JAKES Day in the Green Mountain State
Vermont’s North Country Longspurs recently held their annual Bunnell Camp JAKES event near St. Johnsbury.
“We are incredibly proud of our North Country Longspurs who have created a well-oiled machine for creating the next generation of hunters and conservationists,” said Morgan Gouveia, NWTF Vermont State Chapter president. “We are immensely thankful for the efforts of Tim Corey, Rocky Bunnell, Colleen Racenet and all the volunteers who continue to make the event such a success.”
This year was the Green Mountain State Chapter’s 24th year of hosting the event, which has become iconic in the state for recruiting and retaining safety-minded outdoorsmen and women.
This year, over 90 youth participated in various events and were broken up by age group and provided with activities designed to engage and educate.
JAKES, ages 7 to 9, got the opportunity to shoot BB guns with the North Country Longspurs' JAKES Take Aim trailer (a dedicated BB gun shooting trailer) and took part in the pond life course, trout fishing, a nature walk and more. The 10- to 12-year-old JAKES attended a knot-tying course, hunter safety reviews, .22 shooting and kayaking. Extreme JAKES, which are youths 13 to 17, went hiking, fishing and shot crossbows and shotguns.
The chapter also ran a hunter safety class for those youth preparing for hunting season. The morning of outdoor education was wrapped up by a lunch and turkey hunting presentation by North Country Longspurs Chapter President Tim Corey.
“The Longspurs are incredibly successful at cultivating sponsors from the local community for their event,” said Matt DiBona, NWTF New England district biologist. “The success of this awesome event wouldn't be possible without the dozens of volunteers who donate their time and energy for this event year after year.”