JAKES Day
Parker Canyon Lake ~ Cochise County, Arizona
June 17th, 2017
What: The Huachuca Gould’s Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation hosted a JAKES Day for area youth recently. Forty-five participants learned various outdoor skills at 4 teaching stations.
When: June 17th, 2017.
Where: Parker Canyon Lake, Cochise County, Arizona
General Information: For the 11th year, volunteers from the Huachuca Gould’s Chapter offered a day of conservation skills and ethics for local youth. This JAKES event was supported by the Chapter’s annual banquet and the National Wild Turkey Federation. As always, there was no charge to the participants.
JAKES stands for Juniors Acquiring Knowledge, Ethics and Sportsmanship. This year, 45 youths registered for the event. Ages of participants ranged from 7 to 15 years old with a couple of younger ones looking on. Local home towns included Benson, Sierra Vista, Fort Huachuca, and Hereford. Farther traveling JAKES came from Sahuarita, Tucson, and even Phoenix.
Parker Canyon Lake in the Canelo Hills of southeastern Arizona was the site of the JAKES event. This body of water sits at an elevation of just under 5400 feet surrounded by rolling hills of oak and juniper woodland. When full, the impoundment for the lake backs up about 130 surface acres of water. Besides being only 25 miles from Sierra Vista via a paved road, the lake holds 3 state records for trophy fish. The biggest is a Channel Catfish at over 32 pounds. Record Black Bullhead and Green Sunfish have been landed here, also.
The weather, well, can only be described as mighty warm for a mid-June day in Cochise County. It was sunny with the high temperature in the mid-90s. At least a breeze (by southeast Arizona standards) coming off the lake and plenty of shade canopies kept the heat tolerable.
A brief orientation followed the morning registration. Then participants divided into small groups and headed to 4 teaching stations. These stations were located at the marina and along the nearby lake shore. And what a great place Parker Lake was for such an event!
At one station, Arizona B.A.S.S. Nation conducted a casting, equipment, and knot tying clinic. One skill taught was “flipping” a lure at bullseye marked mat. Fishing on the pro bass circuit was discussed from the top of a big-time boat as well. Land navigation and compass reading were taught at a second station. The San Pedro Fly Casters gave hands on experience in fly casting along the shoreline as part of the third station. Other club members demonstrated the fine art of fly tying. For the fourth station, hands-on game calling was offered.
A delicious lunch of grilled hamburgers and hotdogs, chips, watermelon, and refreshments was provided at mid-day to the JAKES and their families numbering about 100. The chow line formed fast and the chairs in the shade were very welcome by the group!
Next, participants posed for a group portrait on the marina with Parker Canyon Lake as a backdrop.
After completing all the learning stations by early afternoon, the Arizona B.A.S.S. Nation raffled off donated equipment to the youth.
And so another fun filled and educational day for JAKES and their families concluded.
Wayne Kaiser, Huachuca Gould’s Chapter, did an outstanding job of organizing the event and coordinating with volunteers and presenters.
Thanks go to Scott Kerr of the Parker Canyon Lake Marina and the Coronado National Forest for use of the facilities.
The presenters deserve special thanks. They were:
Arizona B.A.S.S. Nation- Gerald Kimzey, Shawn Cooke, Jacob Shull, Gabe Thomas, Pat Hanning, and Greg Taylor
Land Navigation and Compass Reading- Bob Pourier and Dave Winiesdorffer
San Pedro Fly Casters- John Marvin, Rick Weisberg, Paul Hoyt
Game Calling- Dave Kemnitz, Victoria Kemnitz, and Wayne Kaiser
Several members of the Huachuca Gould’s Chapter deserve recognition for their assistance at the event, also. They were: Tom Fuller, Randy Keiller, Dave Inman, Lorin Kaiser, and Tom Deecken.
And finally, a special thank you goes to all the parents, relatives, and friends for bringing a youth to JAKES Day!
When: June 17th, 2017.
Where: Parker Canyon Lake, Cochise County, Arizona
General Information: For the 11th year, volunteers from the Huachuca Gould’s Chapter offered a day of conservation skills and ethics for local youth. This JAKES event was supported by the Chapter’s annual banquet and the National Wild Turkey Federation. As always, there was no charge to the participants.
JAKES stands for Juniors Acquiring Knowledge, Ethics and Sportsmanship. This year, 45 youths registered for the event. Ages of participants ranged from 7 to 15 years old with a couple of younger ones looking on. Local home towns included Benson, Sierra Vista, Fort Huachuca, and Hereford. Farther traveling JAKES came from Sahuarita, Tucson, and even Phoenix.
Parker Canyon Lake in the Canelo Hills of southeastern Arizona was the site of the JAKES event. This body of water sits at an elevation of just under 5400 feet surrounded by rolling hills of oak and juniper woodland. When full, the impoundment for the lake backs up about 130 surface acres of water. Besides being only 25 miles from Sierra Vista via a paved road, the lake holds 3 state records for trophy fish. The biggest is a Channel Catfish at over 32 pounds. Record Black Bullhead and Green Sunfish have been landed here, also.
The weather, well, can only be described as mighty warm for a mid-June day in Cochise County. It was sunny with the high temperature in the mid-90s. At least a breeze (by southeast Arizona standards) coming off the lake and plenty of shade canopies kept the heat tolerable.
A brief orientation followed the morning registration. Then participants divided into small groups and headed to 4 teaching stations. These stations were located at the marina and along the nearby lake shore. And what a great place Parker Lake was for such an event!
At one station, Arizona B.A.S.S. Nation conducted a casting, equipment, and knot tying clinic. One skill taught was “flipping” a lure at bullseye marked mat. Fishing on the pro bass circuit was discussed from the top of a big-time boat as well. Land navigation and compass reading were taught at a second station. The San Pedro Fly Casters gave hands on experience in fly casting along the shoreline as part of the third station. Other club members demonstrated the fine art of fly tying. For the fourth station, hands-on game calling was offered.
A delicious lunch of grilled hamburgers and hotdogs, chips, watermelon, and refreshments was provided at mid-day to the JAKES and their families numbering about 100. The chow line formed fast and the chairs in the shade were very welcome by the group!
Next, participants posed for a group portrait on the marina with Parker Canyon Lake as a backdrop.
After completing all the learning stations by early afternoon, the Arizona B.A.S.S. Nation raffled off donated equipment to the youth.
And so another fun filled and educational day for JAKES and their families concluded.
Wayne Kaiser, Huachuca Gould’s Chapter, did an outstanding job of organizing the event and coordinating with volunteers and presenters.
Thanks go to Scott Kerr of the Parker Canyon Lake Marina and the Coronado National Forest for use of the facilities.
The presenters deserve special thanks. They were:
Arizona B.A.S.S. Nation- Gerald Kimzey, Shawn Cooke, Jacob Shull, Gabe Thomas, Pat Hanning, and Greg Taylor
Land Navigation and Compass Reading- Bob Pourier and Dave Winiesdorffer
San Pedro Fly Casters- John Marvin, Rick Weisberg, Paul Hoyt
Game Calling- Dave Kemnitz, Victoria Kemnitz, and Wayne Kaiser
Several members of the Huachuca Gould’s Chapter deserve recognition for their assistance at the event, also. They were: Tom Fuller, Randy Keiller, Dave Inman, Lorin Kaiser, and Tom Deecken.
And finally, a special thank you goes to all the parents, relatives, and friends for bringing a youth to JAKES Day!
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Thanks goes all around to our participates, guest, sponsors, board member, and of course, Tom Deecken for taking the time to capture another great event. |