Reading the post about the new hunter who was always late got me thinking. My brother in law and I have hunted together for nearly ten years. About six years ago, at his request, we started taking along a family friend. Now, this guy was a mess and the very sight of him pissed me off. He smoked in the field, shot his 30-30 once a year, carried his gear in a gym bag--the whole nine yards. When he wanted an elk rifle, I found him a good 30-06 at a great price and put down a deposit for him, but he never picked it up. But he was a family friend, so I answered his questions when I could but hunted the other end of the area and otherwise tried to ignore him.

Then one year he was about two hours late getting back to camp on the last day of the hunt. I was sure the game warden had caught him with a bottle of scotch or he had fallen asleep. But then he comes into camp drenched with sweat from dragging this spike buck and so excited he could barely talk. His description of field dressing the deer and dragging it back to camp had tears in my eyes--it would have made a fine HBO comedy special.

Now he has good maps and shoots in the off season. He's not hardcore (yet), but he's a competent hunter and a good guy to have in camp. He's really come around, but it took a while.

Since we all have a great deal of experience, what are we doing to keep people hunting? I know this is a strange question--the last thing I want is someone competing for my hunting spot, but at the same time, are we going to make the initiation into what we enjoy so hard that no one comes along after us to preserve the heritage?

How much are we willing to overlook to add a new name to the list of ethical, competent hunters? I know all hunters should be like that from jump street, but often a Hunter's Safety course is they only solid instruction they ever get--beyond that they have to make do with hunting camp BS and old wive's tales.

Are we willing to become the old grizzled veterans who let their own success fall aside for a while so we can help develop new hunters? And if we do, how do we go about it? Are we so hardcore that no one wants to be around us? Do we say, "Here is how I hunt and you are an idiot if you do it any other way?" or do we say, "You can still hunt this stretch of woods, or you could put stands here and here. If you decide to put up a stand, here are the things you want to keep in mind when you pick the site for it."

Just thinking... Okie John.

Okie John,

A good post. Sadly, life just doesn't seem to work out they way we'd like. At least not all the time.

29 years ago, I thought I'd get married, have a couple of kids, teach them to hunt and live out the rest of my days in as much splendor as my retirement check would allow (US Army, wasn't certain about the retirement, "know-whut-a-mean?".). Anyway, I've had the 2 kids (1 boy, 1 girl) and also raised a step-daughter (who's for more gun control so she'll feel safer in D.C.!) and can't say that I've done it right. After all, my son is so close to bone idle I don't know what I'll do. Maybe wait until he shows up on Springer. At least he's pro-gun but I can't get him further from the house than his job or a food establishment (or book store/library). His sister, the youngest of the lot, is the best. She works hard, bought her husband (she's the only one who graduated college on-time and has gotten married) a gun for his birthday (the first since they've been married), supports the pro-gun agenda at the polls (of the other 2 the boy will vote but the girl must think it is a waste of time!) and encourages her husband to hunt when he wants to. None of the kids will hunt. All took the hunter safety course, all can shoot (and safely) but none do so on their own. I have to go hunting with OTHER people's kids!

In truth, it is all my fault (though I don't know what I could have done differently) but I think it is the way hunting is going. 29 years ago there were 300 camps in and around the area I hunt. Now, maybe 5. All the guys in those camps look just like me.

I go out of my way to help new hunters and as long as they make an effort I keep helping them.I do however refuse to act as a personal guide and helper to someone who makes no effort to learn or improve themselves.

My greatest joy is taking kids and people who have never hunted out....My wife for example now spends more time shooting her bow in the yard than me. She has gotten evolved with the "woman in the outdoors programs". My son who is six now.. was pottie trained while goose hunting. We told him if used dipers he could not go..two weeks later he is spending 6 hours in the blind with no problems. I am takeing a friends son deer hunting this Sat. He has went turkey hunting in the spring with my son..great fun keeping a six year old and an eleven year old quite....but he got one. I take another 16 year old boy who does yard work for me out. I guess I have reached the age where it does not matter if i get anything while hunting. I am not bragging but god has blessed me with a job and time to do most any thing I want. I have hunted alaska to africa.... mexico to newfoundland. My grand father died at 89 a few months ago and up untill last year we did the early goose hunt together...That is something i will always remember. Good hunters are made...any time spent in the field is worth the effort.

urdubob

I took a couple greenhorn buddys to Wyoming muley hunting a couple weeks ago. These guys had never rifle hunted and had never even been out west.

One dude got prepared, bought a nice rifle six months in advance, learned how to shoot it and got his deer no sweat.

The other dude procrastinated all summer, waited till the last minute, I loaned him a .270, and he shot a grand total of about fifteen shots with it the final weekend before we departed. I had the gun grouping 1/2" @ 100 yards and he was doing good to maintain 4". You know the rest of the story ... He missed a nice buck, three shots.

Regardless, everybody had fun, and I think I opened up a couple guys eyes to the fact that there is plenty of good hunting out there. You just gotta get off your duff and go do it.

They're already talking about doing it again next year.

Okie,

I can think of a few Gun rags that could use a mind like yours. Excellent post!

I would rather tag along hunting with my 11 year old grandson than hunt myself...He is an amazing kid, shoots like some of the better shots I've known who are four times his age....He is a good hunter and can spot deer as well as anyone...He is trustworthy with a rifle and wants to gut his own deer...He shoots a 22, 222, 30-30, 410 and 20 ga and a 22 S&W kit gun..His love is roping steers and hunting, he is a stright A student, good baseball player, and won't buckle under to teachers who are anti gun and is verble in his belief....My greatest pleasure is I, along with his parents, had a hand in it.....

All my children hunt and shoot and that has been a wonderfull legacy for me to leave them. It formed character and integrity in each of them, and from that all else will follow in life, because I KNOW the good guys do come in first...I have been truly blessed. None of them ever caused me a moments problem and I believe that was formed in their early years of hunting and fishing, knowing God and the wonders he created..

Good job raising those kids and grandkids Ray !

Dad always said ... "If you see a screwed up kid, better look at his parents. Chickens don't have ducks".

I can't say I haven't tried. I have one son and two daughters that have all hunted with me. My 21 year old son likes to go with me, but with work and girls and just plain lazy, I don't think he will make it this year for the first time in 10 years. My 14 year old went once but didn't care much for it. Mall babe syndrome. My 12 year old holds great promise. She has gone with me for the last several years and really seems to enjoy it. She took her first turkey this spring and is looking forward to deer season. She has seen me miss one and seen them spooked when my son shot a coyote off the next hill and still just smiles, looks at me and says "that's why they call it hunting instead of killing". Great attitude as long as I don't spoil it for her somehow.