Greetings, and thank you for considering Camp Wilderness for your child's camp this summer. Camp Wilderness is a great choice for your youngster to receive their Hunter Safety and Bowhunter education that will help launch a lifetime of outdoors enjoyment. Our outdoors, hands-on interactive approach leaves each camper with loads of valuable information to start them out on the right foot, with safety and responsibility foremost in their minds. Below is some information that will hopefully answer some of your questions as parents. Also , please be sure to read the camp application in its entirety as many questions are answered there as well. If you still have questions, feel free to contact us directly.

STAFF- Along with myself, Camp Wilderness has between 10 and 14 instructors on hand, 8 group leaders, and 4-5 support staff for a average total on hand of 22-29 staff members. ALL staff are 100% volunteer, which assures you we WANT to be here, not have to. Camp Wilderness held it’s first camp in the Summer of 2000, although many of our staff members have many more years experience in outdoors youth camps beyond that. Each staff member brings a unique perspective to teaching children. Many of us have had our own children earn their Hunter Safety certificates at Camp Wilderness. All of our instructors are certified Michigan Hunter Education and International Bowhunter Education Program (IBEP) instructors, and have background checks done through the Michigan DNR Hunter Education division.

KIDS & CABINS- This is a one time only camp, due to the nature of our program. Camp Wilderness can accommodate approximately 45 kids ages 10-15. Boys and girls are housed separately in their perspective cabins, each being supervised by 2 adults. Kids are assigned cabins by gender and age groups prior to the start of camp. Requests for specific cabin mates should be made at the time of application. Unless there are extreme age differences, I will do my best to honor these requests. Please let us know ahead of time. Camp is filled on a first come-first serve basis, In the event camp is filled, we will gladly put you on the top of the list for the following year, and your payment for this year will be refunded.

REGISTRATION- Camp starts on Friday morning at 8:00AM SHARP. No breakfast is served Friday morning, so make sure you eat before you arrive. Parents depart as soon as they have registered their children and they get settled into their cabin. Parents return on Sunday at 12:20pm for a wrap up, with a directors presentation, a youth archery competition finale' and some special awards. Camp concludes approximately 2pm.

ACTIVITIES- During the 3 days of camp, the main experience is archery, firearms and hunting  education. We teach the combination class schedule as approved by the Michigan DNR. In these classes we stress safety, responsibility and ethics. While this is the mainstream of our program, we make sure there is plenty of free time for the other fun activities. These include archery range, pellet gun range, volleyball, swimming, fishing, canoeing, and evening campfires. On Sunday morning we go to the nearby Mecosta County Rod and Gun Club where the youngsters get the opportunity to shoot several types of firearms . All activities are conducted under the watchful eyes of our staff. Safety is always our top priority.

EQUIPMENT- All equipment is provided by Camp Wilderness. If your child has their own bow, we recommend they bring it ,along with at least 6 arrows (field tips only). If they do not own a bow ,we have several that we will gladly set them up with. NO OTHER WEAPONS are allowed in camp. They can also bring a fishing pole along. Knives, broadheads, personal firearms and/or ammunition, or any other type of weapon is forbidden. This includes any multi-tool that has a knife blade on it.

MONEY NEEDS- Everything is paid for with your registration fee. However, we may take a walk to the campground store so about $5-10 is all your child should bring with them. I sincerely hope that you will make Camp Wilderness your choice for your child's summer outdoor education. It will be a fun and memorable experience. We feel Camp Wilderness is the most interactive way to achieve a Hunter Education certification, and our experienced staff is always willing to go the distance to make sure each child has a fun filled experience. If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me directly, and I will do my best to answer them for you. In closing, I would like to take a moment to express a sincere thank you to my predecessors as Camp Director. Their many years of selfless dedication to teaching kids about the outdoors have made a tremendous impact not just on the many kids, but on the staff as well. Their hundreds of hours and many years of dedication have laid the groundwork that allows Camp Wilderness to operate as smoothly as it does. They have set a shining example for all who follow.

Mark Brown Camp Director

campwilderness@hotmail.com

If camp is full, the kids will be placed on next years call back list and your payment refunded.

Copyright © 2003 MSC Camp Wilderness all rights reserved.

All photos property of MSC Camp Wilderness and may not be used without expressed written consent.