KEN BURGER: Campers heed the call of the wild

PINEWOOD -- Do you know the difference between a pintail and a mallard, a copperhead and a cottonmouth?

Twelve-year-old Noble Golding of Mount Pleasant does. So do Cooper Snow and his older brothers, Preston and J.R., of Edisto Island.

They're just a few of the 30 kids spending this week at Camp Woodie, a remote compound here in the woods near Lake Marion, where they're immersed in the call of the wild.

Since 1995, the S.C. Waterfowl Association has run this summer program for hundreds of children who want to learn more about hunting, fishing and the traditions that come with an outdoor life.

"These are kids whose parents have introduced them to the outdoors," camp director Ed Paul said during a visit earlier this week. "They see it, they enjoy it and they long for it. They need to fulfill that need to just be outside. "

Chief Louie

The camp covers 600 acres of woodlands with lakes and ponds where kids from 8 to 16 years old take part in activities that range from building duck blinds, fishing, canoeing, camouflaging boats, shooting skeet, shotguns, rifles, and bows and arrows.

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And while it's absolutely in the middle of nowhere, there are certain luxuries, like an air conditioned bunkhouse and a swimming pool.

The cost is $420 and up, with arrival on Sundays, departure on Thursday (www.scwa.org).

They even get live presentations from people like Roark Ferguson, a reptile specialist, who brought along a few slithery friends, including a large python for the kids to hold; and a visit from Chief Louie, the head of the local Beaver Creek Indian Tribe.

But like most summer camps, it's just fun playing traditional games like capture the flag or a tug of war in the mud. That, and being around like-minded people who are interested in what you're interested in.

In this case, it's South Carolina's deep and abiding connection with hunting.

In their blood

Among the campers this week were three young women who also enjoy the great outdoors.

Kelly Cousins, 13, of Summerville said this was her third year at Camp Woodie. Her bunkmates included her hometown friend Lauryn Wells and Evee Johnson from Columbia.

"It's no big deal being the only girls," Cousins said. "It's actually pretty cool because we get more turns shooting the guns."

Which proves they're just kids with hunting in their blood, who want to learn how to do it safely and correctly, and, above all, without causing harm to the environment.

"These are not your typical video-game kids," said Paul, who was a camper here as a kid. "When they come here I feel like they leave with a sense of what the land really means.

"That it's not just a place to throw a piece of trash down and someone won't know about it. That our everyday life depends on how we take care of the outdoors."

Reach Ken Burger at 937-5598 or on Twitter at @Ken_Burger.