The first blats were pretty timid and then the kids got the hang of making duck calls during Ducks Unlimited's annual Youth Waterfowl Hunting Clinic. Some 35 children and their parents gathered at DU's Great Plains Regional Office in Bismarck to learn the many aspects of waterfowl hunting, including calling, handling retrievers and working with a wide range of gear. DU sponsors the annual event with assistance from the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, Avery Outdoors and Bushnell.
The goal of the clinics is to get more young people hunting and turn around the downward trend in numbers of hunters.
Students also had a chance to practice their shooting techniques at Capital City Sporting Clays.