CCOYA HOLDS JUNIOR DEER HUNT

Cameron County Outdoor Youth Activities (CCOYA) held their annual Youth deer hunt during the three day 2019 junior Pa. doe season. Participating in the hunt were licensed junior hunters Jordyn Skillman, Ava Travis, Laila Artman, Kendra Jackson, Ryder Brown, Lathan Reed and Enzo Magaro . The Junior hunters were paired up with adult mentors to be with them throughout the hunt to assure safety and a positive experience. The junior hunt season took place October 24, 25 and 26. Earlier in the week the group visited the Andrews Farm to discuss safety, the number one priority. They also took the opportunity to sight in the rifles and hear more details of what to expect during the next few evenings. “There is a lot of thought and details that go into a program such as this. Obviously safety is our number one priority” states Don Bickford of CCOYA. “We could not be happier with the selection of hunters we made and although not all hunters harvested a doe, this was a positive experience for all of us.” During the hunt the hunters spent the evening in blinds watching over managed food plots on the Russell Hollow Hunt Club property in Salt Run. During this years hunt there were 3 doe harvested. Successful hunters were Laila Artman, Kendra Jackson and Lathan Reed. At the end of both hunts everyone re-grouped at the Andrews Farm to enjoy a hot meal and discuss their evening hunt. There, Brian Gillette demonstrated to the hunters the process of dressing a deer and properly prepare them for butchering. “Our hunt maybe a little different than other organized youth hunts” Bickford goes on to say “One of our criteria was that the junior hunters first doe if successful would be donated to Cameron County Hunters Sharing the Harvest (HSH) Program. This is part of CCOYA’s ongoing efforts to encourage our youth the importance of giving back. All of hunters were completely on board with this opportunity.” This was a very successful program and one that everyone will remember the rest of their lives. The deer will be delivered to Buddy Wolfe of Valley Meats a participating butcher for HSH. Buddy will process the meat and grind into hamburger and package. The meat will then be donated to Northern Tier Community Action and distributed throughout Cameron County by their Cameron County Community Food Pantry program. Bickford would like to thank all the hunters, families, mentors and everyone behind the scenes to make this a successful program.