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You never know what a youth is thinking about during his or her outdoor adventure.
Here, The Daily Review Outdoor Writer John Flores' grandson, Gabriel Flores, makes sport with a goggle eye that gave him a tussle reeling in. (Submitted Photo/Courtesy of John K. Flores)

Time is running out to enter youth journalism contests

By JOHN K. FLORES

By southern standards, I started hunting late. In Michigan, where I grew up, youths couldn’t legally hunt until age 12 and had to pass a safe hunters program.
Moreover, they had to buy a license just like the adults.
Just like here in Louisiana, it was a big deal for a youth to kill a deer or any game animal for that matter.
During my impressionable years growing up, my maternal grandmother would meet me at the back door when I came in from the field to see what I had in my game bag.
A couple things stood out back then. One, I wasn’t a very good shot. And two, I also wasn’t much of a hunter.
My parents were divorced, and my father didn’t hunt.
What’s more, mentors were few. I had an uncle who liked to chase deer in northern Michigan. There also were a couple men in the neighborhood that would occasionally invite me. But, other than those invites, I was pretty much on my own.
I got pretty proficient at killing squirrels initially. Rabbits were mostly a hit or miss proposition, and I fired a lot of shotgun shells before I killed my first rooster pheasant.
Reaching in my game bag, I’d pull out whatever the kill of the day was and show it to grandma. Sadly, most of the time my game was pretty shot up and my field dressing skills that I learned from reading Sports Afield and Field & Stream magazines were nothing to be desired.
No matter, Gram would make over me as if I had done something noble.
What’s more, she’d take that rabbit or pheasant and finish the cleaning, then turn it into some of the best table fare you’d ever eaten.
Grandma would listen to my stories of how I walked a fencerow and worked it slow, making sure I stomped every little patch of briar or cattails that looked gamey.
Back then, I didn’t have an outlet to write down my stories and sure wish I had what The Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association has to offer youth today.
But, time is running out if you have an aspiring young writer or photographer at home who has a story to tell.
The year 2015 is the 70th anniversary of the Louisiana Outdoor Writers Association.
The organization will hold their annual conference the second weekend in August in Morgan City this year, where youth journalists will be honored.
There are three contests youth can enter this year. The longest-running LOWA contest is the Youth Journalism Contest, sponsored by the Louisiana Chapter of Safari Club International.
The YJC program has two writing divisions, junior essay for ages 7-13 and senior essay for ages 14-18.
It also has a photography division for ages 7-18.
Essays must be 300 to 1,000 words. Any outdoor activity is allowed. The same goes for photography.
All YJC entries must be entered by July 22, and addressed to: Joe Macaluso / Attention: LOWA, Advocate Outdoors. P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821.
The second contest LOWA offers for a young person is the Youth Hunter of the Year Award. Here, a youth is required to write an essay about his or her outdoor hunting experience and supply a few photos of the event. A boy and girl youth hunter will be selected from the entries.
A variety of cash prizes, certificates and plaques will be awarded to winners of the LOWA contests.
Additionally, winning essays and photographs will be published in a variety of media, as youth contestants will be exposed to many of the top outdoor writer, radio, and television personalities across the state of Louisiana.
For more information on the youth hunter of the year program, contestants can visit www.wlf.louisiana.gov/hunting/yhrp. The deadline for entry is June 30.
This year, for the first time, LOWA also will offer a Youth Angler of the Year Award to a boy and girl. The program mirrors the Youth Hunter Award program. For more information, visit www.laoutdoorwriters.com/YAA. The deadline for entry is June 30.
There is nothing like a hunting, fishing, nature, hiking, canoeing — you name it — story that comes from a youth’s perspective. Why not encourage one or all of the youth in your family to enter? But remember, time is running out.
If you have an anecdote, recipe or story you wish to share, you can contact John K. Flores at 985-395-5586 or gowiththeflo@cox.net or on Facebook at gowiththeflo outdoors.

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