Reading, writing and respect
Phil Taunton
Saturday, May 5, 2007
When I was a youngster and on through my adolescent years, my mother had an engraved plate with a “quote to live by” that hung near the kitchen window right above her sink.
Its message was simple: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference.”
This quote was an adaptation of Reinhold Niebuhr’s The Serenity Prayer, which was published in 1943.
I can still see her looking at this little plate after a particular trying day involving my interactions with my sister, or lack of. My mother would recite this verse over and over. And I thank her for having the serenity, courage and the wisdom to make a difference.
Hunting was one of my favorite pastimes then as it is now. No one in the neighborhood was concerned when they saw this tousled-haired boy with his shirt out and his unleashed hunting dog walking out of town, unsupervised, shotgun over his shoulder in pursuit of whatever wild game was in season.
Then, children were taught firearm safety and responsibility in the home, guns were common and with some families, this education also was carried out into the hunting fields.
We were taught to respect hunters and non-hunters alike. Landowners and their property were given the utmost respect. We were taught to respect ourselves, respect and appreciate the wildlife we harvested and, most of all, handle our sporting firearms in a responsible manner. We also were taught to be trustworthy and to be accountable for our actions. Saturday mornings in the offseason meant rifle club in the basement of the police department and the thrill of participating in an organized, supervised shooting sports activity. We were taught laws and ethics.
Some schools even had ROTC shooting sports programs then, and some still do today despite our changing times and social unrest. Because of time constraints and the lack of places to hunt, more and more of our younger generation might not get the opportunity to participate in this time-honored tradition. Nor will they have the opportunity to properly learn about firearm safety.
Those who are required to take hunter education can’t find enough time in their busy and hectic schedules to take a class even though they want to.
I have been a hunter education instructor and have coordinated classes in the Emporia area for 11 years now. A dedicated group of volunteer hunter education instructors including guest instructors, noted author Don Coldsmith and an excellent teacher of first aid and survival, Emporia fireman Alan Sage, helped with three sessions in the Emporia Middle School a couple of years ago. When the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks kicked off their Hunter Education in the Schools Program promoting safe, responsible and ethical behavior in the outdoors, I wrote about the program in my column on Feb. 16. I even presented that program, complete with DVD and testimonials from Kansas high school principals who have hunter education in their schools to a school board member who said he would have a conference with Superintendent of Schools, John Heim.
I’m sorry to say, but I haven’t heard anything back from either of them, one way or the other. How did that verse go again? God grant me the serenity to accept ...
Perhaps those of you who will be attending the Eggs and Issues Forum tomorrow at Mary Herbert School with members of the school board as guests can shed some light on this situation.
Wheels of change do turn slowly, I guess. And sometimes they don’t turn at all.
Clinics offer youth outdoor opportunity that can last a lifetime
Want to sponsor a great outdoor learning experience for youngsters? If your organization is looking for an outdoor learning activity for local youth, contact the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) and ask about a wingshooting clinic.
As part of “ Pass It On,” the agency’s hunter recruitment program, KDWP will provide a certified instructor, as well as all the equipment needed to conduct a high-quality, basic wingshooting clinic for young and beginning shooters. All you need is an organizer, some wide-open spaces and a dozen or more novice shooters. For more information on “Pass It On” or to schedule a wingshooting event, contact Mike Miller at (620) 672-5911.
Wingshooting is a valuable outdoor skill because Kansas is one of the top three states for pheasant, quail, and prairie chicken hunting. But as the state’s population has migrated from rural to urban areas, we’ve seen a decline in the percentage of Kansans who hunt. What’s more, fewer youngsters experience hunting each fall.
KDWP wants to reverse this trend and ensure that young people who have an interest get outdoor opportunities. In addition to wingshooting classes, the agency sponsors numerous special hunts and conducts special youth seasons each fall. However, another way to kindle potential hunters’ interest is to expose them to the outdoor skills necessary to enjoy hunting.
Wingshooting is a perfect example. The shotgun shooting clinics offer a controlled, safe experience where all shooters will be successful. Unlike other sports, shooting a shotgun well doesn’t require speed, strength, or size. With a little hand-eye coordination and some good instruction, girls and boys — big and small — can break flying targets in no time. Although there are no age restrictions, youngsters should be at least 9 or 10 years old for best success.
Ideally, youngsters who complete the wingshooting course will want to try hunting during one of the special opportunities this fall. But they might also discover that competitive shotgun sports is something they can excel at.
Either way, they’ll have discovered rewarding outdoor activities they can enjoy with their families the rest of their lives.