Each year, the Washington Soil & Water Conservation District holds a youth program called Farmer Youth Initiative (FYI). This program is designed to get youth interested in hunting during Ohio’s two day youth gun season. The FYI program allows youth, coming primarily from urban are-as, single parent or limited in-come homes, to hunt private property, assisting landowners by controlling deer population through the harvesting of does.
Youth enrolled in the pro-gram attend a mandatory and busy orientation day, where they meet their guides and receive their assigned hunting property. Participants will also review hunter ethics, gun safety, proper game care, and what it means to be a good marksman. At the end of orientation, the enrolled will be allowed to gain shooting experience to achieve good marksmanship for an ethical harvest.
Each child receives their apprentice hunting license & permit, ammunition for orientation day and the youth season, field dressing gloves, a knife to dress game out with, basic survival kit, and a free deer processing certificate to use, if they harvest a deer. We also provide anything else they may need to have a positive day in the woods such as firearms, clothing, and foot wear.
After a day of hunting, on the Saturday evening of youth season, we give the young hunters a chance to get a warm meal made from venison and share their hunting stories at our hunter dinner.
Not only does this program give youth an opportunity to experience the outdoors and hunting, but it also will give them a hands on learning experience and an appreciation of the work and patience it takes to be a successful hunter.
Application for Participation in FYI program
Interested in learning more about this opportunity as a participant or as an adult wanting to assist, contact Hannah Swope at:
Washington SWCD
21330 SR 676 Suite E
Phone: 740-885-3318
E-mail: hswope@wcgov.org