BHA AFI New England Hosts 2nd Annual Learn to Waterfowl Dual Skills Camp!

-Sponsored By Boss Shot Shells

New England AFI hosted 25 members of the military community on a learn-to-hunt event in December 2023.

Presented by Boss Shotshells

What is it: A Dual Skills Camp is a learn-to ______ event. Attendees will be mentored through a hunting or fishing experience from the planning phase through the post-harvest meal prep. BHA mentors will host attendees in the field talking through the ins and outs of the outdoor pursuit being taught. After the day on the water or in the field a regional expert will walk participants through how hunting and fishing affect the conservation of the region, what is the North American model of conservation, and how participants can use their voices as members of the military community to support BHA's conservation mission.

Attendees received instruction in:

Waterfowl Hunting safety

Waterfowl Identification

Waterfowl Conservation History

Conservation Struggles and Wins

How to call ducks

Types of cover and concealment

How to Decoy Ducks

How to prepare a Duck for the table

AFI Mentors took out multiple groups of hunters throughout the three-day event each providing instruction on various strategies of Waterfowl hunting so each attendee saw multiple local experts approach waterfowl in a slightly different way.

-Field Hunting for geese

-Salt pan Black ducks

-Long lines for divers on big water

In the evening New England AFI leaders taught Conservation classes on, waterfowl management, the federal Duck stamp, and how participants can use their voices as veterans to help contribute to the North American Model of Wildlife conservation.

"I need to send a huge thank you to Boss for their incredible support this season sponsoring this and so many of our other events.  We couldn't do what do for 2000+ veterans a year if not for their generous support."

-Trevor Hubbs AFI Coordinator

"I am thrilled to come to mentor these new hunters every year. First of all because of the incredible debt we all owe the military community, but also selfishly because I want more supporters of conservation, I want more duck hunters, I want more people that are passionate about this part of the world in Public lands waters and wildlife. The folks that come out of these dual skills camps are some of the most incredible conservationists I have on the team."

-Mike Woods New England BHA President

"there's a lot of folks, especially in this part of the country that are super willing to run down to the state house and cause a ruckus over conservation, and that's super important but sometimes I think we get so wrapped up in our policy efforts that we forget in order to have an army of conservationists out there defending Public lands first we have to make an army. That's where events like these are super impactful."

-Chris Borgotti BHA Conservation and Policy manager Eastern US

"My biggest take away from this event is that I did not have a clean exit from my time in the service. I like a lot of folks I struggled and the process cost me more than I want to talk about. To be in a room with a group of people who all been there who have all gone through it and come out the other side really gives me hope."

-Participant

"These eastern saltwater marshes are an incredible ecosystem. The ducks, geese, the striped bass, clams, there is a wealth of resources at our disposal that have been here since before the United States was a country. The fact that these ecosystems still exist and they're so accessible by the public is an amazing conservation achievement"

-Participant

"The part of this event that really struck a chord with me, is the mentors being experts in their craft. Watching these waterfowlers call in groups of 30 or 50 geese that are coming right to you it's an incredible experience and you just wanna soak up all the knowledge and skills that these people have."

-Participant

I grew up in a house where if it didn't come from the store it wasn't worth eating. Watching the mentors breakdown ducks and prepare them for a family-style meal was like watching magic happen. All these public resources that are just available for somebody who's willing to get wet changed my outlook on what is possible in the kitchen"

-Participant

"The Parker River national wildlife refuge staff were amazing, their detailed account of the history of the area the regional importance of the area and why wild places need to exist was one of the coolest things I've seen"

-Participant

This and many more of BHA AFI Q4 events are sponsored by BOSS shot shells https://bossshotshells.com/