ELLERBE--Taxidermist Matt Vincett knelt on the concrete floor of a large screened-in shelter, skinning a raccoon carcass with a scalpel. A mounted mallard drake, a porcupine, an opossum and a full-body mount of a nine-point buck were displayed on a nearby table. Twelve kids hovered, peppering Vincett with questions about his craft.

In the distance, the muffled blasts of shotguns mixed with the shouts of swimmers in a pool.

Not exactly your typical summer camp. Nor is it intended to be.

Welcome to the 25th Fur, Fish 'n Game Rendezvous, a five-day, six-night camp that draws young people ages 12 to 15 to the remote Millstone 4-H Center for an education in natural resources and conservation.

This year's camp, held July 22-27, included 80 campers, 65 of them beginners (first year) and 15 advanced (returnees). Classes included traditional summer-camp fare, such as first aid, archery and canoeing, along with topics such as bird dogs, falconry, taxidermy, trapping and tree-stand safety.

"They love it," Vincett, from Rockingham, said as his class exited to the ringing of the camp bell and unscheduled spectators filtered in to watch him "flesh out" another raccoon pelt. "They have a good time. As you can see, they'll sit in here until lunch."

Nearby stood Chris Moorman and Renee Strnad, faculty and staff members, respectively, at N.C. State. 4-H is a branch of the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service based at N.C. State and N.C. A&T.

"About 60 years ago, some folks from Forestry [at N.C. State] started a Forestry and Wildlife Camp," Strnad said. "Twenty-five years ago, the faculty in the Department of Zoology, the N.C. Wildlife Federation and others [from the community] started this specific camp. They took it to the next level."

The center covers 320 acres of woodlands and is located within the 60,000-acre Sandhills Game Land.

Strnad said about 50 percent of the campers attend on scholarships sponsored by groups or individuals who foot the $300 bill per camper.

One of the people from the community who took it to the next level was Alan Basala, 61, of Cary, who leads campers in an outdoors ethics class. As a member of the Wake County Wildlife Club, he was on board 25 years ago to help launch the camp.

"This is not about blood and guts," said Basala, who works at the Environmental Protection Agency in Research Triangle Park. "Hunting is a privilege, not a right. I'm teaching ownership of the situation.

"Through our [outdoorsmen's] dollars, we provide research money, education and enforcement."

Basala's club sponsored 30 youngsters this summer.

"Kids that want to come, we make sure they can come," he said. "People have gone through this camp and became wildlife refuge managers and leaders of wildlife organizations."

The mess hall buzzed with campers lunching on pizza, corn, milk and punch, with cake for dessert. At one table, three girls talked about their experiences.

"My uncle [Steve Johnson of Raleigh] and my friend Casey [Thomason] got me into it," said Kathryn Frye, 14, a ninth-grader at Westchester Country Day School in High Point. "I had done a little fishing [before coming to camp] but not much.

"I've learned a lot about animals. It's changed my opinion on a lot of things, like the ethics of hunting and trapping. My favorite thing is archery. I learned I was left-eye dominant, so now I shoot left-handed."

Frye and Thomason, 14, of Lexington have been friends for nine years.

"I like canoeing," Thomason said. "I'd never canoed before I came here. I haven't dumped it yet, knock on wood."

Back home, the girls are cheerleaders at their schools and enjoy horseback riding.

Julia Banks, also seated at the table, grew up hunting and fishing. A recently deceased family friend, Mack Porter, first sponsored her.

"He sent me because he knew I loved hunting and fishing. I've been doing it all my life," said Banks, 13, an eighth-grader at Holly Ridge Middle School in Holly Springs. "My friends think it's pretty neat. They don't do much hunting and fishing. It's neat that I can come back and teach them stuff I learned here."

Banks' father, William Banks, has been pleased with what he's seen.

"Last year was her first overnight camp for multiple days," he said by phone from his home. "Mom was concerned, and I was hesitant to send my first born.

"When we picked her up, she had had a great time. She was ecstatic."

Banks said the camp has given his daughter more self-confidence.

"She was so proud to tell me her shooting scores were third overall of the advanced campers," he said. "It's the most inexpensive, comprehensive outdoor experience that we could have introduced her to."

Banks, Frye and Thomason were the only girls in the 15-member advanced class.

"[Advanced campers] do a lot less of sitting and listening and more hands-on field activities," Strnad said. "Prescribed burns, trapping, fish surveys, deer, bird and carnivore surveys and wild-game cooking are some things they do."

The deer survey and wild-game cooking go hand-in-hand.

On the second night of the camp, two N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission biologists killed two white-tailed deer as part of their deer herd evaluation. The animals were brought to camp, where the biologists field-dressed the animals to check for parasitic infestation. With every camper gathered around, the biologists pointed out internal organs and checked fat levels. The deer were then skinned and the meat boned out. The camp ate venison stew Tuesday.

"The deer herd evaluation might take some [campers] by surprise," Strnad said. "Kids really have a disconnect as to where their food comes from."

No camper is forced to participate in any activity, Strnad said. And in the seven years she has been working, none has objected to any activity.

Voight "V.W." Cobb has been teaching rifle and shotgun classes at the camp for 21 years and says not much has changed.

"Oh, lord, not a whole lot," he said after a pause. "We have the John Lentz [Hunter Education] Center, so we have better shooting facilities. Back in the old days the camp was 15- to 18-year-olds, and that was a pure T mess."

Cobb said counselors spent a lot of time "keeping the sexes separate."

One of Cobb's sons, Dr. David Cobb, is now chief of wildlife management for the wildlife commission. David Cobb did not attend the Rendezvous, but his son Thomas, who will be a freshman at N.C. State this fall, did.

"He certainly benefited immensely from the camp," David Cobb said. "He got to interact with different people with different backgrounds from different places."

Thomas Cobb said, "I actually went to the advanced camp twice. It was my first time being away from home [for multiple nights]. The most fun I had was shooting clay pigeons at a decent range."

He said he would like to send his own children one day.

"If it's still around I'm definitely sending my kids," he said. "It's something every kid should do, whether they hunt or not."