A class for all ages
Phil Taunton
Friday, October 19, 2007
Marie Curie once said, “Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.”
Welcome to the world of hunter education.
A young squirrel hunter sees movement in a tree, takes quick aim, squeezes the trigger and the shot he chooses to take changes his life forever. Concealed in the tree was a camouflaged bow hunter who plummeted to the ground with a fatal wound to the head.
A party of deer hunters sees their quarry standing on the crest of a hill, and a couple of them recklessly shoot at the sky-lighted animal. A bullet travels some 500 yards over the hill and strikes a non-hunting father of three, who was driving a country road, checking on the family-owned land; an example of another incident, another tragedy that could have been avoided.
In reality, statistics show hunting is one of the safest sports there is.
A child, left at home to “baby-sit” a younger sibling, finds a firearm in his parent’s dresser or closet that is loaded or has ammunition readily accessible. Draw your own conclusion!
What does the last dilemma have to do with being a safe hunter you might ask? A basic hunter education course teaches its students how to safely store firearms and ammunition in the home — a valuable life lesson to any responsible gun owner.
The two main goals of Hunter Education are to prevent hunting accidents and to ensure the future of our hunting heritage and tradition.
One of the sections of the course, “Principles of Wildlife Management,” teaches students about the carrying capacity of the land and the need all God’s creatures have for food, water, shelter and space in order to survive — people included. Arrangement of these habitat components also comes into play.
The “Ethics and Responsibility” segment of this course, along with basic firearm handling and safety, is also very beneficial.
Respect is the one word I choose to use when relating to a responsible hunter.
Remember the Golden Rule? Do unto others as you wish they would do unto you. Hopefully that is still preached everywhere.
The responsible hunter must respect and care about all forms of wildlife, both game and non-game animals alike. Because of this respect, the hunter will learn to conserve wildlife and our natural resources.
The hunter knows a successful hunt is measured by the pleasure of the experience, watching a hunting dog work, a child harvesting his first squirrel or rabbit for the table and the camaraderie of friends and fellow hunters.
The hunter must respect the land being hunted and the landowners. The hunter must always strive to leave the areas he has privilege to hunt litter free and undamaged. Gates are to be left the way they are found and standing crops are never to be driven or trod upon.
A responsible hunter always gets permission to hunt on private lands. It’s the law! Permission is sought long before the opening of hunting season when farmers are most likely not to be busy in the fields. A responsible hunter also is willing to share his bounty with the landowner.
He respects himself, and the rights of other hunters. He also respects the non-hunters he encounters such as hikers, bikers, fishermen, trappers and photographers. He understands everyone has the right and privilege to enjoy the woods and waters to their own liking, on public lands especially.
The responsible hunter believes in the concept of fair chase. Safe and ethical choices are never compromised. He respects, reads and obeys all hunting laws and chooses to follow a hunter’s code of ethics.
“A peculiar virtue in wildlife ethics is that a hunter ordinarily has no gallery to applaud or disapprove of his conduct. Whatever he does, is dictated by his own conscience, rather than by a mob of onlookers. It is difficult to exaggerate the importance of this fact.” — from A Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold.
More volunteer hunter education instructors are needed. It is exciting and very gratifying to watch as young people and whole families are welcomed to the time honored tradition of hunting.
Watch as a light shines on the trail of ethics and responsibility leading them toward a life of enjoyment and appreciation of the Great Outdoors. And watch as each student finds an understanding of the unknown.
After all, isn’t that what education is all about?
Hunter Education
Certification
In Kansas, anyone born after July 1, 1957, must have hunter education safety certification before they can hunt. A new law effective January 2005 gave everyone 15 years of age and under authority to hunt without such certification provided they are under the direct supervision of someone 18 years of age who does not need to be certified.
Effective July 1, 2007, individuals 16 or older may purchase a one-time deferral of the hunter education requirements by purchasing an apprentice hunting license. Holders of apprentice hunting licenses must hunt under the supervision of someone age 18 or older who meets the licensing requirements.
Youth Pheasant Hunt
Arrowhead Farms near Garnett will hold a Youth Pheasant Hunt on Oct. 28 between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Participants must have hunter education safety certification.
For more information, contact Ben or Katie Rockers at (785) 835-6580.