(Idaho State) Each year, as bird seasons open, Idaho Fish and Game staff from the Magic Valley Region organize a mentored pheasant and duck hunt for a small number of recent graduates of in-person hunter education classes. These hunts provide opportunities for youth to experience a day in the field hunting upland birds or waterfowl. In 2024, the Magic Valley Region sponsored one mentored pheasant hunt and one mentored duck hunt.
The anticipation of incoming ducks can been seen in the faces of this new hunter education graduate.
Two young hunters ready their shotguns as ducks fly by their blind.
Three generations of one family share the day in a hunting blind during the mentored youth duck hunt.
Elements of a successful duck blind include a shotgun along with a box of shotgun shells, a headlamp and the signs of a good day shooting.
Smiles rule the day after a successful day hanging out in a duck blind with your hunting mentors.