by Jena Gilmore | Jan 18, 2019
While this year’s hunting season is winding up, it’s never too early to think about getting ready for next year. Whether it’s deer, squirrel, ducks, dove or turkey, there are important hunting rules and guidelines both youth and adults must follow. Organizations like the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and your local UF/IFAS Extension Office provide programs to keep you on target each hunting season!
Safety is a key element of any shooting sport.
SAFETY FIRST
Each hunter must take some version of the Hunters Safety Education course. Anyone born on or after June 1, 1975, and 16 years or older, must pass a hunter safety course before a hunting license can be purchased. There are four options to complete this requirement:
- Traditional Course and Skills Day
– Face-to-face instructor led course
– Hands-on skill day – register here
- Online Course and Skills Day (two part process)
– Complete one of the online courses
– Hands on skill day – register here
- Florida Virtual School Outdoor Education
– FREE to Florida students in grades 9-12 or ages 12-18
– Apply here
– Earn 0.5 credit for high school
- Firearms Safety Certification and Online Course
– Adults only
– Must have completed previous firearms training
– Must complete one of the online classes in Option 2
– Follow procedures outlined in the Application for Hunter Safety Certification
If you’re using the Hunter Safety Mentoring Exemption and hunting under the supervision of a qualified hunter, you are exempt from this requirement.
Our district covers Zone D – Escambia to Gadsden/Wakulla & Zone C – Leon & Jefferson. Map courtesy of FWC.
Find Your Zone
Hunters should strive to be good stewards of Florida’s resources to keep this sport a tradition for generations to come. Take the time to determine what hunting zone you live in. Your zone determines your hunting season – meaning the appropriate time you can collect specific game in that area. You can find the Florida Hunting Zones Map here: http://myfwc.com/hunting/season-dates/zone-map/. Next, check the annually updated hunting season dates and bag limits related to your zone to stay in compliance with FWC regulations: http://myfwc.com/hunting/season-dates.
4-H Shooting Sports
Find your local UF/IFAS Extension Office and determine if there is a 4-H Shooting Sports program in your county. Participation in a 4-H Shooting Sport program provides year-round opportunities for youth to not only practice their discipline but also to explore other disciplines in a safe, inclusive, environment with 4-H volunteers/mentors!
4-H grows important life skills like responsibility, goal setting and teamwork in youth through shooting sports.
4-H Shooting Sports includes air rifle, small bore rifle, archery, shotgun, muzzleloading and hunting and develops important life skills in a safe and educational environment. Shooting sports day camps are popular during the summer, so ask you 4-H Agent if one will be scheduled for you county.
Attention Volunteers!
Would you like to become become 4-H Level 1 Certified to coach and teach youth shooting sports? If you are already enrolled as a 4-H volunteer, log in to your profile and register for the February 16th hands-on training in shotgun and archery. You’ll also complete five online learning modules as part of your training. If you’re new to 4-H, enroll at florida.4honline.com, and let your county 4-H Agent know that you are interested in teaching shooting sports.
Explore the links below to see how you and your youth can get involved in 4-H and stay up to date on the hunting regulations for your area:
by amgranger | Dec 7, 2018
Photo Credit: Melissa Loper
Warren Loper is an award-winning member of the Boots and Buckles 4-H Horse Club. Earlier this year, the Jackson County 4-H’er won awards at both the regional and state 4-H horse shows. What makes Warren unique is that he is also hearing impaired. But Warren is very much a “people person” and doesn’t like feeling different from anyone else. His mother, Melissa Loper, recently talked to me about his 4-H experience and how it has played a role in helping Warren build confidence and achieve success regardless of his challenge.
At two weeks old, Warren was diagnosed as being completely deaf due to improper functioning hair follicles in the Cochlea. At 15 months of age, he received a Cochlear implant that was activated at 18 months of age.
Melissa said Warren didn’t like the Cochlear implant at first because it allowed for all sounds to be heard at once. He had to learn how to drown out background sounds. The implant had to be turned down completely and then slowly raised to a level that was tolerable. His ability to handle the implant increased as he got older. Melissa says there are times when Warren would rather not be able to hear.
When asked what role 4-H has played in helping Warren build confidence and feel included, Melissa shared the following:
Photo Credit: Julie Hughes
“Being involved in the 4-H Horse Project has helped him so much. He has come out of his shell. His club leader, Lindsay Kiefer, has spent hours working with Warren and is so patient with him. He lives for helping other children, and it makes him feel important. One key thing is that no one on our team treats him like he is different than they are. As a mother, that is so important to me. Seeing the improvements he has made in his social skills and seeing him develop into an amazing rider warms my heart.”
One of the key components of 4-H is developing life skills and providing a safe and inclusive environment for all youth regardless of their physical or mental conditions. 4-H allows all youth the opportunity to explore their areas of interest. For Warren, the 4-H horse project allows him to learn the valuable life skills that come from raising and showing a horse and also allows him to exhibit mastery of learned riding skills in competitive events.
FUN FACTS…
Youth involved in the 4-H Horse Project learn more than just the science behind feeding and caring for a horse, and how to properly ride. Youth also compete in contests such as horse bowl, demonstrations, public speaking and art. Youth participating in this projects use their horse as a tool to increase their knowledge and enhance their life skills making them more productive young people. To find out more about the horse project in your county, contact your local UF/IFAS Extension office.
by Julie Pigott Dillard | Oct 1, 2018
2018 4-H Chick Chain
The final link in the 4-H Chick Chain project closed on Saturday as 4-H members from the northwest extension district participated in a showmanship and skill-a-thon contest and brought their best birds for judging.
Skill-a-Thon Seniors
Skill-a-Thon Juniors
Skill-a-Thon Intermediates
Showmanship – This tests youth on how knowledgeable they are about the care, nutrition and health of their project and how they handle their bird.
Junior Showmanship – 1st Taylor Anderson,
2nd Tucker Padgett, 3rd Emma Weeks
Intermediate Showmanship – 1st Catherine Proud, 2nd David Marr, 3rd Brodie Price
Senior Showmanship – 1st Kearsten Dalton, 2nd Hailey Dalton, 3rd Brayden Price
Best of Breed winners
Exhibition – How the youth fed and cared for their projects was also put to the test as the birds were judged on breed characteristics and production potential.
Best of Breed Barred Rock – JaceBryan Broxson
Best of Breed Buff Orpington – Ethan Thornburry
Best of Breed Cochin – Brooks Marr
Best of Breed Cuckoo Maran – Kearsten Dalton
Best of Breed Speckled Sussex – Emma Fore
Best of Breed White Leghorn – Bella Price
Overall Grand Champion and Reserve Champion
Grand and Reserve Champions
From the Best of Breed winners, an overall grand champion and reserve champion were named.
Overall Reserve Champion – Emma Fore
Overall Grand Champion – Bella Price
Best of Show Production Bird
Best of Show Production
Youth who have participated in the 4-H Chick Chain in 2016 and 2017 also brought their best production birds to be judged. Birds were judged on production elements.
Best of Show Production – Brayden Price
Skill-A-Thon
Skill-a-Thon Juniors
Skill-a-Thon Intermediates
Skill-a-Thon Seniors
Skill-a-thon is a hands-on way to test general knowledge of poultry including identifying breeds, setting up a brooder, reading a feed label, identifying common poultry diseases and identifying parts of the chicken.
Photography Top Senior
Photography
Our newest category youth this year included photography. We had several entries featuring the birds at all ages of the project.
Best of Show Photography Senior – Hailey Dalton
Cloverbud Exhibitors
Cloverbuds
Our Cloverbud 4-H members are an important part of our project. Even though they are non-competing, they participated in every aspect of the show, skill-a-thon and project books.
Be sure to like the 4-H in the Panhandle Facebook page to get the latest information on when registration for the 2019 4-H Chick Chain project will open. There’s also a comprehensive list of all of the award winners from this year!
Thanks for participating
by amgranger | Sep 28, 2018
Be Prepared and Have a Plan
This time last year, we were helping our 4-H friends all over Florida recover from Hurricane Irma. Hurricane season has been quiet in Florida so far, but that doesn’t mean we need to let our guard down – we still have two more months of hurricane season.
So,what would you do if you didn’t have electricity? How will you care for your 4-H project animals? Do you have an evacuation plan? Answers to these questions become major issues when dealing with disasters.
Disasters can be natural/weather-related, man-made or accidental. Regardless of the type, it’s important to be prepared and have a plan for you and your animals.
Plan for Your Animal’s Safety
Whether you evacuate or shelter in place, here are a few considerations:
- Be ready to leave once the evacuation is ordered.
- Evacuate animals as soon as possible.
- Your project animal won’t be able to stay with you in a shelter like a dog or a can.
- Know where safe livestock facilities are in your area or along your evacuation route.
- If you can’t evacuate, decide if you’re keeping animals confined to a barn or turning them out into pastures.
- Barn confinement may become dangerous and take away the animal’s ability to protect themselves.
- Pastures should be at least one acre in size with no potential hazards (barbed wire, power-lines, polls or items that can be picked up by the wind).
Disaster Preparedness for Livestock – Why Livestock Owners Need to Be Prepared
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) has some suggested guidelines about preparing livestock and horses for disasters:
- Check with your local humane organization, extension office or local emergency management agency to read about your county disaster response plans.
- Determine safe evacuation routes for trailers and livestock.
- Prepare a Farm Disaster Kit and Basic First-Aid Kit. Remember, supplies during or after the disaster may be in short supply, or roadways may be blocked. Keep kits up-to-date, keep them on-site and in your vehicle.
- A vaccination and test records (Coggins, health certificates, etc.)
- A list of all animals, where they are located on the farm and feeding instructions/records
- Sanitation items, cell phone, flashlights, portable radios and batteries.
- Have feed, water, handling equipment, tools, veterinary supplies and a generator (with fuel) on hand if possible.
- Make a list of emergency numbers – veterinarian, neighbors, state veterinarian, animal shelter, county extension office,local volunteer organizations and someone outside of the disaster area.
- Make sure you have proof of animal ownership. Have temporary ID supplies on hand like permanent markers and plastic bands that are safe, durable and visible. ID should include your name, address, and telephone number.
- Poultry need access to high areas to perch if you’re in an area susceptible to flooding. Provide access to clean water and food.
- Remove barbed wire or other fencing so animals can move to areas of safety during flooding or high winds.
- Store water in large containers (enough for a week) suck as troughs, swimming pools or boats
- Secure items that might be picked up and thrown by the wind like pieces of metal, troughs, tanks or trailers.
- Ensure there is safe shelter, fencing or pens.
- Keep animals in groups they’re used to where they are securely contained and protected from the elements.
Resources:
For more information about 4-H, contact your local UF/IFAS County Extension Office. If you are an adult or teen with skills or knowledge you’d like to share, ask about becoming a 4-H volunteer!
by pmdavis | Jun 29, 2018
Summer time is a great time to teach youth about solar energy!
Use s’mores to teach your kids about two different types of energy: kinetic and radiation. Kinetic energy is energy in motion. Radiation is energy made through electromagnetic waves. Heat and light waves penetrate food without direct contact between the heat source and the food. Solar ovens, toaster ovens and microwaves are all methods of radiation cooking.
To make the solar oven like you see below, get a pizza box and follow these steps:
- Line the inside of the box with foil.
- Make an opening on the top of the box by cutting three sides leaving the other side attached so it flaps open.
- Cover the opening with clear plastic wrap.
- Assemble your s’more (see tips below).
- Close the lid of the box and raise the foil covered flap.
- Make sure the sun is reflecting onto the oven opening.
Remember to orient your box according the time and sun location. For example, if it’s late afternoon and the sun is on your right, you must be facing south. You would want to turn your oven so the reflective waves would be heating up your oven in more of a westerly direction.
Hints and Tips
- Place the graham cracker and marshmallow in the oven first.
- Add the chocolate once the marshmallow is partially cooked. (Otherwise, the chocolate will be liquid by the time the marshmallow is melted).
- Speed up the process by preheating your oven.
- Give yourself time and other activities to keep the group entertained. It took the group pictured above about an hour to have the tasty treat!
Want more science tips and ideas?
Check out these sites to discover more fun science: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ , http://florida4h.org or http://utah4h.org/discover/.
For more information about how 4-H incorporates science into learning, contact your local extension office.
by amgranger | Mar 29, 2018
Many Extension Offices offer Cooperative Coops for youth who live in areas that are not zoned for poultry – UF/IFAS Jackson County Extension 4-H Program
Photo Credit: Angel
If you have been entertaining the idea of adding chickens to your personal “flock”, then we have some news for you! Not only would you be adding a sustainable practice at your home, your youth would have amazing opportunities to learn, develop valuable life skills and explore opportunities in 4-H. Youth from all walks of life (urban and rural) are involved in 4-H poultry projects. Here’s the scoop on getting started with backyard coops:
- Location– the first thing you need to find out is whether or not your location is zoned for poultry and whether or not there are any building restrictions. If there are no restrictions on your property, you will want to select a location that is relatively flat, has good drainage, access to electricity and water, and some natural shade if possible. If you do live in a restricted area, contact your local UF IFAS County Extension Office– many offices have cooperative coops where youth can participate in the poultry project, even if they can’t have their own backyard coop.
- Goal– Next, you need to consider what your goal is. Do you plan to produce just eggs or are you considering producing your own meat? Are you more interested in showing your chickens? How big of an operation are you planning?
- Coop Size– Are you planning to allow your birds to free-range or stay in an enclosed pen? Birds that are allowed to roam free during the day do not need as large a coop. If you are planning to keep your birds cooped up to keep them safe from neighborhood dogs or wildlife, you will need a larger coop. Also, the number of birds and breeds you want to have will impact your coop size. Here are the general rules of thumb when it comes to coop size:
- Heavy breeds– such as Australorp, Barred Rock, or Buff Orphington need 4 square feet of space if allowed out to forage during the day, but 10 square feet of space per bird if they are kept in the coop.
- Light breeds– such as Leghorn, Araucana or Silkies need 3 square feet of space per bird if allowed to forage, but 71/2 square feet of space per bird if kept in the coop.
For more information on selecting breeds, check out this article: Which Breeds are Best for Backyard Poultry.
- Coop Style– Chickens have been around for thousands of years so they are pretty resilient, but you still need to consider giving them proper shelter and protection from the elements and predators. Make sure that your coop has the capability to repel predators that fly, dig or crawl. Chickens are susceptible to birds of prey such as hawks and owls as well as predators on the ground including snakes, opossums, raccoons, coyotes, dogs and cats. There are many styles to choose from and you can spend a lot or a little, depending on your budget or your skills as a carpenter! Links to a few example coop plans are provided in the resources below. Many hardware and feed supply stores have “coop kits” for sale that are easy to put together. Generally, these coops are for small numbers of birds and are easy to remove should you change your mind about having a backyard flock later. The coop shown above was constructed with a 10 x 10 chain-link dog kennel and a canvas kennel cover. The roof and sides were laced with poultry wire which was also buried 8-10 inches in the ground around the perimeter. An enclosed area with laying boxes was constructed out of scrap lumber, an old screen door and a roll of window screen. All of the components give the birds protection from the elements and predators. Make sure that your coop site has access to electricity and water.
Chick Chain Participants
Photo Credit: A. Granger, UF/IFAS Jackson County Extension
If you have decided to incorporate some of the 4-H activities such as embryology or Chick Chain, you will be starting with day-old chicks that will require a little different living environment, at least until they can keep themselves warm and are big enough to be put on the ground. Regardless of the age of the birds, make sure that you are providing adequate amounts of fresh feed and clean water every day.
Once your birds are mature enough to lay eggs or be used for meat, you will enjoy having a great source of protein and a valuable teaching tool for youth. Learning skills such as record keeping and responsibility are just two of the skills that come to mind. Not to mention opportunities in learning to show or exhibit birds, learning about poultry and meats judging, earning scholarships in the 4-H Tailgate Cookery Contest and developing entrepreneurial skills in producing eggs or meat for your family or others.
There are multiple opportunities in 4-H poultry project. If you are interested in participating, either as a youth member or an adult volunteer, contact your local UF IFAS County Extension Office or visit http://florida4h.org.
Resources:
Backyard Flocks
Florida 4-H Chick Chain Project
Florida 4-H Poultry Project Page
Florida 4-H Embryology Program
4-H Poultry Judging
Life Skill Development Related to Participation in 4-H Animal Science Projects
