MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP — The Ashland County Pheasants Forever Chapter 442 purchased forever hunting licenses for 42 people who participated in the free youth hunt on Saturday.
The hunting licenses cost roughly $450 each and the chapter spent a total of $17,500.
Ohio Department of Natural Resources representatives were at the Davy McClure Outdoor Education Center to help register the kids for their licenses on Wednesday evening.
With the hunting license, the youth and women can hunt small game in Ohio, including squirrels, rabbits, pheasants, and grouse.
Logan Gehrisch, a 17-year-old from Galion, has been hunting and fishing all his life, but his favorite animal to hunt is the pheasant.
“It’s just such a fun and unique experience,” he said.
His new lifetime hunting license will be put to good use he said.
Gehrisch said he shot one pheasant at the hunt, which he cooked later that night. He shot another pheasant after the event, which he plans to cook for dinner for himself, his sister and mom.
“Hunting is a way of life. It’s the best part of my life honestly,” he said.
For Trevor Kellogg, it was his first exposure to pheasant hunting, and he enjoyed it. He plans to train his dog to help him hunt and retrieve pheasants in the future.
There were 39 youngsters and seven women participating in the event on Saturday, which was designed to teach participants how to hunt pheasant in a safe learning environment.
The training was open to any kids or women in Ohio, some came from Sandusky, Marion, Cleveland, but chapter member Brian Shane estimates most come from the nearby region.
Those in attendance first took a firearms safety course, led by Ashland County Park Commissioner Bob DeSanto. They then took practice shots at moving clay targets before moving into the field.
The Ashland Chapter provided the ammo, pheasants and guns for participants.
Under the supervision of experienced safety instructors and dog handlers, the hunters were guaranteed a chance to harvest up to two birds, according to an Ashland County Pictures article.
Every year, the Pheasants Forever Chapter hosts a fundraising banquet in March to support large projects, such as planting habitat or purchasing new equipment.
But this year, there was no project in mind, Shane said, so he suggested purchasing the forever hunting licenses.
“We’re big into investing into the youth, into the future,” he said.
After the Saturday event, Shane said parents were grateful that their children had the opportunity to learn how to pheasant hunt.