A free annual program that shapes the next generation of hunters returned to Bancroft Fish & Game Club earlier this month.
Five girls and five boys ages 12 to 14 took part in the club’s Youth Hunter Mentorship program from July 13 to 17, spending two-and-a-half days in a classroom and a day-and-a-half on the shooting range.
Instructors taught youth how to safely identify, handle, and fire various firearms, including rifles, shotguns, and handguns. Participants obtained their Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL) and completed the Ontario Hunter Education Course.
On the final day, representatives from Vortex Canada trained youths on how to adjust and use rifle scopes, binoculars, spotting scopes, and other optics, before doing some precision shooting on the range using various-sized targets.
Participants included Avery Law, Grayson Harrigan, Kayden Ziebarth, Gauge Colton, Isaac Robinson, Landon Rutledge, Hunter Larade, Arlo Seaborn, Mason Mantifel, and Willow Lehovitch.
Club instructors included Bob Montroy, Carl Ziebarth, Amanda Lundrigan, club president Paul Goggan, and Vortex Canada representatives Reg Wales, Brent Butler, and Lisa and Mike Brake.
Sponsors supplies gifts for each participant. In the main draw, two youths won 10/22s from Switzer Auctions and Firearms Outlet. Others won scopes, binoculars, and range finders from Vortex and hunting knives from Accuracy Plus.
“Our sponsors are what really make this program great each year, they give us the tools and we provide the educational experience for the youths,” Goggan stated in a July 17 press release.
The club thanked sponsors including the Ontario Federation of Anglers & Hunters, Switzer’s Auctions & Appraisals, Firearms Outlet, Bancroft Canadian Tire, Vortex Canada, Richard Naranowicz, Ontario Conservation Officers Association, Kawartha Transmission, PolyJohn Canada, Accuracy Plus, MDT, FSESO, IBI, Hornady, Aimpoint, Reg Wales Precision Optics Academy, and Ducks Unlimited.
It also thanked members for their continued financial support, including Sean Davis, Norm Murray, Paul Dempsey, James Wong, John Goguen, Michael Banwell, Cory Coburn, Rick Melnick, Kirk Heckley, Richard Staples, Thomas Armour, Charlie Archdekin, Cameron McKenzie, Barry Wannamaker, and Mike Szkredka.
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