1600 acres of hunting, fishing, and wildlife education!

Camp Woodie is a week-long residential summer camp for kids ages 7–16, run by the South Carolina Waterfowl Association (SCWA), a 501(c)(3) conservation nonprofit founded in 1986. Since 1995, our mission has been developing the next generation of hunters, anglers, and marksmen.

Campers here don't just try an activity. They learn to handle a shotgun safely, draw a bow, tie a knot and land a fish, paddle a canoe, and climb past what they thought they could do — all under certified instruction. And they learn why it matters: SCWA has spent nearly 40 years restoring wildlife habitat across South Carolina, and Camp Woodie is where that conservation heritage gets passed on to the next generation, one camper at a time.

Our summer staff are the ones passing it on. If you want a summer where your work actually means something — outdoors, on the water and the range, with kids who'll remember your name — this is it.

Every Camp Woodie staff member is a cabin counselor, and every counselor is also trained to help run one of our specialty activities: shooting, archery, fishing, adventure (zipline, Sky Park high ropes, climbing wall, canoes, swimming hole), or Leopold conservation education. Your days are spent teaching a real skill; your nights are spent leading a cabin.

You'll share a cabin with 2 other counselors and 10–13 campers. The week has a steady rhythm: Sunday check-in, then Monday through Thursday of flagpole, meals, four activity periods a day, an afternoon siesta, and evening programs like capture the flag, night shoots, and campfires. Friday closes with a slideshow, Top Gun awards, and pickup — and then your weekend starts.

We value safety, real competence, and relationships. Safety is what lets campers do something real, so you'll be trained and certified before you ever teach. Competence matters more than just a good time — we want campers leaving more capable than they arrived. And the bond you build with your cabin and your fellow staff is the job, not a side effect of it.

Camp is phone-free on duty, for staff too. You'll be fully present with your campers and your team, not managing a screen between activities.

The take-away: real leadership experience, certifications you can use anywhere, a strong reference from directors who know your work firsthand, and the satisfaction of watching a kid land their first fish or hit their first clay because you taught them how.

All staff must be 18 or older; staff on the shooting specialty must be 21 or older.

We hire the whole person. The best Camp Woodie staff bring three things together: sound safety judgment, a willingness to learn a real skill and teach it well, and a knack for connecting with kids — especially the quiet one, the homesick one, or the one who's hardest to reach that week.

Experience hunting, fishing, shooting, lifeguarding, or working at a camp is a plus, but a teachable attitude matters more. We'll train and certify you.

You'll do well here if you like being outside in the South Carolina summer, would rather be in the water or on the range than on the sidelines, and want a summer that's about something bigger than a paycheck. Camp is phone-free on duty, so you should be ready to be fully present with your campers and team.

We give preference to staff who can work the entire summer (training May 16–29, camp May 30–July 30). We'll also consider applicants who can attend training and work at least 6 weeks.

Room and board are included as part of your compensation — there's no charge for housing or meals during the weeks camp is in session.

Housing: During the week, counselors live in our modern camp lodges with air conditioning and hot water. Each cabin group is 3 counselors and 10–13 campers, so you'll always have teammates alongside you.

Meals: Meals are provided in our dining hall every week camp is in session, and you'll eat alongside your campers — mealtime is part of camp life here.

Pay starts at $450 a week, with room and board included. Beyond that:

Paid training and certifications — Lifeguarding, Ropes Course, CPR/First Aid, and NRA Range Safety Officer and Coordinated Shooting Method training for shooting staff. These go with you long after the summer.

Weekends off — time off every week from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning.

Real leadership experience — mentoring a cabin group and teaching a skill builds the communication, teamwork, and problem-solving that employers look for.

A strong reference from directors who know your work firsthand.

A built-in community — a staff team drawn from across the Southeast and internationally, and friendships that outlast the summer.

Camp Woodie staff gear and the chance to sharpen your own shooting, archery, fishing, and outdoor skills alongside expert instructors.

Camp Woodie is at SCWA's Wildlife Education Center, 8444 Old River Rd, Pinewood, South Carolina 29125 — in the rural Midlands near the shores of Lake Marion.

At camp: You live on site during the week, so there's no commute. Lodges, the dining hall, ranges, ponds, and the adventure course are all on SCWA property, and camp transports staff and campers to the venues across the road.

Getting here: Columbia, the state capital, is the nearest major city and airport (Columbia Metropolitan Airport, CAE). Charleston International Airport (CHS) is another option.

Getting around: Pinewood is a small rural town without public transit, so we recommend bringing your own vehicle if you can. It makes weekends at the lake, Congaree National Park, Columbia, or the coast much easier.

At camp: Evenings bring capture the flag on the island, night shoots, and campfires with s'mores. Senior campers go jug fishing at dawn and help cook the catch into fish stew. Guest experts visit for duck calling, retriever demonstrations, and more. Cabins compete all week for shooting, fishing, and conservation awards, and Fridays close with a slideshow and Top Gun awards.

On your weekends (Friday afternoon to Sunday morning), there's a lot within reach:

Lake Marion — the largest lake in South Carolina is right in our backyard for fishing, boating, and sunsets, with hiking and biking trails at Santee State Park.

Congaree National Park — about 30 miles away, protecting the largest intact tract of old-growth bottomland hardwood forest left in the U.S. Paddle Cedar Creek, walk the boardwalk among champion trees, or catch the synchronous fireflies in late May and June.

Columbia — the state capital has restaurants, river trails, and Lake Murray.

Charleston and the coast — an easy drive for a beach day, historic downtown, and some of the best food in the South.