News Release

Camp Blanding youth hunts provide opportunities for kids

October 30, 2007
Contact: Karen Parker, 386-758-0525

It wasn’t exactly a cool day, especially for fall, but the hunters showed up anyway, decked out in camouflage and carrying weapons, coolers and tree stands.

Twenty-five hunters, between the ages of 8 to 15, took to the woods Oct. 20 and 21, at the Camp Blanding Wildlife Management Area (WMA) to enjoy the woods and to hunt deer. For many, it would be their first deer.

“I’ve put them in an area that hasn’t been hunted (legally) for eight years,” said Jim Garrison, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) biologist on Camp Blanding WMA. “I suspect they will do well.”

The FWC conducts two youth hunts at Camp Blanding each year. Each hunter must be accompanied by an adult older than 18, and each hunter must have a quota hunt permit. There are 40 no-cost permits given out for each hunt.

In addition to the Camp Blanding hunts, there are two youth hunts offered at Andrews WMA in Levy County. Approximately 600 youths apply every year for the 160 available permits. Applications are accepted beginning in June. The young hunters can take hogs or any deer, except spotted fawn.

This was the second hunt of the year at the Camp Blanding WMA. The first was Oct. 6 and 7.

“During the first hunt we had 25 hunters, and 10 deer were taken,” Garrison said. “It rained both days, but the kids stuck it out and were successful.”

“These are the only youth hunts conducted in the state.” Garrison said. “We want the kids to have a great time and have a good chance of getting a deer. So before the hunts, we go out and scout the areas, picking the best locations with a lot of signs of deer.”

Garrison and his staff then number each area and assign the hunters to the spots. The hunters and their supervisors are driven to the area and dropped off. They call when they want to be picked up.
This is the 26th year that Garrison and crew have conducted the Camp Blanding youth hunt.

Ray Clark, from Plant City, was on hand for the hunt, waiting for his son and grandson to return from their area.

“My son, Jeremy, got his very first deer during the very first youth hunt here,” Clark said. “My grandson, Cody, is here today and if he gets one, it will be his first deer. I think this is a great tradition.”

“We have a lot of girls participating in the hunts, too,” Garrison said. “In fact, the girls have been ‘kicking butt’ out there. They seem to be better shots than the boys, because the girls don’t tend to get ‘buck fever.’ They remain calm and can take their shot.”

In addition to the chance of getting a deer, another advantage to the hunt is spending some quality time with a parent or grandparent.

“Many of the kids I’ve talked to just enjoy being in the woods. They all want to be successful, but giving them the chance to spend some time with their folks is probably the best benefit of the hunt. There are no distractions ‑ no TV, no phones, no video games. They also have the chance to see nature and experience all types of wildlife,” Garrison said.

Reserve FWC Officer Richard Hartsfield was on hand to provide another attraction to the hunt – his black Labrador, Jenna.

“She’s a trail dog. We use her to track wounded deer. So far this year, she’s tracked and found six deer. Three of those were the first deer shot by the youth hunters. Most of the time, we locate the animals about 150 yards from where they were shot. But it’s knowing which 150 yards to search that makes the difference,” Hartsfield said.

Jenna is the fifth trail dog that Hartsfield has trained.

“She’s a young dog and won’t turn 2 until Dec. 8, but she’s smart and has a great nose. The key to training these dogs is to make it a game. Give them plenty of encouragement and rewards, and they just want to play,” Hartsfield said.

Hartsfield begins the training process by dragging a sock filled with deer meat along the ground. The dog finds the sock and is rewarded. As the dog matures, the sock is dragged longer and in more intricate patterns.

“Jenna will alert only if there’s blood. If the deer hasn’t been wounded, she can still smell it, but she won’t alert the same way. This way, we can tell whether the youth hunter hit the deer or the shot missed,” Hartsfield said.

Soon after 10 a.m., the first call came into the check station requesting a pickup. The first deer of the day had been taken by Brandon Burnette, 14, of Jacksonville. The deer was a 4 1/2-year-old, six-point buck, weighing 128 pounds.

“This is my first deer from Camp Blanding,” Burnette said. “I hunted here two years ago during a youth hunt, but I didn’t get anything that time.”

Garrison lifted the deer onto the scale to get its weight and also removed its jawbone to determine the buck’s age. The crew at Camp Blanding will also field dress the deer for the kids.

“They can take the deer with them, or we have a cooler here at the check station where they can hang the deer until they can get it processed,” Garrison said.

At the end of the two-day hunt the young hunters had taken a total of four deer, according to Hartsfield.

“We had another buck taken – an eight-point – and two does. There were a lot of deer seen and a lot of deer shot at during the hunt, but it wasn’t a great weekend weather-wise. It was hot, and I’m sure many of the kids had a tough time sitting still,” Hartsfield said. “But most everyone got to see some kind of critter, and the hunters all seemed to be enjoying themselves.”

For more information about the Andrews and Camp Blanding youth hunts conducted at, check out MyFWC.com/hunting.