A dilema!

[ticklishtompro]

Each spring I run a Learn To Hunt event. I can schedule it for whenever I want, but I usually do it the weekend before the statewide youth hunt. In 2013 that is the first weekend in April. The problem is March 31, the weekend before is Easter weekend. We have had it on Easter weekend before, but most kids can't hunt much on that Sunday. So now I have 3 choices. Either I move the hunt a week earlier or just go with the 30 & 31, or do it 29-31 as most kids don't have school on Good Friday, and a lot of mentors don't have to work. The problem with a week earlier is that the weather can be so unpredictable then. Looking forward to getting some opinions.

Also I am always looking for mentors, so if any of you all would like to hunt another weekend by taking out a kid, let me know.

Randy

[WillowRidgeCalls]

We do ours on the youth weekend, which is the weekend before the regular season starts. Most kids and learn to hunt people are out there hunting anyway, but this gives them a chance to hunt with experienced mentors.
I guess my question for you would be, why would you want the weekend before the youth hunt weekend? Most times the flocks are still not broken up even by the youth weekend, so that limits you to very small areas that hold birds.

[ticklishtompro]

We have done it this way the last five years and have a good success rate. This year we had 16 participants and harvested 11 birds. Plus the other 5 had opportunities to harvest birds also! We had one of the highest success rates for LTH events is what I was told by my local biologist.
The problem with doing it the same as the youth hunt is I would loose mentors as they want to take out their own kids which I agree with as I like to take my kids that weekend too. Plus we get permission for approximately 40 properties and I would loose some of them too. Getting the kids on birds is something we never have a problem with. In fact I have a couple properties the owners don't let anyone hunt on except for our LTH!!!

[WillowRidgeCalls]

Ahhhhhh My mistake, Your hunt is a LTH program only. We do ours as a Youth and LTH together, so our mentors can have both sometimes. I know the effert it takes to set these hunts up, and to find farms that will let you on for safty reasons. We ran 61 hunters this year with 30 birds taken, our best year to date at 50%. A lot of our farms are the same way, they open their land up to youth or LTH hunters only then they are No Hunting the rest of the year, which is great for the young hunters getting to hunt birds that are hunted one weekend a year. We had Easter weekend on our season this year, and yes it does effect some hunters/mentors, but as hunter/mentors go, that is a desission they have to make? Not sure if there is any way to really get around it? We run into the same problem, to find enough mentors for all the hunters.

[ticklishtompro]

So do you take 2 kids out with 1 mentor? Do the kids that just do the youth hunt have to attend your class? Just curious how you do it.

[WillowRidgeCalls]

Sometimes, depending on what we have for mentors? The youth hunters don't have to go through the class, some do, some don't, the LTH is a must, they have to attend the class and shooting class. What we do is on Sat we have a lunch for the hunters and they all come in and bring their birds in, and that way we get to see what they got and who is freed up to move hunters around with different mentors. This weekend is our cookout for all the land owners and mentors, for thanks for helping out with the hunt.

[ticklishtompro]

We ru the class the Saturday before the hunt. Then the Saturday of the hunt we have a big lunch for all, see the birds, take pics and tell stories, then some go back out. The ones left on Sunday there is still usually food and they hunt as long as they want. Brian Lovett usually comes and speaks at our class and then some shooting.

So if you take 2 kids with one mentor you can only have 1 gun. That is the way we do it if we have to, but that is usually an adult that is the second in line. I like to get all the kids out on there own. If you are looking for another weekend to hunt, I would love to have you Scott! I keep it as 20 as our max number. Just a nice size group and our clubhouse is only so big.

These are the birds that were killed before lunch on Saturday this year. We got ours right after lunch!

[WillowRidgeCalls]

If we need to pare up, then we do a youth and LTH hunters, because the LTH hunter are a one on one. A lot of times the youth have their parent a long which works out great. You'll have to keep me in the loop, I may be able to get over there and help you out.