Narrows Strut Busters - JAKES

Keeping the North American hunting tradition alive, the National Wild Turkey Federation has a fun way to get our youth excited about the outdoor sports and conservation with the Juniors Acquiring Knowledge, Ethics and Sportsmanship (JAKES) program. In JAKES, children ages 17 and younger learn the basic outdoor skills necessary to become successful stewards of our natural resources. They also learn to be responsible outdoorsmen and women through fishing, camping and hunting seminars taught by legends in the field. They learn to identify plants and animals, as well as how to effectively call in those elusive toms. The NWTF has a great opportunity to teach children the value of our natural resources and the importance of conservation. These children will grow up knowing hunting plays a key role in wildlife management, and the dollars they spend to hunt go right back into state and federal conservation efforts. Any youth can join JAKES for just five dollars, getting four issues of the JAKES magazine, an NWTF membership card, and a JAKES decal. Not to mention an automatic chance to win the JAKES Hunt of a Lifetime (all expenses paid spring turkey hunting trip for the Jake and one of their parents).

The "Narrows Strut Buster’s" host their annual JAKES Event the first Saturday in June during Gig Harbor’s Maritime Gigs Children Festival by co-sponsoring the youth trout fishing pond in Skansie Park (downtown near the public dock) and an education/information booth. Free to any youth 16 and under, they could catch and release or keep a nice trout plus win complete fishing outfits given away each hour. Parents receive tons of NWTF information including other regional event in the area. Most importantly, they have the opportunity to share the experience of their child catching a fish --- for many their first. I don't know who has more fun though --- the little kids, the parents, or our volunteers (i.e.- the bigger kids) as each small child catches a trout, especially if it was one of those big five plus pounders.

The chapter also assists with the "regional" JAKES Event hosted by the South Sound Longbeards at the Paul Bunyon Sports Club in Puyallup held on a late August Saturday. This free event for all youths under 18 includes professionally taught classes in shooting safety for shotgun or .22 rifle, archery, a trout fishing pond, orienteering (maps and compass use), muzzleloader shooting and safety plus primitive and survival skills taught by mountain men, a picnic lunch, a fun pack, and a JAKES t-shirt.