Hover over the map icons below to learn more about our facilities.
ENTRY SIGN
Turn here to find Gardner Camp. Wind down this path to outdoor adventure!
Entry GateENTRY GATE
Welcome to Gardner Camp!……..you have now entered the gates to an amazing natural space! A sanctuary of wetland habitat near the Mississippi River, Gardner Camp is home to a diverse population of wildlife including ducks, geese, deer, and many other wetland animals and plants.
Gardner HallGARDNER HALL
Completed in 2016, our beautiful 4,800 square foot Gardner Hall stands as our main focal point upon arrival. This facility is the hub for all Gardner Camp activities.
Club HouseCLUB HOUSE
The Club House was the original clubhouse used by the Gardner family. It was renovated after the 1993 flood and renovated again in 2015. This building houses the Camp administrative office.
Target Archery RangeTARGET ARCHERY RANGE
Our archery range features block bullseye targets that can be set to varying distances. We use universal Genesis compound bows for our beginning courses and Mathews Mission Craze II hunting bows with releases for our more intermediate students.
Air Gun RangeAIR GUN RANGE
Our air gun range is set up with targets of all kinds – punch paper targets, shoot shattering clays, or play tic tac toe. We also have shooting stations set up within the woods.
3D Archery Range3D ARCHERY RANGE
Throughout the wooded trails of Gardner Camp, one will find our walking 3D range. Students are led through a series of ten 3D targets of varying wildlife – turkey, deer, skunks, and even fish. Distances are marked for each target at 10, 20, and 30 yards.
Red BarnRED BARN
Our Red Barn is an original structure on the property and was renovated in 2019. It is used as our picking shed during youth hunting sessions and as a classroom for outdoor education programs. You can still see the high-water marks painted on the barn from the Flood of 1993.
Wetland Studies DockWETLAND STUDIES DOCK
The dock at Trester Lake provides youth an opportunity to walk out and surround themselves with wetlands. Catching tadpoles, minnows, and insects with nets is a favorite activity here.
Fishing PondFISHING POND
Constructed in 2020, our 3-acre fishing pond is not only perfect for educating youth on fishing basics but also allows us to give them new experiences with frogging, three-season kayaking, and boat safety.
Wetland Habitat Management FacilitiesWETLAND HABITAT MANAGEMENT FACILITIES
KAYAK LANDING
Beginning kayak lessons, kayak relay races, and boat safety classes all begin here at our kayak landing on our new fishing pond.
Broad Apron North Waterfowl BlindBROAD APRON NORTH WATERFOWL BLIND
The perfect hiding spot over a natural Mississippi River backwater lake, our north blind on Broad Apron Lake has been a successful youth hunting spot since 2016. Broad Apron North has space for 10 people and is equipped with heat, electric and lights, and a stove for hot breakfasts during youth waterfowl hunts!
Broad Apron South Waterfowl BlindBROAD APRON SOUTH WATERFOWL BLIND
Tucked away in the woods on the south end of Broad Apron Lake sits a 2-room blind that offers four hunters, four mentors, a guide, and a dog a perfectly positioned hunt on a south wind day. Broad Apron South has a stove for hot breakfasts!
Corn Palace Pit Waterfowl BlindCORN PALACE PIT WATERFOWL BLIND
Imagine a hunting hideaway underground - the Corn Palace Pit is an awesome pit that is buried in the ground within a flooded cornfield. Equipped with electricity, the pit has a fridge, stove, coffee pot – plenty of amenities to make a youth waterfowl hunt memorable. Youth and mentors can also relax on the couch or recliner while eating breakfast or telling stories.
Dove FieldDOVE FIELD
Our 3.5-acre dove field is the perfect setting for youth to dove hunt. During youth hunts, this wheat and sunflower field is outfitted with fake power lines, decoy trees, and motion decoys to put youth in a position to succeed.
Pin Oak LakePIN OAK LAKE
Pin Oak Lake sits on the eastern border of Gardner Camp. It spans almost 24 acres and is vital to our waterfowl population. Pin Oak Lake is the location at camp that provides refuge for our waterfowl. On Fall and Winter days, you can find thousands of ducks and geese circling this lake.
Trester LakeTRESTER LAKE
Trester Lake is a little over 34 acres and is a lotus-covered, natural backwater lake of the Mississippi River. It may not look this way, but Trester Lake is shallow enough that a person could walk all the way across in waders! The lotus and lily plants that cover Trester are great roosting habitat for wood ducks.
Trester Lake TrailTRESTER LAKE TRAIL
In 2020, a trail was blazed around Trester Lake so that participants can hike and see a variety of tree species, take a bridge over a canal, and get closer to the wetland areas. Trapping camp participants also use this trail to find animal trails. From the Wetland Studies Dock to Gardner Hall, the trail is just short of 1 mile.
Pecan Grove TrailPECAN GROVE TRAIL
This trail winds through a pecan grove at Gardner Camp giving youth the feeling of nature. Where two of the trail spurs meet, an open area is created and used as a beautiful outdoor classroom. The trail is filled with blackberries in the summer and mushrooms in the spring. We utilize this trail for the 3D archery range, orienteering activities, nature journaling, and more.
Deer StandDEER STAND
We have five elevated Redneck box blinds strategically placed in high traffic locations scouted prior to the youth hunters' arrival. These blinds are heated and allow for a 360-degree view when watching for deer. Also, we have a Shadow Hunter mobile box blind and several ground blinds.
Deer StandDEER STAND
We have five elevated Redneck box blinds strategically placed in high traffic locations scouted prior to the youth hunters' arrival. These blinds are heated and allow for a 360-degree view when watching for deer. Also, we have a Shadow Hunter mobile box blind and several ground blinds.
Deer StandDEER STAND
We have five elevated Redneck box blinds strategically placed in high traffic locations scouted prior to the youth hunters' arrival. These blinds are heated and allow for a 360-degree view when watching for deer. Also, we have a Shadow Hunter mobile box blind and several ground blinds.
Deer StandDEER STAND
We have five elevated Redneck box blinds strategically placed in high traffic locations scouted prior to the youth hunters' arrival. These blinds are heated and allow for a 360-degree view when watching for deer. Also, we have a Shadow Hunter mobile box blind and several ground blinds.
Deer StandDEER STAND
We have five elevated Redneck box blinds strategically placed in high traffic locations scouted prior to the youth hunters' arrival. These blinds are heated and allow for a 360-degree view when watching for deer. Also, we have a Shadow Hunter mobile box blind and several ground blinds.
Savanna Prairie PlotSAVANNA PRAIRIE PLOT
This small savanna prairie plot exhibits beautiful prairie species each summer underneath beautiful, mature river birch, pecan, and ash trees. This is a perfect place to study pollinators, catch bugs and butterflies, and research prairie plant species.
Trap Shooting RangeTRAP SHOOTING RANGE
The Gardner Camp Trap Shooting Range features a single shot, automatic trap thrower in a partially buried trap house located outside Gardner Hall. The thrower has a wobble feature – meaning it throws at varying angles and varying heights. The range has 5 stations marked at 16 to 27 yards from the trap house. Our Ultimate Outdoor Challenge event and Buddy Trap Leagues meet here.
Completed in 2016, our beautiful 4,800 square foot Gardner Hall stands as our main focal point upon arrival. This facility is the hub for all Gardner Camp activities.
Facing west, our sunset patio is the perfect area for youth activities out of the weather but still outdoors with a magnificent view of Trester Lake, the Missouri bluffs named ‘Sleeping Lady’ and, of course, the amazing sunsets.
Lookout over Gardner Camp from all directions in our observation tower. Children love this room as it has a private ‘treehouse’ feel.
Our meeting room within Gardner Hall can seat up to 40 people and can also be divided into sections with mobile dividers.
The catering kitchen inside Gardner Hall is used to serve snacks and catered meals during events. The kitchen is equipped with ample serving counter space and a serving window.
Our open-beam meeting room is highlighted by our beautiful stone fireplace. Not only can we have a toasty fire inside during our youth hunts, but we also have a fireplace outdoors on the sunset patio.
Check out one of our 3 well pump stations that fill our wetlands with water. With a flip of a switch, we turn on the spout and wait for ducks to stop by!
Take a look at one of our 20 water control structures that help us raise and lower the water levels in each of our wetland areas. We drop water levels (remove boards) to allow wetland plants to grow to provide seed for waterfowl food. We raise water levels (add boards) in the Fall and Winter to invite waterfowl to stop by on their migratory trip!
Our levees allow us to hold water in specific areas and fields like a large bathtub. Our canals move water from our pump outlets to the wetland units.
At Gardner Camp, we plant corn for waterfowl to eat when they stop by during migration. To attract waterfowl, we flood the corn fields and plant a specific type of corn that has low ear placement. This allows ducks and geese to feed easier on the ears of corn while they are swimming in our flooded fields.
Specialized plots of wildlife food are planted throughout the property. This may include turnips, soybeans, wheat and sunflowers. These food plots attract deer, doves, and all types of game animals.
