On Saturday, Dec. 5, almost one dozen youths, ages 10-15, grabbed their shotguns and headed to the Kimball County Club. Although it may sound like a disaster in the making, these kids were out pheasant hunting. Saturday marked the seventh annual youth pheasant hunt sponsored by the Mile High Chapter of Pheasants Forever. Chapter president Rod Bussinger said that this event always ends with huge smiles on the kids faces. But it is not all fun and games. The young hunters arrive at the Kimball Country Club at 7:30 a.m. They meet with their adult mentors for breakfast and prepare to start the day with class. The youth hunt is typically held in a stuble field somewhere but Bussinger said they chose the Country Club for weather driven reasons.“We wanted a place for the kids to go and get warm because it is supposed to be cold,” Bussinger said. The youth hunters will be able to use the field house for weather relief. But that is only after their classes. Although getting youths to class Monday through Friday is difficult enough, try doing it on a Saturday, especially that early. But, the kids are anxious to hunt so they sit through the classes patiently. Bussinger said the kids will learn about hunter safety from hunter safety educator Greg Dinges. Care and proper gun cleaning will be taught to them by Pheasant Forever members. They will also learn about habitat conservation from the state wildlife biologist and the importance of asking permission to hunt on someone’s land. “For the most part, people are willing to let you hunt on their land,” said Bussinger, “as long as you respect their land and ask for their permission.”After the classes, the youths, along with their sponsors, will head outside to do some sport shooting.“This  gives the kids a chance to shoot at something in flight,” Bussinger said. Bussinger said the mentors will walk up on line with the kids and show them the proper way to fire a shotgun. Once everyone is warmed up and ready to go, they will head out into the field. Although the youths will be “hunting”, Bussinger said the pheasants were purchased by the chapter and put into the field. The reason they purchase the birds is quite simple. Although KImball county has a large amount of CRP land, the pheasant population here is not that large. “This provides the kids an opportunity to shoot a bird,” Bussinger said. Bussinger said the hunt will wrap up around 2 or 3 p.m. After the hunting is over, mentors will teach the youths the proper way to clean and dress their pheasants. If time allows, they may even learn some ways to cook them. Pheasants Forever is a conservation organization that spans across the U.S. Although they promote hunting, they are also huge advocates of conservation. To date, the Mile High Chapter has funded conservations projects to the tune of $321,759.42 Their biggest fundraiser is their annual banquet and membership drive. The funds from which stay local. Aside from the youth hunt, the chapter also cosponsors the fishing tournament at Oliver Lake every year with the Eagles.