Saturday, September 23, 2006
First Day Of Youth Deer Hunt A Winner
It was pouring down rain tonight, and I had a choice of going out to dinner with my wife and friends or sitting out in the rain, and made the wise choice: I went out to dinner, stayed dry and had a good time.
My grandson, Will Pollington of Marion, had nine children and their fathers on a Youth Hunt. The hunt was solely for the kids, and they were placed on parcels of land that Will leases, and despite today’s weather, it appears they all had a good time.
So far, four of the nine have shot bucks. I wasn’t there when they came in, and don’t know what was taken, but I know one of the bucks was much larger than the other spikes and forkhorns.
Is this Youth Deer Hunt a good thing? It most certainly is, simply because it offers young people a chance to hunt without having to compete with adults. The parent or guardian cannot hunt but must accompany the youth.
Is it necessary for the kids to have this special two-day hunt? I think so, and think that any adult hunter who considers this a personal affront, should realize that we cannot lose hunter if hunting is to have a strong foundation in this state. Kid must be given an early chance to learn about hunting, and this hunt enables them to do so.
They must have taken a Hunter Education class, passed the exam, and used their Hunter Safety Certificate to purchase their first license, They also must hunt with a parent or guardian.
Let’s face it. Kids have many other things that can and will compete with hunting, and it’s been proven that unless a child is exposed to hunting reasonably early in life, and has some chance for success, they may never wind up picking up a bow or firearm to go hunting.
Hunter apathy is one problem, fluctuating deer herd numbers is another, and getting kids excited is a major problem. The Youth Deer Hunt, which runs today and tomorrow, enable them to hunt before the general season opens.
Adults or parents who resent the Youth Deer Hunt should get a life, and realize that unless we have a strong young-hunter base on which to grow, dire predictions of hunting going faster downhill becomes more of a possibility in future years.
Instead of adults bad-mouthing this early opportunity, they should fully endorse it. If kids don’t start early, in two years who will be buying the C.P. Oneida bows I make, the Gator Jaw releases or any other archery equipment. Countless manufacturing business will close down, jobs will be lost, and one only has to look at the automotive industry to see what could happen to the hunting industry.
Once sales of such hunting equipment begin to decline, the excise tax dollars paid on the sale of such equipment will decrease, and the amount of money the Federal government funnels back into Michigan habitat restoration and hunter education also will decrease.
Once that happens, it becomes a slippery slope downhill. I love hunting too much to not want to see as many kids as possible have a chance to hunt. So, two days in late September is set aside just for them.
It is a wonderful idea, and it should have taken place 30 years ago. But it’s not too late for licensed youths who didn’t hunt today, to try it tomorrow. Good luck, kids. You deserve this day.—The Whitetail Wizard