Saturday the 17th annual Scooter's Youth Hunting Camp took place in Emmett. The camp caters to kids between 9 and 16 teaching them how to handle hunting weapons and how to survive in the outdoors.
President and organizer of the event Scott McGann says this years class filled up in just seconds.
"We had 250 spots, and we filled it in 47 seconds," said Mcgann.
McGann has been hosting this event for nearly two decades, and he credits the success to their hands-on sessions. About 4,000 students have gone through this courses to date. The kids get to learn how to safely handle a compound bow, shotgun and several survival skills with their outdoor clinics.
Mcgann says at a time when gun safety is a hugely controversial topic classes like this are needed now more than ever.
"If you educate these children about firearms and that they are not a toy. A gun is a real tool it can be used for good things it can be used for a bad thing with the wrong person behind it," said McGann.
"I think its good to know the safety of the gun and how to use it properly," said Ella Boersma, student.
The students say they didn't mind the heat or the loud noises
"I've shot guns, we got to shoot clay disks that got flown up in the air, we got to shoot 22s, and we got to see how well they grouped at the target," said Owen Hatfield, Student.
"The first session I learned was about survival we learned how to make fires and clean water and build shelters for ourselves," said Boersma.
Both students say they can't wait to share their knowledge with family and friends.
