In Buzzard Swamp

Earlier in August, Danielle Bean and I tried to coordinate a meet-up when our families happened to be closer geographically than normal. One we planned to plan for our last week in the US when Randy was scheduled to have a meeting near Danielle's home, though that fell through when Randy's meeting was cancelled and a number of Bean children were sick. There had also been an opportunity when the Beans were passing through Pennsylvania, stopping in Latrobe for Steelers training camp. I was unaware of any plans of ours for that day when I told her we might be able to meet her. However, Randy, his daughter, and one of his sons had already scheduled something for our families that same day. I sent Danielle a text that it appeared that we were going to some place called Buzzard Swamp to shoot things that same day. She replied back that she hoped I'd at least get a good blog post out of it.

And after the jump, here it is.

I was not exactly clear what sort of activity we would be heading to that unusually hot Saturday. It was called “Forest County Youth Field Day.” I would later learn that these are held in many counties in our home state, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Several other organizations also participate, such as local hunting clubs, law enforcement, and other individual volunteers, mostly for the promotion of outdoor activities and responsible hunting. Randy's son-in-law and his father have been involved in Youth Field Day for years, which is how we came to attend.

Youth Field Day was completely free of charge, and each of our kids received a t-shirt and hunting-themed ball cap. Brigid and Randy's granddaughter chose hunter-safety orange, and Myles and Randy's grandson picked woodland camouflage. For the rest of the summer, this bright orange hat would be Brigid's favorite accessory.

There was a lot of shooting. AT TARGETS, I must add. With appropriate EYE AND EAR PROTECTION when needed, I must also add. There were a few booths of shooting BB guns, with one for prizes. Another group allowed children to handle proper hunting rifles, and even shoot at a clay pigeon if they proved able to shoot the larger of the rifles there. Randy's grandson hit the first clay pigeon released on his turn. Archery was a big hit with my kids especially. Bows and arrows don't have the noise or the kickback of a rifle. Brigid hit the deer target with one of her first arrows, prompting Randy's family to note that she was surely her grandmother's daughter. My mother-in-law is as feminine and lady-like as any woman could be, but she is also a great archer.

Particularly interesting to me (well, and the kids) was a talk by a couple representing the Wild Turkey Federation. This husband and wife team had hunted turkey all over the United States and Mexico. They were highly instructive on how turkeys are best hunted, what precautions a turkey hunter needs to take to be safe, and how to lure the turkeys to make the close shot. It was obvious that turkey hunting was something they really enjoyed together, and they made it clear, too, that they also did not tire of eating so much turkey.

One of the most popular activities with all the kids was the obstacle course. This was arranged by the Game Commission and included barrels to climb over, a hatchet throw, a balance beam, and a most unusal final task. There was a table of animal pelts, all common to Western Pennsylvania, that the children were to guess which was which. Only a few days before Myles and Brigid and I were at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and one of the hands-on exhibits was of nearly all the same furs, so they were helped a little by that.

There was fishing and canoeing as well, but we skipped these because the water levels were fairly low, and the fishing was reportedly poor. We also missed the final prize drawing because it was just too hot to stay to the end.

Every summer the Pennsylvania Game Commission posts the summer schedule of Youth Field Day. We were lucky that Forest County had space enough for us to attend without pre-registration, but that is not the case with most counties. Registering well in advance is the only way to guarantee a spot for your kids.

And here are some random pictures from our morning shooting things in Buzzard's Swamp.