Photo By Stacey Reese | Andrew Dennis, age 12 from Union City, OK showing off his doe.... read more read more
HUGO, Okla. — The Hugo Lake U. S. Army Corps of Engineers staff hosted a bi-annual youth hunt Oct. 8th and 9th in conjunction with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife hunt intended to control the deer population in support of their wildlife management mission.
Every year during the fall, the USACE Hugo Lake Project Office hosts the Hugo Lake Controlled Youth Deer Hunt out of Kiamichi Park the second weekend in October and the second weekend in December.
During the spring, prior to the hunt, the ODOT Conservation provides an online draw system for youth hunters to submit their application in hopes of being selected for the controlled hunts around the state of Oklahoma. The hunters selected for the Hugo Lake hunt enjoy a weekend full of time spent in the outdoors with their family, good food, and fellowship with other youth hunters.
Tanner McAdams, acting Hugo Lake Manager, began the weekend with a pre-hunt safety meeting that described to the participants the check in and check out procedures for entering and leaving the woods. This ensured that staff members knew when the hunters were in the woods. McAdams also went over gun safety, not having the gun loaded when going out to hunt and ensuring hunters unload their gun before leaving the woods. He reminded the participants that the warmer weather meant that snakes were still active and to exercise caution.
Each hunter was accompanied by an adult and were given a map of designated hunting areas with contact information for office staff and locations of stands and blinds in the woods. Hunters were allowed to harvest one deer each over the weekend (buck or doe).
Easton Cheatwood, age 9 from Prague, Okla., brought on the first deer of the weekend Friday evening.
“This hunt is top notch. The staff really goes above and beyond for the hunters and the adults who accompany them during the weekend” said John Cheatwood.
“The Hugo Lake Controlled Youth Deer Hunt’s success over the last several decades can be contributed to the Corps of Engineers staff members and volunteers who work tirelessly to the ensure the youth hunters have a fun and safe weekend in the woods,” said McAdams.
In addition to the hunt being an event-filled weekend for the kids, the Hugo Lake Controlled Youth Hunt also serves as a great opportunity for USACE to provide outreach to educate the public about the agency’s Natural Resource Management goals and mission.
| Date Taken: | 10.19.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 10.19.2021 18:50 |
| Story ID: | 407584 |
| Location: | HUGO, OKLAHOMA, US |
| Web Views: | 233 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Youth hunt promotes outdoor recreation and manages wildlife population in Oklahoma., by Tiffany Natividad, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
