YOER Activities 2026

Schedule of Events

8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. – Registration and light breakfast
9:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. – Session 1
10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. – Session 2
12:00 to 12:45 p.m. – Lunch
12:45 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. – Session 3
2:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. – Session 4
4:00 p.m. – BBQ and door prizes
5:30 pm – Community softball game

FLY CASTING

Come join the professional guides of Bent Fly Fishing Montana, as they lead you through the basics of fly fishing the beautiful trout streams and pristine lakes of Montana. Loaner fly rods will be available on site the day of the seminars; however, participants are encouraged to bring their own fly rods and reel outfits.

BASICS OF ARCHERY

Join professional archer Nicole Tindale, owner of Flaming Arrow Archery Shop in Kalispell, as she provides the foundation of good archery shooting leading to successful adventures afield. This class is designed to assist the beginner archers develop great shooting fundamentals. Advanced archers are encouraged to bring their personal archery equipment for great tips and instruction by Nicole. Basic bow and arrow set ups will be available for use the day of the seminar.

Outdoor Ethics

How can we responsibly enjoy and protect the places we love? Join Sara Lamar of Swan Valley Connections for an engaging introduction to outdoor ethics. This class will explore principles for minimizing our impact on wildlife, natural landscapes, and people while recreating in the Swan Valley and beyond.

MONTANA FUR TRAPPING 101

Join veteran backcountry trapper Ron Ream, as he covers the basic high points involved in successfully trapping predators. Ron will cover the equipment and techniques to help you get started in this time-honored wildlife management tool.

BACKCOUNTRY FIRST AID

Join Racheal Vargas, Montana Health and Safety Training Instructor, as she explains how to provide important backcountry first aid techniques. This class will cover important first aid techniques such as what to do to provide support for a broken bone or how to provide blood stopping procedures while in remote areas of Montana’s backcountry.

WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS SAFETY TRAINING

Join long term Swan Valley outdoorsman, outfitter, and naturalist Tom Parker as he provides a plethora of techniques and tips as to how to safely deal with potentially dangerous wildlife encounters. Tom will describe the important aspects of being bear aware as well as dealing with mountain lions, moose, wolves, and other wildlife species common here in the Swan Valley. Tom will share a lifetime of experience that you will be sure to enjoy as well as learn from.

PROTECT YOUR DOG IN THE WILD

Please join Garry Forman of Montana K9 Safety as he will present an interesting class on how to remove your dog from a trap or snare, how to make a makeshift muzzle with your leash, and how to care for paw/pad injuries.

ONX CLASS

Come join Onx App pro staffer Lake Pickle, as he personally walks you thru the basics of how to utilize and navigate this popular phone application. Lake will have you an Onx pro in no time.

WILDLIFE TRACKS AND SIGN

Come join Sara Lamar of Swan Valley Connections as she teaches you how to enhance your outdoor adventures by learning how to identify tracks and sign wildlife leave behind. Together you will study the tracks of common animals that call the Swan Valley home and take a short walk to view common wildlife sign such as scat and rub trees.

Truck and Trailer Backing

Have you ever wanted to be more proficient in the art of backing your boat down the ramp or getting your travel trailer into that tight camping spot ?
Then this is the class for you.

Learn the tips and techniques of successfully backing a truck and trailer with the help of your qualified instructors.
This class may be more geared toward the adults as all students must hold a valid drivers license.

Wild Game Processing

This year, we are proud to introduce a brand new hands-on

class led by Swan Valley game processors Rick “Yogi” Johnson and Earl Miller. Participants will learn the different aspects of processing large game animals. This one and a half hour session will descibe the equipment and techniques to safely and successfully breakdown your harvest to be stored long-term in the freezer and provide outstanding high-quality table fair.

River Safety

Learn some basic tools–and rules–to stay safe while floating Montana’s rivers and lakes. Learn about the “five deadly mistakes,” and how to avoid them. We will cover the proper fitting and use of PFDs (“life preservers”), how to dress to avoid hypothermia, important river features, and some basic rescue tools and techniques.

Build an Emergency Fire in the Wild

Tom parker will teach you how to build an emergency fire and show you the minimum “what to have with you” when going afield, even on day hikes. Instruction will include techniques on reliably starting an emergency fire under adverse cold wet conditions, selection of site to place an emergency fire, and how to have a fire burn all night long in many environments even if you have no way to gather burnable wood material through the night. Tom Parker has been licensed as an outfitter/guide and have actively led outdoor activities continuously for 50years.

Basics of Land Navigation

Join Joe Dolio, the author of the Tactical Wisdom series, as he talks about the basics of land navigation. You will learn valuable map and compass skills that can keep you on track in the back country. We’ll do exercises to orient maps properly and learn to trust our compass. Here in the Swan, we can’t always rely on our phones or GPS, but a compass always works.

Photo by John K Mercer.