The Payson Roundup / Youth hunts are chance to learn and more

Archive for Tuesday, November 3, 2009

November 3, 2009

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Jason Daniels (bottom left), 10, was accompanied on his first deer hunt by his father, local Game and Fish officer Dave (top left), uncle Derrick (top right) and 6-year-old brother Troy.

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Among the successful young hunters was 11-year-old Dylan Keeney, who downed his first deer.

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Hunting in Unit 23, 10-year-old Jake Beeler tagged a nice sized whitetail buck.

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Dakota Harold scored this dandy buck with an hour and thirty minutes to spare on the last day of deer season.

Recent youth hunts around Arizona turned into successful outings, according to Roundup columnist Dennis Pirch in his Oct. 30 outdoors column.

He said the hunts, which are for youngsters 10 to 17, encourage family camps, creating great, quality time around the campfire with no television, Internet and sometimes no cell phone service.

Pirch, in his column, said many of the deer camps used in the youth hunts are multi-generational traditions among many longtime Rim Country families.

“There is no amount of money that can replace those campfire meals and the memories created surrounding a youngster’s first deer ... Hunting ethics can be learned, the appreciation of the outdoors and family bonding can really happen on a junior hunt if parents spend the time,” Pirch wrote.