By Lisa Paine
VIEW Sports Editor

DAVISON — Youngsters of all ages will flock to Williams Gunsight and Outfitters Aug. 2 from 10 a.m-4 p.m. to take part in the free National Wild Turkey Federation’s annual JAKES Conservation Day.

JAKES — Juniors Acquiring Knowledge, Ethics and Sportsmanship — was established by the NWTF to get kids involved in hunting, fishing, camping and all things outdoors. Attendees receive a one-year membership into the National Wild Turkey Federation, complete with JAKES magazine each month.
At the yearly conservation event, outdoor organizations set up BB gun, shotgun and .22-caliber shooting stations, fishing ponds, archery shooting, woodworking, ATV riding and a live wild turkey pen, along with other stations that all draw long lines as the youngsters anxiously await their turns.

Michigan Bowhunters members, assisted by NWTF Flint River chapter members, handle the archery station and instruct kids on proper compound archery equipment use as they fling arrows at balloon and 3-D animal targets. Genesis bows are used that accommodate kids of all ages and sizes, many of whom had never shot a bow before. Some, mechanical release shooters, find out just how hard it is to pull a bow back using just one’s finger, with no protection.

At all of the stations, kids only are allowed inside the ropes, as parents look on from a few feet back. Certified shooting instructors from Williams stress safety with each child before they let them fire any weapons. Proper ear and eye protection is provided at each station.

The Flint River Valley Chapter of Michigan Steelheaders sets up a catch-and-release or catch-and-take-with fishing pond, where kids excitedly hang over the pool edges eagerly watching their red and white bobbers for signs of a bite. They often squeal with delight when they manage to snag a fish from the water’s depths, and many proudly take their catch home in an oxygenated bag.
Others, encouraged by their parents, release them back into the pool.

A mini all-terrain vehicle course is slated to teach would-be daredevil drivers the importance of wearing helmets and driving safely. At the BB gun station, pump-action guns are loaded as kids don their safety glasses and take their seats at the shooting table, testing their steady nerves as they aim at balloons and metal targets.

Nearby, kids old enough to handle the recoil and blast are given the opportunity to shoot a shotgun or .22-caliber rifle.

Inside, kids get the real-feel experience of landing a sporting fish as the Flint River Valley Chapter of Michigan Steelheaders seat-belt them to a folding chair and activate the life-sized fishing pole that is attached to salmon, marlins and other big game fish. The tension on the line literally pulls the kids against their safety belts as they reel in their catch on the big video screen.

Fly-tying demonstrations gives kids hands-on skills that sends them home with their very own hand-made fishing lures. One of the longest lines each year is at the birdhouse building station. Each child, under the guidance of NWTF members, hammers a multi-sided house together in minutes.

After visiting all the stations, kids have two other hands-on stations where they get to purr and cluck to a live tom and hen wild turkey, safely enclosed in a dog kennel-type pen in the shade. They also are able to lay hands on animal hides and skulls, to get an up-close and personal appreciation of all kinds of small and large animals. Lunch is provided.

Details: 810-736-1570. Williams is located at 7389 Lapeer Rd. at the Irish Rd. exit of I-69 in Davison.

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