By Tom Claycomb III
I became acquainted with the Scooter’s Youth Hunting Camp back in 2004 or 2005. My wife came home from school one day and told me she’d signed up our two sons in some kind of youth hunting camp and that I had to take them to it. What?! The camp is held the first Saturday in May every year. That’s right in the middle of primo bear and whistle pig hunting and crappie fishing…and turkey hunting…and morel mushroom picking season…
Well, I was stuck no matter how much I whined. So, I dutifully took the two young boys. Little did I know that I would end up liking the camp better than they did. In fact, I’ve been a volunteer ever since. And the two young boys have grown up to be good young men and I later got to take them both on their first deer hunts.
I conduct 40-60 outdoor seminars/speaking engagements per year, all the way from Texas to Alaska, and yet the SYHC is the coolest event that I do all year. Scott “Scooter” McGann, founder and creator of the camp more than 16 years ago, originally did it to help single moms. But he couldn’t deny kids with two parents the opportunity to come, though his heart was originally to help single moms in getting their kids into the outdoors to help them stay out of trouble.
In the beginning kids mailed in applications and all were accepted. In those days we had about 140 kids. It kept growing until we had to hire someone to do a call-in registration. Last year it filled-up with 250 kids in 49 seconds.
Here’s the format. The kids show up and sign in and are divided into six groups. To begin, we meet and say the Pledge of Allegiance, a local pastor says a prayer, and then group one goes to the first station, group two to the second one and so on.
There are six stations:
After 45 minutes, all groups reconvene in the meeting area and a seminar is put on by a pro-staff member (a product promoter). They are great seminars and I always learn a lot at them. When the seminar is over, the kids rotate to their next station.
At lunchtime we break and eat lunch that has been prepared by a group of volunteers. What makes the camp especially cool is that due to generous local businesses, the food and snacks are all donated and cooked by volunteers so the kids eat for free. After lunch the kids rotate to their next station.
After the kids have hit all the stations, they reconvene in the meeting area for Scott’s favorite event: the kids drawing. Due to local businesses and major companies donating items, every kid draws a gift. And I mean nice gifts. Companies and local businesses are over-the-top generous, and prizes include knives, targets, airguns and much more.
The kids attend for free, again due to the generosity of local and national businesses, and volunteer help. (Where was the SYHC when I was a kid?!)
Here are a few general rules, but check the SYHC website to ensure you don’t miss the registration. (Don’t just trust my instructions.)
CHRISTIAN TIP #10: Here’s what I’m seeing and learning lately. I think a lot of us run around in a circle trying to be a Christian when really, it’s pretty simple. I’m thinking the whole secret to a vibrant Christian life is to abide in Him.
This year, in the morning I’m reading a chapter out of the New Testament and at night a chapter out of the Old Testament. I don’t want to sound like a biblical illiterate, but here’s something that I just really noticed lately. Jesus is busy as heck all day healing people and preaching, but then after a busy day of miracles He withdraws to a secluded place and prays. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
He constantly withdraws and is in God’s presence. If He had to do that then I sure do! I think there’s something huge in this abide deal. Yes, hit it hard and be busy as heck but constantly stop, get recharged and then it hard again. I hear there’s a lot of pastors who are so busy they never have a quiet time. Not good. I think we need to withdraw daily and be in His presence.
For more information about anything in this column, contact Tom at tomclaycomb3rd@gmail.com.
