Southern Hunting Alliance looks to expand hunting opportunities for young people in Albany area

ALBANY — For William Bowie, youngsters these days are missing out on part of rural life that older generations take for granted: getting out in the woods to enjoy nature and take part in hunting.

One of the co-founders of the Southern Hunting Alliance, Bowie is looking to provide more opportunities for young people to have those same experiences.

“When I grew up in Albany and I turned 16, (during) deer season you would get your gear and your rifle or shotgun and we went out in the woods for the weekend,” he said. “Now, you’ve got so many nontraditional households, single-parent households and people are not being raised with the hunting tradition like we were when I was growing up.”

On April 20, the organization’s Flint River Chapter will hold its inaugural fundraising event to support its programs. The banquet will be held at 5:30 p.m. at the Merry Acres Event Center.

Southern Hunting Alliance also has an Ocmulgee Chapter based in the Macon area.

The founders of the alliance have been involved in national hunting organizations in the past but wanted to do something that would have more of a local impact, Bowie said.

“When you do fundraisers for the big nationals, and this is not being disparaging, they have things that are their targets, but we have zero paid board members, zero paid anything,” he said. “Everybody does this because they love what they do. Everything stays local. There’s no national organization we’re cutting a check to.”

Providing young hunters with a sense of stewardship is another goal for the group.

“Down here in south Georgia, we’re so blessed with the wildlife management areas and chances to hunt,” Bowie said. “The things you see in the woods, you’re not going to see on a video screen. You see a deer walking through the woods, a turkey walking through the woods.

“We always figure if a kid’s in the woods with a family member, they’re learning life lessons, learning about the woods. They’re not out there causing trouble. If we don’t take care of our land, everything from the dirt to the trees to the animals to the waterways, we aren’t going to have much of a world.”

In addition to providing hunting opportunities, the alliance gives scholarships to students, Bowie said.

Tickets for the banquet range from $75 for an individual ticket to corporate sponsorships from $600 to $3,000. The banquet also will include raffles.

For more information, visit southernhuntingalliance.org/events.

Special Photo: Georgia DNR