I am not a native Kentuckian but have lived in Kentucky longer than I’ve lived anywhere else, so perhaps you’ll afford me squatter’s rights to talk about a program with which I haven’t a shred of personal experience but a great deal of secondhand information.
It’s the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources’ Conservation Camp program. The program is generations old, having started in 1949 at Camp John Currie on Kentucky Lake. Camp Earl Wallace near Lake Cumberland opened a couple of years later, and Camp Robert C. Webb on Grayson Lake was added in 1969.
The goal for the kids, which I doubt has much changed since the initial summer of 1949, is a week of outside fun, complete with dirt, grime, splashing and squeals, all while gathering and honing some important outdoor skills.
If that sounds like fun, it’s because it is.
Conservation camp season runs for eight weeks, from June to August (no camps are scheduled during the week of July 4). Individual camps run Monday through Friday.
The camps are open to Kentucky students in grades 4 through 6, and, according to the KDFWR website, students who are “no older than 13” as of April 1. The cost is $300 and—along with a slew of daily fun stuff—includes food, lodging, camper’s insurance, a junior sportsman’s license and transportation between the student’s school district and the camp.
The fun stuff includes classes and hands-on experience with archery, boating, fishing, paddling, nature exploration, outdoor survival skills and swimming.
Safety is paramount. Each camp is staffed with a camp director, camp superintendent, five conservation educators, 24 counselors, four counselor supervisors and three cooks. All camp staff receive a minimum of two weeks training, and each staff member is subject to a background check issued by the Kentucky State Police.
Attendees are closely supervised, and the week is fairly structured. The biggest challenge, according to several alumni and past staff members I talked with, is homesickness. While there is no sick like homesick campers, those suffering from this common malady are strongly urged to spend the first night, which typically cures the ailment. No camper is required to stay against his or her will.
Due to the construction of a new dining hall, Camp Wallace is closed for the 2025 season. Students who normally would attend Camp Earl Wallace will be eligible to attend Camp Currie or Camp Webb. Available dates can be found at fw.ky.gov/Education/Documents/Camp-Wallace-County-Assignments.pdf.
For more information about the Conservation Camp program, including financial assistance and options for sponsoring a student, go to fw.ky.gov/Education/Pages/Summer-Camps.aspx or contact the Department of Fish and Wildlife at 1.800.858.1549. Each camp can host about 200 students per week.
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If you bagged a deer during the 2024-25 season, which closed January 20, congratulations! You helped nearly set a record.
The total season kill was 149,868 deer—second only to the astounding 155,730 whitetails that hunters checked in 2015. The recent take also surpassed the 10-year average of 143,442 deer bagged per season.
The strong harvest came in the face of wet, foul weather during the opening of gun season.
State wildlife officials were generally happy.
“The opening weekend of modern gun is traditionally responsible for our largest percentage of Kentucky’s overall deer harvest each year, so we’re very glad that hunters stuck with it, despite the weird weather,” said state deer program coordinator Joe McDermott. “We had a great turnout for modern gun season. We had a great season, even with subpar weather at times.”
The lion’s share of the annual season kill generally is taken during the November modern-gun season. During the most recent campaign, gun hunters bagged 107,392 deer. Archers took 16,662, crossbow hunters 14,020, and muzzleloader hunters checked 11,794.
One thing state wildlife officials were not overly pleased with was the 2024-25 buck-to-doe ratio.
Of the total deer kill, 63,797, or about 42 percent of the total, were does. State wildlife officials would like to see close to a 50/50 doe/buck harvest.
Kentucky’s sporting license year ended Feb. 28. Don’t forget to renew. Licenses can be purchased online at fw.ky.gov or at most county court houses and where sporting goods are sold.
Readers may contact Gary Garth at editor@kentuckymonthly.com