Shortly after the Grand Gobblers Chapter, in Grove, Okla., was chartered in 1997 they hosted their first JAKES event. The first year recorded 86 kids in attendance, and the event has steadily grown over the years to 501 participants in 2009. Youth and parents travel from Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas and Arkansas to be part of the adventure.

The event is not a free for all or a booth at a big expo; it is a safety-focused event featuring experts who teach at more than 70 learning stations. Registrants are divided by age into five age groups and rotate through stations conducive to their ability and experience. Activities range from fishing taught by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife, horseback riding, archery, stream ecology taught by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, and Dutch oven cooking by the Boy Scouts, as well as less traditional activities, including outdoor edibles, kayaking, and Native American trades and skills.

More than 150 volunteers and 250 instructors keep things running smoothly. Chapter volunteers work throughout the year to raise money and secure donations to fund such a sizeable event.

Visit www.grandgobblers.com or check them out on Facebook.

Flies and Fletching/Outdoor Pursuits Worldwide is a company with a passion for all things outdoors and a focus on preserving our outdoors heritage. Based out of Blue Ridge, Ga., their mission is to create unforgettable adventures for outdoors enthusiasts.

Together, Flies and Fletching and the NWTF are sponsoring a conservation project contest that will give a lucky JAKES or Xtreme JAKES member and a chaperone an all-expense paid African safari. (There are awesome prizes for second and third places, too.) For details, visit the contest section at www.nwtf.org/jakes.

Mandy Harling
JAKES Coordinator

2020 vision

What’s your vision? I’m not asking whether you have to squint to see the alarm clock in the morning. Rather, where you see the NWTF in the year 2020? Where do you want to be?

My focus for the future is how to best reach our youth to share the message of conservation.

Over the past year and a half, we have promoted our outreach efforts, including the JAKES program, to our staff and volunteers more than ever. JAKES days are a great way to introduce youngsters to the outdoors, but one-day events aren’t going to convert kids to hunters. It’s necessary to reach out to them more than once a year and in a variety of ways.

One effective way is through mentored youth hunts, and a great example is NWTF Minnesota’s youth mentored hunt program. Last year, state and local chapters worked together to educate 305 first-time youth turkey hunters and their guardians, as well as thousands of others who were thirsty for more turkey knowledge.

Nature imitates life. And the forecast for our flock is dim when there aren’t many JAKES.

More than 400 NWTF volunteers taught turkey classes, organized hunts, scouted for turkeys, obtained private lands to hunt, and provided the next generation with memories of a lifetime. They also signed up each youth as a JAKES member.

Membership plays a vital role in reaching youth in the name of conservation. If a child attends a JAKES event, we have a chance to educate and influence them for one day. But if he or she becomes a member, we are able to stay in touch for at least a year, with multiple opportunities to bring the child into the fold of hunters and conservationists. And at $10 a year, a JAKES membership is a bargain.

Our program has come so far because of the hard work of our volunteers. But the reality is that our JAKES membership is declining.

Nature imitates life. And the forecast for our flock is dim when there aren’t many JAKES. The more members we have, the greater our impact is on conserving the wild turkey and preserving our hunting heritage — and that starts with the youngest among us.

2020 will arrive sooner than we expect. The future will bring more opportunities, but with them will come challenges. Join me in my vision, and the vision of thousands of other Federation volunteers and partners, to recruit more youth to the NWTF flock. — Mandy