A Mossburg 20-gauge shotgun with slug barrel and laser-engraved stock has been donated to the Southern Gateway Chapter of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association. Milan and Elaine Hart of Hart Bros. Weaponry of Albert Lea donated the gun to be raffled off to provide funding for the chapter’s Fork Horn camperships that are made available to send local youths to various camps around the state.

Raffle tickets will be available from chapter members and at the Freeborn County Fair and at the fall banquet in September. These camps provide firearms training, wilderness survival, hunting ethics, compass reading and archery, along with many other activities. There are three campership levels. Fork Horn I basic firearms safety training (with a firearms safety test given at the camp); Fork Horn II more in-depth archery training along with compass orientation and tracking blood trails; and Fork Horn III, an advanced course that provides skills necessary to pass advanced hunter education, which is needed if individuals wish to apply for an outstate hunting license, plus many other skills.

Camperships are available for both boys and girls, ages 11-17, throughout the summer.