10/31/2026
Thank you to Brandon at the Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports for mentoring with us and to Learn Hunting in MO for the post!
This past weekend, we had the privilege of mentoring at a youth hunt clinic put on by the Missouri Hunting Heritage Federation, Inc..
Three youth hunters and their guardians joined us at camp on a large private farm. A wonderful host family opened their property to us and gave the kids the opportunity to hunt deer and turkey.
The clinic started with hunter education and safety that morning. From there, we headed to the farm, where the kids learned how to safely and effectively use a crossbow. It was their first time shooting one, but you never would have known it by how accurate they were.
Then we headed into the woods and put all the pieces together into his first hunt.
We saw several deer throughout the afternoon, but none came close enough to give us a good shot. Then, just minutes before sunset, we finally had an opportunity at a beautiful whitetail. He took everything he had learned that day, stayed calm, and made an excellent shot to harvest the first deer of his life.
Afterward, we showed him how to field dress the deer and process the meat back at camp. To me, that is all part of the experience. My favorite things about deer camp are the stories, shared meals, laughs, and new friendships that come with it. MHHF did a great job not only introducing these kids to safe and ethical hunting, but also making sure they experienced what being part of a hunting camp is all about.
A big thank-you to MHHF, the landowners, host family, parents and guardians, mentors, and everyone else who helped make the weekend happen. We need more community like this to keep events like this going. Find out how you can get involved or take your first step into hunting or trapping at learnhunting.org/mo
