Do you like spending time in the woods or on the lake, appreciating wildlife and nature? Enjoy hunting, fishing, and other outdoor sporting activities? Wildlife judging practice is about to begin in Gordon County 4-H, and this competitive team event is a hands-on environmental education program that provides participants real-life experiences in wildlife and habitat management and gives them an opportunity to test their wildlife knowledge in a friendly competition.
Georgia 4-H’s objectives for the program include:
- To give 4-H’ers an appreciation for wildlife and to challenge them to preserve this natural resource in this country.
- To learn about wildlife habitat and how to manage it.
- To learn about wildlife management practices and their effect on habitat for various wildlife species.
- To be able to interpret wildlife habitat from aerial photographs and learn to communicate reasons from observations.
- To learn common wildlife foods for identification purposes.
- To give 4-H members leadership training.
- To develop abilities and attributes for better citizens and leaders of tomorrow.
Practice will begin tomorrow, Monday, June 18 at 5:30 p.m. at the Gordon County 4-H Office for any rising 4th-12th grade youth. Practices will be almost every Monday leading up until the competition on Saturday, October 20, and schedules will be provided at the first practice. There is no cost to join this team and all needed materials will be provided. While there is much content to be learned for competition, practices will also include hands-on experiences. Last year, the team installed wood duck boxes at a Wildlife Management Area that will be maintained by the team and visiting a deer check-in station during hunting season. Tentative plans for this year include fishing, traveling to various wildlife educational centers, and attending field day events. This team is coached by adult volunteer leader Jason Hooper. Last year, Gordon County 4-H fielded a junior team in the competition and ended up having the top individual in the junior division, Breana Manning.
