Columbia, Mo. ? The smells of frost, wet Labrador retriever and coffee mingled in 12-year-old Harrison Boyer’s nostrils as he lay snug inside his layout boat just before dawn.

It was 6:45 a.m., minutes before the start of the youth duck season. Boyer’s senses were humming.

Too excited to sleep, the Wardsville, Mo., resident awoke on his own at 3:30 a.m. When alarm clocks began sounding 10 minutes later, he was already slipping into insulated clothes for the morning hunt.

He and fellow hunters Charlie Bass, 14, of Columbia, and Chris Skahan, 13, of Jefferson City, shoveled down a hearty breakfast in the equipment shed at Green Conservation Area, where they had bunked for the night. Then they made the short drive to Eagle Bluffs CA, south of Columbia.

The full moon was setting as they hauled boats and gear from trucks and set out decoys. Now, with ducks stirring in the marshes around them and the eastern sky brightening, the three shivered with excitement.

Adult chaperones and guides huddled behind willow trees nearby, savoring the moment and anticipating the excitement the boys were about to experience.

Boyer, Bass and Skahan were among eight youngsters who participated in the first-ever Hunter Skills University.

HSU accepts applications from youths age 11 through 15 who complete hunter education courses in central Missouri.

Each applicant writes an essay explaining why he or she wants to participate. Those who are accepted get detailed instruction on the biology, identification, hunting techniques, equipment, safety, ethics and conservation related to a particular kind of hunting.

Guides provide individual supervision and instruction for youngsters during hunts.