On Saturday, September 12th, the Lycoming County Beagle Club held its inaugural Youth Day event.

Fourteen youth were able to participate in a variety of activities centered around the outdoors.

The kids ranged in age starting at 8 to the oldest being 14.

Every child was issued a pair of hearing and eye protection, as well as a goodie bag provided by the PA Game Commission.

The day started with a bang via a black powder demonstration by yours truly and my dad, Dale Sones.

First, a .69 caliber (12ga.) cannon was loaded with a blank charge and fired. A .50 caliber flintlock was also fired to illustrate the advancement from black powder to smokeless powder and cartridges. The participants rotated between stations throughout the day.

Scott Kilcoyne and his son Jamie gave presentations about trapping and the equipment and techniques employed by trappers. They also featured a variety of furs and mounts, including a mounted fox, otter, and bobcat.

Levi Hilkert was on hand to instruct youth on archery as they used a recurve bow and arrows to try to hit a balloon.

The kids were able to learn about fly fishing and were able to tie their own flies with instruction from Gary and Carter Hockenberry and Jacob Hilkert of the Hughesville High School Fly Fishing Club.

A variety of shooting events were also held.

Sulphyr Springs Rifle Club generously donated the use of their guns and rests.

Dave Hawley (President), Don and Jeff Reese gave hands-on instruction to shoot pellet and .22 rifles. Pellet gun shooters shot balloons, while .22 shooters shot at a longer distance at splatter targets. Nancy Trought, also of Sulphyr Springs, was instrumental in helping the day run smoothly.

Trap shooting was also available with instruction provided by Beagle Club members Ray Stahl, Oscar Bracey, and me.

The participants were also able to experience the handling of hounds in the field. Beagle Club members Levi Miller and Curtis Hendershot brought their beagles to illustrate beagling and the use of them in the pursuit of rabbits in either field trials or for hunting.

Lunch was generously provided via a donation from the Consolidated Sportsmen of Muncy Creek. Prepared by the Beagle Club’s kitchen staff, burgers, hot dogs, and French fries were prepared for all.

The day concluded with a prize drawing. Local businesses EuroOptic, Blued Barrel, Sauer’s Trading, and The Trading Post all donated prizes, ensuring every youth took home a prize.

Pennsylvania’s outdoors is rich with opportunities for our youth. It falls to us to cultivate and preserve our heritage for countless generations to come. The Lycoming County Beagle Club would like to offer our sincerest gratitude to all those who helped make our first youth day a resounding success. Without your support, it would not have been possible. For a full list of all those sponsors and individuals we would like to recognize, please see the ad below. We would also like to thank all the youth and their parents and guardians who participated.