I took my youngest child to a Youth Field Day today at a local club. I’ve taken all of my kids to this event over the years. It’s a really fun day for them. It does make for a long day, though. We get there at 8 a.m. and don’t leave until 4 p.m. It’s a free event they put on to try and get kids more active in outdoor activities.
I like most of it, but I personally wish they would do more with hiking and mountain biking. I understand that it’s mostly focused on activities that revolve around a gun club. They do have a few gun stations (shotgun, .22, and black powder), but you can sit those out if that’s not something you’re into. They do a great job promoting safety during those stations.
They also have a bunch of other stations like kayaking, fishing, learning about owls, trapping, turkey calling, deer hunting, a trail run, information from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), and archery. It really is a great place to introduce your kids to some of these things. They also talk about conservation at almost all of the stations. It’s a good reminder that these people do appreciate the outdoors and the animals they hunt. There was a very prominent anti-poaching message there as well.
I understand that guns are a divisive topic, mainly here in the USA. But I think they do a pretty good job not pushing a pro-gun message/self-defense and focusing on the outdoor conservation and population control aspects of hunting. I personally don’t hunt, but I do appreciate the DCNR and hunters helping to control populations of animals in a smart and purposeful way.
