Nearly 100 young people got a taste of waterfowling last fall at the Arch Chapter of Delta Waterfowl’s 5th Annual Aaron Hurst Memorial Youth Waterfowl Education Day. Working in partnership with Delta’s First Hunt program, the St. Louis-based chapter offered free attendance to boys and girls from 7 to 15 years of age.

Activities included shooting clay targets over decoys, shotgun patterning, duck and goose calling, an overview of Predator Management and instruction on waterfowling safety and regulations.

“The youth day is funded through our annual Duckapalooza Banquet and donations by a number of dedicated Arch Chapter sponsors,” said Tom Biggar, chapter chairman. “We’d like to thank the Edwardsville Gun Club for hosting the event at their terrific facility in Edwardsville, Illinois.”

The event honors the memory of Aaron Hurst, son of Arch Chapter members Bob and Chris Hurst, who passed unexpectedly in 2012 at age 17.

“Aaron was an outstanding outdoorsman with a passion for waterfowl hunting and educating other youths about the sport he loved,” Biggar said. “We are pleased that the event has grown from 25 youth attendees in 2012 to 98 participants in 2016.”