interest in passing on the heritage of these outdoor activities to the next generation. The HAHWG was formed in order to organize individuals and organizations in order to protect, preserve, and pass on these traditions to the next generation of outdoorsman.

One of the main focuses of the group is to actively mentor and introduce new outdoorsmen to the outdoors and the opportunities that are in our great state. The Arizona Game and Fish has done a great job of showcasing the many FREE camps, clinics, and events that the different organizations put on for the public.

As I continue to follow the efforts of the HAHWG and AZGFD, I am very excited about the future and the lives that will be impacted by the great outdoors. I realize that as an outdoorsman, it is my duty to pass on the knowledge and joy of the outdoors to the next generation, just as my dad, grandfather, uncles, and other various old timers did for me.

For more information about the Hunting and Angling Heritage Workgroup (HAHWG) check out the Arizona Game and Fish Department website.

Arizona Game and Fish Department

National Wild Turkey Federation

Youth Outdoor Unlimited

Arizona Elk Society

Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club

Hunt of a Lifetime Foundation

Arizona Fly Casters

Arizona Bowhunters Association

My Camp USA

Mohave Sportsman Club

Arizona Antelope Foundation

CouesWhitetail.com

Arizona Hunter

Team Young Gunz

Cabela’s

Dicks Sporting Goods

Southwest Fur Harvesters

Outdoor Arizona Kids Inc.

The post HAHWG – Hunting and Angling Heritage Workgroup appeared first on Arizona Wanderings.

Spent an unbelievable weekend up north helping out at the Marvin Robbins Memorial Juniors Turkey Camp. The free camp is put on by the National Wild Turkey Federation Valley Longbeards Chapter to get young hunters into the field and bag their first turkey. Good times were had by all and I walked away energized and more impressed by the work of the National Wild Turkey Federation, Arizona Elk Society, and all the volunteers. I’ll be sorting through photos and putting up the full writeup here in a little while.

The post NWTF Juniors Turkey Camp appeared first on Arizona Wanderings.

The Arizona Elk Society put on a great banquet for a sold out crowd, with all kinds of raffles, silent auctions, and live auctions with Fast and Efficient Service are going back to habitat projects here in Arizona. There were a wide variety of items raffled and auctioned with everything from camping supplies to the coveted AZGFD Commissioners tags. It truly was a special night and one that both my wife and I were proud to be a part of.

The Arizona Elk Society was established to “to raise funds to benefit elk and other wildlife through habitat conservation and restoration and to preserve our hunting heritage for present and future generations.” Every year AES and their volunteers put hours of hard labor into their many work projects, that ultimately benefit all of Arizona’s wildlife. Arizona Elk Society also understands the importance of protecting and preserving the hunting heritage by taking an active roll in getting new and young hunters into the field for a positive hunting experience.

I look forward to going to several of their upcoming events and work projects in the future and being a part of the great things that the Arizona Elk Society is doing. A special thanks to Rich Williams for the invite and many thanks to Steve Clark and his crew from the Arizona Elk Society for putting on such a great banquet.

The post Arizona Elk Society Banquet appeared first on Arizona Wanderings.

A couple weeks ago, I received an email from Doug Burt over at Arizona Game and Fish Department explaining how he had found the site and was interested in me coming out to a HAHWG meeting. I thought a bit about the offer knowing full well that it was going to put the kibosh on my last weekend of hunting javelina, but after he gave me the rundown of what HAHWG actually was all about, I could not help but accept.

HAWHG stands for Hunting and Angling Heritage Workgroup whose written purpose is “to gather leaders in the industry, conservation groups, youth groups and wildlife management professionals to synergistically preserve the hunting angling tradition.” There’s some pretty big words in that statement but what I found when I showed up, was a group of outdoorsman who were passionate about preserving the traditions of hunting and fishing, which in this day in age, face many increasingly powerful and numerous enemies. Many in the HAWHG group have dedicated their lives and fortunes to the goal of increasing participation not just hunting and angling, but in all outdoor activities.

Some of the things that really stood out to me about the get-together was how everyone seemed to have captured the same vision of getting the youth involved in the outdoors. From fishing to small game to large game species, every group seemed to realize that if the American tradition of hunting is going to survive and be passed on to our grandchildren, then getting the next group of outdoorsman into the field is of the utmost importance. Each organization wether focused on fish, turkey, elk, small game or other species, all expressed the desire to stop the fractured movement to self promote and instead present more of a coordinated coalition while working together to promote a safe, controlled, and fun outdoor experience.

It was an unbelievable two day event with some unbelievable food provided by the Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club, and I was glad that I had planned to camp out. Because of the cold, a large fire was stoked, and I had the esteemed opportunity to talk to some real outdoorsman and hear about their passions for youth and the wonderful times in the field. When it was all said and done, I even had the chance to get out and blow through a couple boxes of shells on their clay pigeon range.

In the future I hope to be able to attend some of these youth hunts, seminars, and banquets and ultimately spotlight what these great folks are doing here in our great state. Arizona has some phenomenal opportunities and resources and, unfortunately, if these are not protected, they may not see too many more generations. Expect to see more about the HAHWG and these different organizations in the future on Arizona Wanderings. Find out more about these great organizations by following the links below.

Arizona Game and Fish Department

National Wild Turkey Federation

Youth Outdoor Unlimited

Arizona Elk Society

Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club

Arizona Fly Casters

Arizona Bowhunters Association

My Camp USA

Mohave Sportsman Club

Arizona Antelope Foundation

CouesWhitetail.com

Arizona Hunter

Southwest Fur Harvesters

Outdoor Arizona Kids Inc.

(My sincerest apologies, if I missed a group that was there. Please shoot me over your outfits name and I would love to recognize you on this great list of organizations.)

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