J H OURNALUNTER & SHOOTING SPORTS · PDF fileThe Hunter & Shooting Sports Education Journal is the ... VP for Conservation Programs, NWTF 24 Armchair ... Finally we challenge you to

HHUUNNTTEERR && SSHHOOOOTTIINNGG SSPPOORRTTSS EEDDUUCCAATTIIOONNVolume 2 No. 1 Summer 2002JOURNALThe Official Publication of the International Hunter Education Association

For Distribution in Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America.

• Is There a Place for WildlifeManagement in Hunter Education?

• An Ecological Approach• Carrying Capacity• Armchair Biology 101

TThhee RRoollee ooffWWiillddlliiffee CCoonnsseerrvvaattiioonn

iinn HHuunntteerr EEdduuccaattiioonn

INTE

RNATIONAL HUNTE

R

ED

UCATION ASSOCIA

TIO

N

30 YEARS

1972-2002

Publisher: Focus Group Inc.Executive Editor: Dr. David M. Knotts

IHEA Editor: Ann RichmondProduction Editor: Bob Rogers

Graphic Design & Production:RMS, LLC

International Hunter Education AssociationPublications Committee:

Chair, Helen McCracken - WyomingDave Paplawski - Alberta

John McKay - Nevada Regional CoordinatorTony Burtt - OregonLes Smith - Nevada

Dr. David M. Knotts, Ph.D. - IHEA

International Hunter Education AssociationMission Statement:

To continue the heritage of hunting worldwideby developing safe, responsible and

knowledgeable hunters.

The International Hunter Education Association(IHEA) is an organization involving 65,000 adminis-trators and volunteer instructors across NorthAmerica, plus cooperators in the shooting sportsindustry and conservation organizations in Canada,Mexico and the United States. The IHEA is affiliatedwith the International Association of Fish and WildlifeAgencies, and its goals are many:

• Increase participation in safe responsible hunting;• Further develop the quality and delivery

of hunter education;• Enhance professional skills and standing of

administrators and instructors;• Improve the image of hunters and hunting; and

• Strengthen the leadership role of the IHEA.

The Hunter & Shooting Sports Education Journal is theofficial publication of the International Hunter EducationAssociation. It is published three times annually (June,September, February) and distributed to more than 65,000administrators and volunteer instructors in Canada, Mexicoand the United States, that are responsible for educationprograms that total more than three-quarters of a millionnew hunters annually. The purpose of the publication is toincrease the skill and effectiveness of hunter education inadministrators and instructors so they can improve theenthusiasm, safety, ethics and proficiency of their studentsas they embark on lifetime enjoyment of hunting and theshooting sports.

The articles and stories contained herein are the opin-ions of the authors and not necessarily those of the IHEA,its personnel or publishers. Material contained herein can-not be copied or reproduced in any form without theexpress permission of the IHEA.

Send all editorial, photos, and inquiries to:Hunter & Shooting Sports Education Journal

PO Box 490 • Wellington, CO 80549

Send all advertising materials to:Focus Group, Inc.

1800 Westlake Ave. N., Ste. 206 • Seattle, WA 98109

For advertising information, call Focus Group, Inc./OMNI at (206) 281-8520.

Contact the IHEA for membership and subscription information at:

PO Box 4903725 Cleveland Ave.

Wellington, CO 80549Tel: (970) 568-7954 • Fax: (970) 568-7955

Email: [email protected] • Web site: www.ihea.com

HUNTER & SHOOTING SPORTS EDUCATION

The Official Publication of the International Hunter Education AssociationJOURNAL C O N T E N T S

H U N T E R & S H O O T I N G S P O R T S E D U C A T I O N J O U R N A L

FEATURESThe Role of Wildlife Conservation in Hunter Education

16 Is There a Place for Wildlife Management in HunterEducation?Patt Dorsey, Hunter Education Administrator, Colorado Division of Wildlife

18 An Ecological Approach to Conservation EducationFrom A Supplement to Conservation Education Programs, MissouriDepartment of Conservation, Education Division

20 Carrying CapacityPatt Dorsey, Hunter Education Administrator, Colorado Division of Wildlife

22 Changing Role of Hunting in North AmericanConservationDr. James Earl Kennamer, VP for Conservation Programs, NWTF

24 Armchair Biology 101Les Smith, Hunter Education Coordinator, Nevada

26 Railroad SafetyJ.D. “Buzz” Stone, Locomotive Engineer

26 A Lesson in Wildlife Conservation and EconomicsDr. David M. Knotts, Ph.D., EVP.

DEPARTMENTS4 EVP Comments6 President’s Remarks8 My Turn: The Eleventh Commandment

10 Where Do We Go From Here? 12 Bulletin Board/Safety Notices14 Ask the Expert14 The Hunting Incident Report31 Education Resources Review32 The Patch Collector: Arizona, Missouri 34 Teaching 101: Exercise for Wildlife Conservation36 Make It/Teach It: Safe Zones of Fire38 Wild Game Recipes

Summer 2002 JOURNAL 3

Corrections: The following corrections are needed for the Winter 2002 issue of the Journal:• Photographs of disabled hunters that appear on pages 18, 19 and 21 were provided by Sid Sellers (the

photographer) and Outdoor Buddies, a Colorado organization with national involvement in enabling the disabled to enjoy hunting and other outdoor activities.

• In EVP Comments on page 4, a reference was made to the "North American Association of Hunter SafetyAdministrators." This should have read the "North American Association of Hunter Safety Coordinators."

• An editing error occurred in the USFWS article by Otto Jose and Dee Mazzarese on page 16 of the Journal. Thebeginning of the second paragraph should read:

According to the Act, if the states are currently using all of their regularly apportioned hunter education FederalAid funds for hunter education, identified as Section 4c, the state has the option to spend the Section 10 funds onhunter education or wildlife restoration activities. If states don't use all of their Section 4c funds for hunter education,then the Section 10 funds must be dedicated to the hunter education program.

We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.• The IAFWA Trapping kit mentioned under Bulletin Board on page 9 is not available through the IHEA supply

services. However the video is available for $4.00 each plus S&H.

Cover photo courtesy Doug Elworthy, Durango, Colorado

EVP CommentsDr. David Knotts, Executive Vice President, International Hunter Education Association

Many agencies fail to capitalize on the golden opportunity within their hunter edu-cation program to raise their students' level of awareness and increase theirunderstanding of conservation issues. Every year agencies pass new legislation,

mandate regulations, and are faced with this or that issue or challenge that needs public support. Thehunter education program provides a venue with which to share these challenges and issues with newhunters. An informed hunter will better support management objectives of a wildlife agency. However, theagency first needs to communicate these challenges and issues to their volunteer instructors so they can beincluded in the wildlife management and conservation portion of the course.

As I speak with news reporters, researchers, and others interested about what we do in hunter educa-tion, I find that most are surprised to learn the program is more than a "gun safety" course; that it alsoincludes hunter ethics, game laws, wildlife management, and conservation. In today's society, the publicdoes not equate hunting with conservation or hunters as conservationists. Joe Average cannot even giveyou a decent definition of conservation, and most people will equate it with preservation. Historical defini-tions such as "wise use" and "the use of natural resources for the greatest good for the greatest number forthe longest time" are foreign to most people, even hunters. A couple of decades ago, the MissouriDepartment of Conservation described the conservation effort as having three levels—Preservation,Restoration and Management. As a professional Forester and Conservation Educator, I have successfullyused these levels of conservation to convey to people of all walks an understanding of the broader definitionof conservation.

This issue of the Journal contains articles and resources to help you better teach wildlife managementand conservation. Patt Dorsey, Hunter Education Coordinator for Colorado introduces the importance ofwildlife management in hunter ed, and hunters as advocates for wildlife, pages 18-19; and the significanceof carrying capacity, on pages 22-23. The meaning of conservation and its three levels excerpted from mate-rial written in the days of Moses by Missouri Coordinator Bob Staton, are presented on pages 20-21, andProfessor Lester Smith, Nevada Coordinator provides some great teaching activities for the ArmchairBiologists among our ranks, page 24.

There are a number of resources available to enable volunteer instructors to more effectively teachwildlife management and conservation. Many agencies offer Project Wild, and some agencies, or their stateforest service, offer Project Learning Tree. Both programs provide activities that can be presented on a vari-ety of levels to help students better understand management concepts. Take the time to understand theworld of wildlife management and conservation and you will be a better conservationist.

Finally we challenge you to pay close attention to the articles on page 26 and 28, submitted by J.D."Buzz" Stone, a Railroad Engineer and active member of Operation Lifesaver. These articles were promptedby a well known catalog that this spring showed a hunter walking down a railroad right-of-way with a turkeyslung over his back. There were three problems with the colorful ad: 1) the safety issue of carrying a turkeyout of the woods spread-eagle across your back instead of tucked away in a bag; 2) the safety issue of walk-ing on a railroad right-of-way with the danger of getting hit by a train; and 3) the issue of trespassing sinceright-of-ways are property of the respective railroad. Please share this information with your students.

Have a great summer!

4 JOURNAL Summer 2002


Doing the Right Thing

We have all watched as the world, through time, has changed in many

ways. Hunting and hunter education have not been isolated or insu-

lated from these changes. Many of us grew up in a time when the majority of

folks didn't use a scope-sighted rifle for hunting, didn't have Gortex to ward off

rain and snow, didn't have a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit to get us back

to camp at the end of the day, and certainly didn't have a sighted compound

bow with 70 percent let-off shooting carbon shaft arrows. We also didn't grow

up teaching hunter education with PowerPoint presentations, Laser sighted

guns and real-time videos, and computer assisted programs. Heck, most of us

hadn't even heard of a computer other than in the NASA space program. By

this fall the IHEA will be very close to finalizing an Internet hunter education

course. What a tremendous benchmark in the evolution of hunter education

this is for all of us! The effort put into this project has been astonishing, and I

think you will see that reflected in the quality as well.

Your state will have the ability to customize this program to fit your needs.

One of the truly great things about this development is that the information will

be more consistent than anything we have tried to do in the past as an organi-

zation. When students in your area take this program they are getting exactly

the same information as in another. This builds consistency in our messages

and deliveries. While not every student or instructor will want to use this new

technology, it certainly will help address the growing need to find additional

ways to offer hunter education to everyone who wants it. Once we have this tool

up and running it should certainly help squash the argument of the lack of

course availability.

Using this same type of technology, the IHEA has established a volunteer

instructor's resources segment on our webpage. If you need a set of overhead

masters you can log on to our site and download them for free. Again, if we all

use the same overheads, then we are providing a greater level of consistency.

That they are free is an added incentive to use them.

Through the focus of hunter education staff and the volunteer instructors

we continue to make a difference. We have not forgotten that there is a differ-

ence between doing things right and doing the right things. Hunting is safe and

getting safer, and our hunters are behaving with a greater level of responsibili-

ty to the resources we all share. Evolution is okay when it makes a difference

by doing the right thing, at the right time, the right way, for the right reasons.

Tim Lawhern, President IHEA

President’s RemarksInternational

HunterEducation

AssociationMission Statement

To continue the heritage ofhunting worldwide by

developing safe,responsible, and

knowledgeable hunters

The International HunterEducation Association is

an organization involving some65,000 volunteer instructors

across the country, plus coopera-tors in the shooting sports indus-try, and conservation organiza-

tions, and the 63 State andProvincial Hunter Education

Administrators in Canada, Mexico,and the United States. IHEA isaffiliated with the InternationalAssociation of Fish and Wildlife

Agencies, and its goals are many:

• Increase participation in safeand responsible hunting;

• Further develop the quality anddelivery of hunter education;

• Enhance professional skills andstanding of administrators andinstructors;

• Improve the image of huntersand hunting;

• Strengthen the leadership roleof the IHEA.

��

��

��


Abrief history of the boltlock feature is in order.First, what is a bolt lock?

It is a feature in many rifles manu-factured in the 1960s, 1970s andearly 1980s. A bolt lock safety pre-vents the bolt arm from being inad-vertently lifted by branches, brush, orany other means unless the safetyarm is placed into the fire position.

Picture yourself hunting danger-ous game in thick brush and havingyour bolt handle unknowingly catchon a tree limb and raise itself therebytaking your gun out of battery.Imagine your surprise if, while facinga charging 10-foot brown bear, youshouldered your firearm, pulled thetrigger, and your firearm failed to dis-charge. Bolt lock safeties preventthis scenario by keeping the bolt arm"locked" down. The only way to"unlock" the bolt arm is to knowinglyplace the safety arm in the fire position.

Remington manufactured boltlock rifles from approximately 1960until 1982. Since 1982 many of theseguns have found their way into theused gun market and into the handsof consumers who may have neverused a bolt lock safety. In severalinstances, bolt lock Remington rifleswere involved in accidental shootingswhich involved injury or death. All ofus at Remington felt the prudentcourse of action was to offer con-sumers the chance to have this fea-ture removed from their guns for anominal fee.

I am very confident that ourModification Program will preventaccidents in the future!

Now, to get to the point of thisarticle, if you accept my premise thatfar too many people buy far too manyfirearms without asking a singlequestion about the gun's age, fea-tures, mechanical condition, accura-cy, or even whether it has been tam-pered with after it left the factory,how can you help? I believe that you,as hunter safety professionals, withthe support of gunsmiths, dealers,and manufacturers, can help preventneedless accidents by adding aneleventh commandment to yourhunter education curriculum:

"Thou shall only buy a firearmafter it has been examined by a qual-ified gunsmith."

What can we accomplish bythis? First, it may alert the buyerthat aftermarket adjustments to thefirearm have been made which maycause the gun to be unsafe. Second,it warns the buyer if mechanicaldefects exist that may not be appar-ent. Third, it warns the buyer ofguns which have not been well main-tained. Fourth, it warns the buyerabout firearms which operate poorlyeither from age or lack of care.Lastly, it gives the gunsmith a chanceto teach the buyer about uniquecharacteristics of the gun.

While not proposing a "certified"program like the auto makers utilize,I do feel that this new "eleventh com-mandment" would serve us well.Imagine the number of rifles, shot-guns, and handguns made in thepast 100 years. Then picture thewide number of features which areunique to those guns. Multiply thesevariables by the number of differentowners a gun may have in its life, andyou come up with a very large num-ber which results in an increasedprobability of owning unsafe guns orhaving unknowledgeable owners.

How can you help? Teach peopleto educate themselves about theirfirearms; to seek out local resources

like hunter safety professionals orgunsmiths.

Think about it this way: wewould never buy a car, boat, or ahouse without advice from a knowl-edgeable expert. So, why would webuy a product like a firearm withoutthe same level of diligence?

Together we can all make a bigdifference in continuing to make theshooting sports a safe and enjoyableleisure time activity. Thanks for youtime and consideration. ✛

My Turn

The Eleventh Commandment

By Tommy Milner, President, Remington Arms Co.

As posted in this issue of the Journal, Remington has recently announced a nationwide product modification campaign on certain "bolt lock" rifles manufactured prior to 1982. Details on the specific offer can be found at Remington's web site at www.Remington.com.

I believe that you, as hunter safety professionals, with the

support of gunsmiths, dealers, and manufacturers, can help

prevent needless accidents by adding an eleventh commandment

to your hunter education curriculum: “Thou shalt only buy a

firearm after it has been examined by a qualified gunsmith.”


At issue is the rapid aging and shrinkage, in

proportion to the population at large, of the

hunting, fishing and trapping segment of the

American population. Average age of the American hunter

is 42; average age of our society at large is 35. According to

demographers, this represents a huge disparity. The future

of outdoor sports is urgently dependent upon the recruit-

ment of new participants.

Traditionally, children were raised in a family of

hunters and were mentored by family members when they

were old enough to hunt. Today, things are different.

Fewer families are involved in hunting, and anti-hunting sentiment grows; children busy with school activities and intra-

mural sports are less likely to see hunting as an option for them.

Understanding this, the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance has developed the Trailblazer Adventure Program. Working with

the Boy Scouts of America and the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, the Alliance's goal is to intro-

duce a new generation of young people and their families to the joys of the outdoors.

Where Do We Go From Here?

By Doug Jeanneret

If current social trends continue,

hunting, fishing, and trapping could

die out within two generations. That

is a frightening thought to someone

who comes from untold generations

of hunters.

The goal of the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is to introduce a new generation

of young people and their families to the joys of the outdoors.

TrailblazerAdventure Program


Involving the family in this effort

is the key to its success. A family

with little knowledge of the outdoors

might be unwilling or unable to sup-

port their child's newfound interests,

whereas parental involvement in the

program can help establish in the

child a lifetime interest in hunting

and the outdoors.

The first element of the Trail-

blazer Adventure Program is called

Trailblazer Adventure Day: a fast-

paced, day-long introduction to the

outdoors, which includes a variety of

hands-on activities. It is conducted

in a round-robin format at a local boy

scout camp or other facility. Boy

scouts and their parents are divided

into groups and participate in each

activity, such as trapshooting, air

and .22 rifle target shooting, archery,

fishing, and nature interpretation.

The program also features demon-

strations and orientation programs.

State and local sportsmen con-

servation clubs are also an important

component of this program. Club

members volunteer to be 'Trail

Guides' to mentor participating youth

and their families. Optimally, there

will be one Trail Guide per family

team, but several teams may be

assigned to one guide. Trail Guides

escort teams to each station to pro-

vide hands-on instruction and to

answer questions.

The second element of the

Trailblazer Program is the Trail

Master Program. This program

matches interested boy scouts and

their parents with Trail Guides for an

entire year following the Trailblazer

Adventure Day. Trail Guides main-

tain contact with youth and parents

and encourage involvement in vari-

ous activities:

• Enrollment in a hunting, shoot-

ing, fishing, or other

outdoor education program

• Fishing trips

• Trips to sporting goods stores

• Trips to shooting ranges

• Hunting trips

There are many youth recruit-

ment programs being implemented

across the country. Two aspects of

Trailblazer make it unique. One is

the audience provided through the

Boy Scouts. At the October 2001

pilot event in Atlanta, nearly 1,400

Scouts and their parents attended

the daylong event. It was a huge suc-

cess with an enthusiastic group. Few

youth "outdoor" days can boast such

a turnout. The second aspect, and

probably the most important, is the

mentoring program. Over 100 boy

scouts and families enrolled in the

Trail Master Program during the

Atlanta event. These scouts and their

families will be spending the next

year learning about and participating

in activities related to our outdoor

heritage.

The Georgia Hunter Education

Association has agreed to help with

the Trail Master Program and will be

a key partner at the Atlanta 2002

Trailblazer Adventure Day.

Discussions are on-going with the

International Hunter Education

Association to endorse and partner

with the U. S. Sportsmen's Alliance,

Boy Scouts of America, and State

Wildlife Agencies for the 2002

Trailblazer Adventure Program.

With these dedicated partners,

the program is a "can't miss" in the

struggle to recruit more people to our

sports.

To find out more about the

Trailblazer Adventure Program, con-

tact Doug Jeanneret, Trailblazer

Program Coordinator at (614) 888-

4868 ext. 212.

The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance

protects the rights of hunters, anglers

and trappers nationally in the courts,

legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress

and through public education pro-

grams. For more information about

the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance and its

work, visit our web site at www.

ussportsmen.org or write U.S.

Sportsmen's Alliance, 801 Kingsmill

Parkway, Columbus, Ohio 43229-

1137.

Doug Jeanneret is Director of

Communications, U.S. Sportsmen's

Alliance, and is Trailblazer

Coordinator. ✛

State and local sportsmen conservation clubs arealso an important component of this program.Club members volunteer to be ‘Trail Guides’ tomentor participating youth and their families.

Over 2.5 million boys, ages 11-18,attend Boy Scout summer camp

each year. It is agreed that some of themost pursued, yet least completed, meritbadges at scout camp are the shootingsports badges, which include rifle, shotgun,muzzleloading, and archery. Every week ofsummer camp, scouts line up waitingpatiently to pop off a few rounds of .22 orshotgun, or fling a dozen arrows at a dis-tant target. The popularity of these activi-ties is so great that very few scouts arelucky to complete any of the requirementsof the shooting sports merit badges. Tocompound the problem, when these youngmen return home, there is again little-to- noopportunity for them to pursue and/or com-

plete any of these badgesHistorically, hunter education instruc-

tors have not been permitted by the BoyScouts of America (BSA) to teach any ofthe shooting sports badges unless theinstructor was NRA range certified. Ameeting was held 17 Jan 2002 with Dr.David M. Knotts, IHEA Executive VicePresident, and David Bates, Terry Lawson,and Ed Woodlock of the National Office ofthe BSA. Clarification of its current safetypolicy allowed the BSA to open the door forhunter education instructors to serve ascounselors for the shooting sports meritbadges.

To qualify as a BSA Shooting Sports

Merit Badge counselor, hunter educationinstructors must:

1. Register as a merit badge coun-selor with the local BSA Scout Council.

2. Comply with BSA standards andfollow established guidelines for youth pro-tection.

In addition:1. Lecture or classroom portions of

the respective merit badges may be taughtin a group setting, with the requirement thata minimum of two adults be present.

2. The live-fire portion of the coursemust be presented with only one scout perinstructor on the firing line at a time.

3. To conduct a live-fire exercise withtwo or more scouts at a time on the firing


Bulletin Board

The 2002 Administrator Academy was held in

Shepardstown, WV, during the last week of February.

Participants were: Tim Cameron, NB; Matt Ortman, OH;

Lee Rogers, AK; Tony Monzingo, AK; James Bell, GA;

Michael Friel, DE; Keith Snyder (also instructor), PA; Phillip

Luckenbaugh, PA; Scott Renalds, VA; John Sturgis, LA;

Bob Mayer, IHEA; Rod Slings, IA; Peter Lester, NH; Dee

Mazzarese, USFWS, MA, (also instructor); Dawn Failing,

DE; Susan Langlois, MA; Karen Holson, VA; Joe Racette,

NY; Matthew Merchant, NY; Jose Chabert, PR. Additional

instructors were: David Knotts, IHEA; Tim Coleman, WV;

Bill Christy, Christy Enterprises, VA; Les Smith, NV; Eric

Nuse, VT. ✛

2002 Summer Junior Position Air Rifle CampsThe Civilian Marksmanship Program has released the schedule for

its 2002 Summer Junior Position Air Rifle Camps. For more information,the program is posted on the CMP web site at www.odcmp.com/Services/Programs/camp.htm. ✛

2003 IHEA ConferenceThe 2003 IHEA Conference will be held in Vancouver, British

Columbia, Canada, from April 25-29 at the Coast Plaza Suite Hotel. Itstheme is "Investing in Instructors and Volunteers." Professional devel-opment training will be provided on April 26 & 27 for instructors and coor-dinators.

April in Vancouver is generally quite nice. Snow is still on localmountains, and skiing is good. You can also take a walk wearing a lightjacket and visit Stanley Park (two blocks from the hotel), see the springflowers, and walk along the beach. For information about BritishColumbia, visit Tourism BC at www.hellobc.com. ✛

2004 IHEA ConferenceThe 2004 International Hunter Education Association Annual

Conference will be held in San Diego, California, May 23-28, at the Townand Country Resort and Conference Center in the heart of San Diego,minutes from Old Town, beaches, shopping, and family attractions suchas Marine World and the world famous San Diego Zoo. Walk on thebeaches, enjoy the local flavor, and take advantage of bartering for sou-venirs in Mexico, just minutes from San Diego. ✛

Recruitment and Retention: Meeting the Needs of the BSA Shooting Sports Program


Bulletin Board

Elevated Stand Survey for InstructorsIn the Fall 2001 issue of Hunter & Shooting Sports Education Journal, we

asked instructors to complete a questionnaire on the use of elevated stands.

Survey results will help the IHEA better identify the preferred method of teach-

ing safety related to elevated stands. If you have not already done so, please

complete this questionnaire and return it to the IHEA at the address indicated

on the survey form. If you need another copy of the survey, please contact us

at 970-568-7954 or [email protected]. ✛

Remington Safety Modification ProgramRemington is offering a safety modification program to remove the bolt-lock mecha-

nism from certain Remington bolt-action centerfire firearms made prior to March, 1982.

(Post-1982 bolt-action firearms were not manufactured with bolt-lock mechanisms).

The unloading process for most bolt-action firearms with a bolt-lock mechanism can-

not begin unless the manual safety is placed in the 'F" or "Off or Fire" position. If you par-

ticipate in the program your firearm will be modified to eliminate the bolt-lock feature and

you will be able to unload your firearm while the safety is kept in the "S" or "On Safe" posi-

tion. The operation of your firearm will not otherwise be affected.

Here are the basic program elements:

• The firearms will be cleaned and inspected and the bolt lock mechanism will be

removed for $20.00 plus shipping and handling.

• The gun will be returned to you with a $20.00 rebate coupon good towards the pur-

chase of any Remington brand safety product (eye protection, hearing protection, cable

and trigger locks, gun cabinets and gun safes.)

The following models are included in this program: Model 600, Model 660, Model

700, Model 721, Model 722, Model XP-100, Model 40-X.

The following bolt-action centerfire firearms are not subject to the Safety Modification

Program: Model 700ML Sportsman 78, Model 788, Model 725, Model Seven, Model 710,

Model 30, 30 Express.

If you have a bolt-action rifle with a bolt-lock mechanism, and you do not wish to have

the lock removed, you must be sure to follow this IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICE: Be sure

the rifle is pointing in a safe direction anytime you move the manual safety to the "F" or

"Off or Fire" position. As soon as you have lifted the bolt, immediately put the manual safe-

ty back in the "S" or "On Safe" position and then continue the unloading process. ✛

Winchester Ammo RecallOlin Corporation, through its Win-

chester Division, is recalling five lots of its

WILDCAT® 22 Long Rifle High Velocity

Rimfire ammunition (Symbol Number

WW22LR). Lot numbers are: 3RA42L,

1RH71L, 1RH81L, 2RH81L, and 3RH81L.

Through extensive evaluation,

Winchester has determined these five

lots may contain double powder

charges. Double powder charge

weight ammunition may cause firearm

damage, rendering the firearm inoper-

able, and subject the shooter to a risk

of personal injury when fired.

You are requested to return this

ammunition to Winchester via UPS,

securely packed into a corrugated

cardboard box with the words "CAR-

TRIDGES, SMALL ARMS ORM-D" on

the outside. Ship to: Olin

Corporation—Winchester Division;

Tile Warehouse; Powder Mill Rd, Gate

4A; East Alton, IL 62024; Attention: 22

Caliber Recall. ✛

line, the instructor must be NRA range cer-tified, a trained law enforcement or militaryrange officer, or a certified 4-H shootingsports coach.

The IHEA is continuing to work withthe BSA to qualify range officers on state-operated ranges for group live fire.

It should be understood that manyscout councils may not be aware of theabove provision and should contact EdWoodlock, Associate National Directorand BSA Safety Director, for further clar-ification at Council Services Division,1325 W. Walnut Hill Lane, Irving, TX75015-2079; [email protected]). ✛

PassingJim Kerrick, Virginia's first hunter safety coordinator, passed away February 10, 2002,

after an extended illness. He had been hospitalized in a Veterans Administration facility for

most of the past five years. Apparently, Jim had no surviving family. ✛

Safety/Recall Notices


It is unfortunate and some-times tragic that some people

who hunt make mistakes. It is evenmore unfortunate that other peopleare eager to embellish reports ofhunting incidents in attempts toembarrass and discredit all hunters.The Winter 2002 "Incident Report"included an article about a hunterwho shot two donkeys. The fact thatany hunter would mistake domesticanimals for deer is embarrassingenough to the rest of us who hunt,but someone decided to make thestory even more ridiculous.

According to the article, "An offi-cer caught him attempting to dragthe two field dressed and tagged ani-mals out of the woods." That part ofthe story is totally untrue, but therumor was aired on the radio by alocal disk jockey. The donkey inci-dent was investigated thoroughly byNew York State EnvironmentalConservation Officers. According totheir official report, the carelesshunter, who had two doe tags, sawtwo does jumping a fence. He sawtwo animals standing in the fieldbeyond the fence, but he could notget a clear view or shot. He took the

shot anyway, leaning over in his treestand at an awkward angle andshooting left-handed. Even thoughhe could not see them clearly, hecleanly killed the two animals. Whenhe came down to claim the deer, herealized he'd shot two donkeys. Theembarrassed hunter immediatelyreported his foolish error to the ani-mals' owner and offered restitution.Police were not notified of the inci-dent until after the animals were dis-posed of.

This was not an example of amoron who doesn't know the

difference between a deer and a don-key. It is a clear case of an errormuch more common and much moredangerous—a phenomenon knownas premature closure. Prematureclosure is little more than a seriouscase of "jumping to conclusions." Anexcited hunter is so intent on findingprey that his brain convinces him anyshape or movement even remotelyresembling the target must be it.This does not happen to hunters whocautiously and methodically questiontheir own judgment with each shot.But it DOES happen to hundreds of

experienced, intelligent and otherwiseresponsible hunters every year.Pretending that "premature closure"can only happen to the most irre-sponsible and stupid people makes itimpossible to convince our studentsthat IT COULD HAPPEN TO THEM.We need to convince our studentsthat even they could be subject tothis error unless they are constantlyvigilant and question their judgmentwith every shot.

P.S. One of our officers sent anE-mail about the "stupid hunter"rumor to a friend who relayed it toIHEA. If he knew that it would endup in print, he would have followedup with the factual report that camein later.

Wayne Jones, NY Sportsman Education Administrator

Editors' note: The policy of the IHEA is

to check the accuracy of each hunting inci-

dent story it receives with the hunter educa-

tion administrator of that state. However, in

this instance, the source of the incident story

was a highly credible individual within New

York's Environmental Conservation depart-

ment and no check was made. Lesson

learned: don't believe everything in print. ✛

The Hunting Incident Report

Ask the Expert

Question: Is the hunter education curriculum federally mandated? --Claudia Daw, Volunteer Hunter Education Instructor, CA

There is no federal mandate for states to havehunter education programs. Each state has its

own unique laws determining the regulation of hunters.All states do have hunter education/safety programs inplace, though not all use federal funds to deliver it. Shoulda state use its federally apportioned Wildlife RestorationProgram (often referred to as "Pittman-Robertson") fundsfor its hunter education effort, then certain rules apply tothe use of those funds.

All Wildlife Restoration programs must be "substantialin character and design," meaning they must be in linewith accepted procedures and practices being used in the

profession. In this case, Federal Aid Staff regard theHunter Education Standards as adopted by theInternational Hunter Education Association (IHEA) as anaccepted baseline meeting the federal determination ofsubstantiality.

Most state programs exceed these minimum IHEAstandards. Individual state laws determine who is requiredto successfully complete a hunter education course inorder to legally hunt in that state. ✛

Tony Faast, Staff Biologist/Federal Aid, USFWSPacific Region

By Wayne Jones

Stupid Hunter Stories:Pretending that only idiots cause hunting accidents is a big mistake


In past issues of the Journalwe have discussed the valueof teaching the “Command-ments of Firearm Safety,”

hunter ethics, and survival. Thisissue puts wildlife management inthe proverbial hot seat.

The Missoula IHEA conferencetheme was “Taking Hunter EducationTo The Next Level.” In spite of that, Ifavor putting the next level in context,i.e., first understanding where we areand how we got here. Why doeshunter education exist? Have wedeviated too far from our originalintent? If our original intent was toprevent hunting accidents, thenteaching wildlife management putsus out on a limb.

It is true, isn’t it? Hunter educa-tion was developed simply to reducehunting accidents. In the 1950s, ‘60sand ‘70s, hunting accidents werecommonplace. So much so thathunters and wildlife agencies fearedfor the future of hunting. It seemedobvious that hunters needed to besafer afield or lawmakers would starttaking privileges with more restrictivelegislation.

Maybe the purpose of huntereducation is to prevent hunting acci-dents. Maybe the purpose of huntereducation is something more. Maybethe purpose of hunter education is toprotect the future of hunting. Couldour hunter education pioneers havebeen as insightful as they were con-

cerned? Could hunter education beas dynamic as hunting and cultureitself? Perhaps hunter education wasnever intended to be rigid or static,but to be dynamic, meeting thechanging needs of hunters, non-hunters, wildlife agencies andwildlife.

If hunter education has a role toplay in the future of hunting, weshould be able to make a cohesiveargument for reaching over 600,000hunter ed students each year withwildlife management education. I willattempt to do that by making a fewkey points:

1. Hunters must continue to bestrong wildlife advocates.

2. Today’s hunters must be moreknowledgeable and sophisticatedthan past generations due to a grow-ing interest in wildlife by a wider seg-

ment of society.3. Hunters are an important

funding source for wildlife manage-ment in North America.

4. Hunting is a tool of wildlifemanagement.

Wildlife Management: Huntersas Wildlife Advocates. At the turn ofthe century, elk, Canada geese, wildturkey, and even white-tailed deerwere “endangered species.” Sporthunters (and a few non-huntingwildlife advocates) stopped years ofmarket hunting and “wildlifeexploitation.” Voluntarily, sporthunters severely restricted sporthunting so that wildlife populationsmight increase.

A few decades later, huntersstepped up for wildlife again. Wildlifelaws and law enforcement helped

IIss TThheerree aa PPllaaccee ffoorr WWiillddlliiffee MMaannaaggeemmeenntt iinn HHuunntteerr EEdduuccaattiioonn??

Firearm safety, hunter responsibility, survival, wildlife identification, gamecare, archery, muzzleloading, wildlife management… There is no doubt thathunter education is more than gun safety. And, we teach it all in 10 hours. HunterEducation Instructors are nothing short of ingenious, super-volunteers!

ILLUSTRATION COURTESY BROWNING

PHOTO COURTESY CARL ZEISS

By Patt Dorsey


wildlife populations, but more workremained. In 1937, hunters support-ed a Federal excise tax on huntingequipment, firearms and ammuni-tion to raise money specifically forprofessional wildlife management.With this legislation, hunters intro-duced the continent to a period of“wildlife restoration.”

Today, the North American elkpopulation exceeds one million ani-mals. The wild turkey has returned toall of its historic range. Canada geeseand white-tailed deer are so commonthat we occasionally hear themreferred to as “flying carp” or “ratswith antlers,” respectively. Thissuper abundance of wildlife has cre-ated a period of “wildlife trepidation.”

In addition, overpopulationaffects animal health and destroyshabitat. Examples include decreasedbirth weights in overpopulated deerherds and snow geese overgrazingfragile tundra. Overpopulation of afew game species, especially thosethat are “cute” or “magnificent,” maycause people to overlook otherspecies and wildlife habitats. At arecent county planning meeting, peo-ple had difficulty seeing the negativeramifications of a development frag-menting songbird habitat becausethere were “lots of deer” in the area.Wildlife diseases, new forms of mar-keting, altered animal behaviors suchas nuisance behavior and interrela-tionships with other animals, maynot receive their due until they haveevolved into the extreme scenario,e.g., chronic wasting disease.

Wildlife issues are complex.Simple answers are often incorrect.Hunters must understand wildlifemanagement and continue to advo-cate doing the “right” things.

Wildlife Management: HelpingHunters Defend Hunting. Peoplehave greater access to informationthese days. Yet hunting remains oneof those things that you have to expe-rience to understand. Non-huntersdo not understand how we can lovedeer and kill deer. They do notunderstand how we can justify killingdeer so they don’t die. Yet they mayhave opinions or an interest in how orwhether we kill deer.

Just as wildlife issues are com-plex and simple answers are oftenincorrect, the reasons why we huntare complex and simple explanationsare unacceptable. I do not hunt deerto adjust the buck-doe ratio in Unit29. Nor do I hunt pheasants to keepthem from freezing over the winter.

Hunting is a wildlife manage-ment tool but the classic model, pop-ulation growth until a crash or die-offoccurs, does not work for all species.For example, if we stopped huntingpheasants tomorrow, they wouldnever overpopulate. Their biologydoes not allow it. Most of the pheas-ants, quail, and many other gamebird populations (up to 80 percent)die each year, NO MATTER WHAT.They compensate by laying manyeggs and raising large broods.

So, is there any harm in not tak-ing time to let hunters know thefacts? Yes! If hunters are not knowl-edgeable about wildlife populations, ifthey continue to use archaic argu-ments in discussions with knowl-edgeable non-hunters, they paint apicture of hunters not as hardy con-servationists and skilled woodsmen,but one of hunters as ignorant slobs.Arming hunters with a poor under-standing of wildlife management indebates with knowledgeable anti-hunters is like taking a rock to a gun-fight.

Wildlife Management: HelpingHunters Understand Its Funding.From the day wildlife agencies werecreated, hunting license fees paid thebills. Federal taxes on hunting

equipment added millions more dol-lars to states’ coffers. Hunter contri-butions to conservation organizationslike Ducks Unlimited, RockyMountain Elk Foundation, NationalWild Turkey Federation, etc., provid-ed additional money, protected addi-tional habitat and funded reintroduc-tion efforts.

Today, some states use generalfunds or receive sales tax revenue,income tax check-off donations, orlottery proceeds to fund wildlife man-agement. Hunters still contribute alarge share.

Wildlife Management: HowHunting Fits as a Tool. Hunting andhunters are valuable tools of wildlifemanagement. Hunters are wildlifeadvocates and fund a large share ofwildlife management. For somespecies, e.g., deer and elk, huntinghelps keep herds in check with theirhabitat. For other species, huntingneither hurts nor helps the popula-tion numbers or their habitats.

We learned that wildlife issuesare complex. While there are no sim-ple answers, hunters must be part ofthe solutions. If we neglect our dutyas conservationists and wildlife advo-cates, our apparent disregard for gen-uine problems may counterbalanceour greatest contributions to NorthAmerica’s wildlife legacy.

Wildlife agencies, like huntereducation, have a stake in the futureof hunting. To that end, agencieswant to give hunters an appropriaterole in wildlife management. Huntersmust be willing to take it, and in so doing, perpetuate the future ofhunting.

What can one hunter do?Perhaps, not much. Nevertheless, bysome estimates there are 20 millionhunters in the U.S. What if more ofus understood wildlife managementand were willing to kill one snowgoose? Kill one white-tailed doe?What if each of us were willing to takeone non-hunter to the shooting rangeor on a hunting trip? ✛

If hunter education has a role to play in the future of hunting, we should beable to make a cohesive argument for reaching over 600,000 hunter ed studentseach year with wildlife management education.

PH

OTO

CO

UR

TES

Y B

RO

WN

ING


The Meaning of ConservationAlthough the term "conserva-

tion" is relatively recent in origin, ref-erences to conservation ideas andpractices are not; some appear in theOld Testament!

From the earliest colonial days inAmerica many thoughtful mendecried the abuse of the land and itsresources. Hindsight now permits usto recognize the contributions of suchmen as Eliot, Ruffin, Hilgard,Bartram, Parkman, Emerson,Thoreau, Audubon, Marsh, Powell,and Muir—among many—as fore-thoughts of modern conservationphilosophy. But it was not until earlyin the 20th century that the conceptof conservation was stated as a work-ing definition. Gifford Pinchot, chiefforester of the U.S. Forest Service,conceived the idea that there wasone, "Central problem of the use ofthe earth for the good of man." Fromthis idea evolved a policy and a con-cept which was stated:

"The use of the natural re-sources, for the greatest good of thegreatest number for the longest time."

This definition has frequentlybeen shortened to one which hasbecome the classic for school text-books:

Conservation is the WISE USE ofnatural resources.

But no descriptive phrase or def-inition which contains such subjec-tive words as "good" or "wise" can beentirely satisfactory, so many per-sons have tried to improve upon andclarify the definition of "conserva-tion." Most such efforts have been nomore satisfactory than the original,except—perhaps—to the ones pro-posing the "new" definition. Onewhich has gained considerableacceptance among educators, howev-er, was proposed by Dr. Matthew J.Brennan, former director of thePinchot Institute for ConservationStudies. He offers:

"Conservation consists in therecognition by man of his interde-pendence with his environment andwith life everywhere, and the develop-ment of a culture which maintainsthat relationship through policiesand practices necessary to secure thefuture of an environment fit for lifeand fit for living."

Critics of Dr. Brennan's defini-tion are, of course, quick to point outthat his phrases "fit for life" and "fitfor living" are as subjective andambiguous as are the terms "good"and "wise."

A definition of conservationwhich has been widely accepted—perhaps because of its pure beauty ofthought—is that by Aldo Leopold

who wrote:“Conservation is a state of har-

mony between men and land.”Despite the noble and altruistic

goals and objectives of conservationas implied by the foregoing defini-tions, the terms "conservation" and"conservation education" have fallenfrom favor among many educatorswithin recent years—probablybecause the actual accomplishmentshave fallen so far short of the goals.

"Environment" and "environ-mental education" have become the"in" terms. Many definitions of theseterms have appeared: Most are quiteverbose. A careful analysis of thesedefinitions reveal that there are reallyfew, if any, conceptual differencesbetween these terms and the former.Many individuals and groups havetherefore compromised by using thecombined phrases "environmentalconservation" and "environmentalconservation education."

Regardless of the term or defini-tion used, it is of vital importance torealize that (environmental) conserva-tion is actually a pattern of humanbehavior with respect to man's envi-ronment.

Conservation is actually a phi-losophy of daily living.

Levels of Conservation EffortThere are three levels of conser-

vation effort: preservation, restora-tion, and management.

PreservationPreservation means saving. It

AAnn EEccoollooggiiccaall AApppprrooaacchhttoo CCoonnsseerrvvaattiioonnEEdduuccaattiioonn

From: A Supplement to Conservation Education Programs of the MissouriDepartment of Conservation, Education Division. Pages 1-4. Printed with permissionof the Missouri Department of Conservation.

A definition of conservation which has been widely accepted — perhapsbecause of its pure beauty of thought — is that by Aldo Leopold whowrote: Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land.



implies little or no use of a resource.There are certain resources—truewilderness, endangered species ofplants or animals, small tracts ofunique fragile ecosystems, histori-cally important buildings—in whichpreservation is the only possiblemethod of conservation.

A good example is afforded bythe prairie chicken in Missouri.Many years ago this was an impor-tant game bird in the northern andwestern prairies of the state. Butnow more than 99 percent of the orig-inal prairie is gone, lost to cultivationor "improved" pastures. There is littlesuitable habitat left for the prairiechicken, and its population has beenreduced to a few thousand birds.Under present conditions preserva-tion is the only reasonable conserva-tion effort.

RestorationRestoration is the second level of

conservation, and is frequently over-looked by most persons. It impliesnot only the return of once worn-outfarmland to productivity, the restock-ing of a wildlife species to an areafrom which it had been depleted, thereplanting of denuded forest land, the

grading and seeding of barren strip-mined areas, or the reflooding of aonce-drained waterfowl marsh; but italso implies a long-term effort toreestablish the original quality whichonce existed in the unit beingrestored. Although some worn-outfarmland can be made productive ina relatively short time, restorationshould not be considered completeuntil original fertility levels have beenreestablished. (Ideally, of course,original soil depths should also berestored, but such is beyond thecapability of mere man!)

Restocking of a wildlife speciesshould not be considered a successuntil original population levels areachieved or exceeded. Reforestationefforts should eventually achieve alevel of fully mature forests of a qual-ity found only in virgin tracts.Pollution abatement programsshould not be considered effectiveuntil air and water resources attainthe quality which existed before themajor interventions of man.

This view of restorative conserva-tion is often beyond possible achieve-ment. Once filled with sediment andthus rendered useless as a lake, animpounded valley can never berestored with a free-flowing stream asit once was before a dam was built(would-be dam builders should con-sider this before they decide to builda dam). Once extinct, a species ofplant or animal is forever beyondrestoration. Once demolished, anarchitectural masterpiece can never

be restored.A fine example of a successful

restoration effort can be found in thecase of the white-tailed deer inMissouri. In 1937, the year that theConservation Commission was offi-cially created, there were fewer than4000 deer in the entire state. Thissmall population was limited to a fewOzark counties and was too small tosupport hunting.

Then a comprehensive restora-tion program was begun. It includedchanges in hunting regulations, bet-ter enforcement, research, live-trap-ping and distribution, and an educa-tional and informational effort.Today deer are found throughoutMissouri. The population is probablylarger than it was before white mencame into the region, and the herdsupports an annual hunting harvestwhich is many times larger than wasthe total deer population before therestoration program.

ManagementManagement is the third level of

conservation—management withinthe conceptual framework of the defi-nitions stated earlier. It is one themanagement level that man finallymakes the decisions and implementsthe practices which determinewhether we actually achieve the goalsinherent in our definitions.

A cropland field which producesa high quality harvest of grain, hay,or truck year-after-year without lossof soil fertility or without soil erosion;rangeland which sustains continuallivestock grazing without loss of for-age diversity and quality, and withoutsoil compaction or erosion; fields andwoods which support a continuouslyhigh density of diverse wildlife popu-lations; and an urban factory whichdischarges no pollutants into the airor water are all examples of goodresource management at a conserva-tion level.

There are many concrete exam-ples of conservation-level manage-ment, but unfortunately there areeven more examples of its lack! Andlack of such a level of management iswhat "environmental problems" areall about; achievement of such a levelis the ultimate goal of conservation. ✛

There are three levels ofconservation effort:

preservation, restoration,and management.



This article gives back-

ground information on

wildlife management and

offers suggestions for

making wildlife management a fun,

interactive part of your hunter educa-

tion classes. It explains the terminol-

ogy of wildlife management, illustrat-

ing each with "real-life" examples.

Understanding these terms helps

instructors better understand the

topic. It helps students learn effec-

tively and adds enjoyment to their

class.

Biologically, hunting fits as a

wildlife management tool. We define

wildlife management as "using scien-

tific knowledge and technical skills to

manage wildlife and its habitat."

Hunting is a technical skill used to

manage wildlife populations. Wildlife

agencies regulate hunting consider-

ing the biology of the species and the

carrying capacity of their habitat.

Habitat is the area that provides

the things that animals need to sur-

vive. The three components of habi-

tat are food, water, and shelter. The

three components must be in proper

arrangement and the area must pro-

vide enough space. For example: if

an area has food, water, and shelter,

but a rabbit has to leave shelter,

crossing a large open area to feed, a

hawk may kill it. Likewise, when ani-

mals are crowded into small areas of

habitat, they spread diseases, deplete

CCaarrrryyiinngg CCaappaacciittyy::Compensatory Mortalityand Other Fancy Terms I Learned in College

You need to teach it. You want to teach it. You have 45 minutes (tops) to teach it. So, how do you effectively teach wildlife management in Hunter Education?


By Patt Dorsey



their food supply, and may fight,

injuring or killing each other.

Limiting factors are components

of habitat that limit or restrict wildlife

populations. For example, if food and

shelter are abundant, but water is

limited for bighorn sheep, the

bighorn population cannot grow

beyond the limitations of the water.

Carrying capacity, as defined by

the "father of game management,"

Aldo Leopold, is "the maximum den-

sity of wild game, which a particular

range is capable of carrying." This

definition, unfortunately, is too sim-

ple to work. The maximum density in

December is different from the maxi-

mum density in July, as is the maxi-

mum density in a wet year versus a

drought year.

Recognizing that habitat

changes constantly, a more function-

al definition of biological carrying

capacity is "a dynamic balance

between available food, water, shelter,

and wildlife." Wildlife managers also

keep wildlife within a balance of what

is "socially" acceptable. In areas

where deer-vehicle collisions are fre-

quent, high numbers of deer are

intolerable. In areas where livestock

production makes major contribu-

tions to local economies, high num-

bers of black bears, mountain lions

and coyotes are intolerable. Wildlife

managers must balance the biologi-

cal with the social carrying capacity.

Two factors that drive popula-

tions are birth rates (natality) and

death rates (mortality). Habitat qual-

ity or biological carrying capacity

directly affects both of these factors.

Habitat quality affects natality.

An amazing example is the black

bear, to which habitat quality is so

important it directly affects the

potential of the species to reproduce.

Bears in western coniferous forests

live on a relatively poor-quality diet: a

few insects, grass, flowers and, in

good years, a few berries or scrub

acorns. In Wyoming, bears do not

have cubs until about five years of

age and have (usually) two cubs every

other year. Black bears in eastern

hardwood forests live on a higher

calorie diet, abundant with nuts and

berries. In Pennsylvania, black bears

start having cubs at about three

years of age and have up to four cubs

every year.

Habitat quality affects mortality.

The quality and availability of habitat

can increase or decrease mortality.

For example: In a winter of deep

snows, elk have more difficulty find-

ing feed. Mortality increases because

of a decrease in habitat quality as

compared to years of average snow-

fall. Likewise in mild winters, food is

abundant and little mortality occurs.

Mortality in wildlife populations

is compensatory. Six mortality factors

shape wildlife populations: starva-

tion, hunting, accidents, predation,

weather, and disease. All factors are

contingent on habitat and they are

compensatory (offsetting, counterbal-

ancing). If one factor decreases, the

other factors increase or compensate

so total mortality remains about the

same. In our previous example, elk

cannot find grasses in a severe win-

ter. To avoid starvation, some elk

move to areas where snow is less

deep, often around railroad tracks.

While fewer elk die of starvation,

many are killed by trains. Total win-

ter mortality does not change. (In

Colorado, this is such a problem that

the Division of Wildlife feeds elk to

lure them away from the railroad

tracks in bad winters.)

Now that we understand the

basics, how do we share that with our

students? Realize that as instructors

we cannot make our students expert

wildlife managers. For that matter,

we cannot make them expert marks-

men or hunters either. We can only

introduce hunting and motivate our

students to learn more outside our

classroom.

Patt Dorsey is the Hunter Education

Administrator for the Colorado Division of

Wildlife. She has a degree in wildlife biol-

ogy from Colorado State University. She

began hunting with her father and gramps

and has been an avid hunter for 31 years!

See page 34 for a 45-minuteclassroom exercise for teaching/learning wildlife conservation. ✛


Iam proud to say I hunt. Hunting hasbeen a part of my life for more thanhalf a century. I kill only what I plan toeat, and if you come to my house for

dinner, there is a 98 percent chance that themeat either once flew, ran wild on the land-scape, or swam in the water. I am proud towork for the National Wild Turkey Federation,an organization with a mission statement thatis "the conservation of the wild turkey and thepreservation of the hunting tradition."

Hunters: Conservation leadersHunters were the first true conservation-

ists and stepped forward to put an end to mar-ket hunting, which threatened and pushedgame species toward the brink of extinction.Hunters asked for a self-imposed tax on hunt-ing equipment to help pay for the protection ofwild lands, the improvement of habitat, andmeasures to restore game populations thathad dwindled.

Today, hunters continue to pay the bulk ofconservation efforts through the purchase oflicenses and hunting equipment. They alsocomprise the majority of the members in con-servation organizations, such as the NationalWild Turkey Federation, that contribute billionsof dollars and volunteer labor each year to helpstate, federal, and provincial game agenciesfulfill their missions.

Without hunter/conservationist organiza-tions working in cooperation with the agencies,much of what we have to celebrate today—5.6million wild turkeys across North America, 42million ducks in this past year's fall flight, and apopulation of white-tailed deer so abundant it isby far the most recognized and hunted gameanimal—would not exist. Hunters made it happen.

Unfortunately, we have an entire genera-tion of biologists who are learning and quotingthe timeless thoughts and theories of conser-

vation great Aldo Leopold, but they are gradu-ating from our nation's colleges and universi-ties ignorant of the fact that Leopold was ahunter. It's one thing to be an anti-hunter, buta wildlife biologist unable to appreciate the rolehunting played in our conservation legacy isunacceptable and unjustifiable.

Indeed, conservation and hunting are sointertwined that their histories are inseparable.But we have to ask ourselves a question: Whathappens if we lose hunting? We can't afford totry to answer this question over a span of 20years. It is important that we work now toensure that hunting and hunters remain avaluable component of the conservation landscape.

Why we huntDel Benson of Colorado State University

accurately noted that "hunting is a unique formof expression… distinct from other humanbehaviors in that it provides a direct link to theland, wild animals living on that land, and ourNorth American history of human-nature inter-action."

For the practical concerns of today'shunters, our biggest focus falls on the needsfor affiliation, such as belonging to a hunt clubor conservation organization; recognition andachievement, such as being either recognizedor self-satisfied with good woodsmanshipskills; and appreciation of nature and culture,which is the hunter's contentment of simplyexperiencing nature as opposed to just killinggame.

Jan Dizard of Amherst College andRobert Muth of the University of Massa-chusetts interviewed hunters and found hunt-ing to be a form of re-enacting rural history.Hunting embodies an honest relationshipbetween humans and nature, and has keptalive our ideals of self-reliance—a point thathas been argued as perhaps one of the most

distinctly American contributions to politicalphilosophy.

The serious approach hunters havetoward hunting cannot be over-emphasized.Many of them recalled the first animal theykilled and how intense the emotions were sur-rounding that act. Hunting was in no way friv-olous, despite some the flippant opinions of theanti-hunting or non-hunting public. I can re-member the first deer I killed 43 years ago, justas well as if I had killed it yesterday. Maybemore importantly, I remember just as vividly myson's and daughter's first deer.

Hunters not a dying breedEven as hunting comes under increasing

scrutiny by anti-hunters, Dizard and Muth pointout that the perception that hunting is a dyingsport is not true. Hunting has never attracted alarge portion of our population as commonlybelieved, but today, hunting is less understoodand less accepted by the general public than inyears past. We need to continue recruitingyoung hunters, but hunting is not a numbersgame—it hinges on acceptance by the 80 per-cent of the North American population that donot hunt.

It is true that the hunting community isgraying and, in some areas, in decline. On theother hand, hunting has drawn more partici-pants since the 1970s than ever before. Thenumber of turkey hunters, for example, hasmore than doubled since the early 1970s, andif membership in the NWTF is any indication, itshows little signs of slowing.

This does not mean that hunting isn't indanger of losing some of its relevance to con-servation in the 21st century. Dizard and Muthnoted that if hunting is to survive, wildlife agen-cies and hunter-based conservation organiza-tions are going to have to bring hunting back tothe forefront of the discussion on wildlife and

Continued on page 28

CChhaannggiinngg RRoollee ooff HHuunnttiinngg iinn NNoorrtthh AAmmeerriiccaann CCoonnsseerrvvaattiioonn

By Dr. James Earl Kennamer, Vice President for Conservation Programs, National Wild Turkey Federation

The following is a condensed version of a paper given by Dr. James Earl Kennamer, Ph.D., at the 66thNorth American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference held March 2001 in Washington, D.C.


Jay stood at the head of hisclass, scratching his head.He'd really painted himselfinto a corner this time and he

didn't even see it coming. He ham-mered home the main point of the les-son, that hunting was a wildlife man-agement tool essential for keeping deerfrom over-running their habitat.Then, a bright kid in the back pipedup, "If that's true, why does my dadsay there's only a handful of deer tagsgiven out, and there still aren't enoughdeer to go around?"

Wildlife biologists go to school forfour years or more to acquire theknowledge and skill necessary to begina career in the field of wildlife manage-ment. But hunter education instruc-tors are expected to pick up this accu-mulated knowledge in an hour or two,and can find themselves in uncomfort-able positions when facing the ques-tioning kid and his dad in a classroom.

A lot of instructors request that abiologist teach the conservation sec-tion of the hunter education course,but biologists are likely to teachwildlife conservation as they them-selves were taught: with much scien-tific jargon, theories, graphs, and pop-ulation models. So, how do we com-municate the "good gospel" of NorthAmerica's wildlife management suc-cess? Most of all, how to we keep ourvaluable and beloved instructors likeJay, away from the wildlife manage-ment Tar Baby?

The answer is simple: We quit try-ing to teach wildlife management. Weteach about hunting and conserva-tion, from a historical perspective andfrom a present-day hunter involve-ment perspective. In other words, weneed to teach students how huntershave helped wildlife in the past, andthen show them how they can helpwildlife today.

The days are long past for us to beconcentrating on wildlife managementprinciples. Now, habitat is the key.We have to deal with backyard deerherds, the disappearance of pheas-ants, and the loss of habitat that'sbeing paved over, in one communityalone, at the rate of ten square miles ayear.

Consider some of these activitiesto help students put hunting and con-servation into perspective:

1. Conservation Timeline—Thisactivity is still in development. A wall-sized strip of magnetic material with atime line depicts North American his-tory from 1500 to the present.Different events and social movementsthat have affected hunting and wildlifeare cut out of magnetic material.Students are asked to place thecutouts on the time line in order ofoccurrence. Some students will beable to place events accurately, otherswill not. As the instructor makesneeded adjustments in events, he/shecan explain how the events influ-enced wildlife and hunting in NorthAmerica.

2. Cardboard Deer Herd—Silhouettes of deer, like those on thispage, are cut out of card-board and taped to a writ-ing board (whiteboard orblackboard). Students areasked to draw a circle aroundthe deer that will starve (NOTdie). After the students circlefour or five deer, the instructorcircles the entire herd, indicating thatall the deer will starve, but not all willdie of starvation. Then the instructorremoves three deer from the boardand explains that they were killed inan accident, died of hypothermia, orwere eaten by a predator.

The instructor then "issues tags"for four hunters to take two of the

"surplus deer;" two of the hunters aresuccessful, but one takes two deer,resulting in a dangerously reduceddeer herd and a reduced number oftags in the future.

3. Issues & Answers—This is arole-playing game where groups in theclass represent different wildlife inter-ests (developers, animal rights,hunters, farmers, locals, etc.). Thegroups are then given issues to dis-cuss and then present an opinion.

4. Build Your Own Habitat—Thisis a game where each group is giventhe "tools" (symbols) to build a "per-fect" habitat, on paper, for the animalfor which their group is named. Allhabitats must include the optimumarrangement of food, cover, water, andspace.

There are a gazillion variationsyou can make from these activities.And there are dozens of other basicactivities that can be spun off intolocalized versions that really hit home.

In the end, the wrap-up shouldalways include examples of howhunters can get involved in their

communities, with theirfavorite wildlife manage-ment agency, or by joininghunting and conservationgroups. Nothing drives tothe heart the importance of

involving hunters in conservationmore than the great feeling we getwhen we volunteer.

So there you are. In a largenutshell, you have the first buds

of how to introduce novice hunters tothe wonderful, complicated and emo-tionally charged world of wildlife in the21st century. In this one issue, thepast, present, and the future of hunt-ing all come together.

Les Smith is the Hunter EducationCoordinator for the state of Nevada. ✛


There is no one-size-fits-all answer in wildlife management practices, but it sometimesseems everybody is quick to criticize when it comes to wildlife management.

By Les Smith

AArrmmcchhaaiirr BBiioollooggyy 110011

Support the IHEA Education Endowment with

1100 CCoommmmaannddmmeennttss ooff FFiirreeaarrmm SSaaffeettyy

The IHEA 2000 Commemorative patch was designed by Missouri VolunteerInstructor and IHEA Board Member, Jan Morris. Future editions of the seriesto be released at future annual meetings will be as follows:

2003 — Keep barrel clear and choose proper ammunition for firearm.2004 — Be sure of your target before you pull the trigger.2005 — Never point a firearm at anything you don’t want to shoot.2006 — Never climb or jump with a loaded firearm.2007 — Never shoot at a flat hard surface or water.2008 — Store firearms and ammunition safely.2009 — Avoid alcohol and drugs before and during shooting

Please Print

Name: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

City: ________________________________________Province/State ______________________Postal Code ______________________

Phone: ( ) ________________________Fax: ( ) ________________________E-mail: ______________________________

Indicate patch(es) to order @ $10.00 ea.: ❏ IHEA 2000, Quantity _______ ❏ IHEA 2001, Quantity ______ ❏ IHEA 2002, Quantity ______

Method of Payment: ❏ Check - Amount Enclosed: $______________

❏ MasterCard ❏ Visa Card # ______________________________________________ Expiration Date: __________________

Signature ____________________________________________

______ Please send additional information on the IHEA Hunter Education Endowment.

IHEA Endowment - 10 Commandments of Firearm SafetyCommemorative Patches Order Form

4” Commemorative Patch, Limited Edition - $10 each• Order the IHEA 2000, 2001 and 2002 Patches

“Always Point the Muzzle in a Safe Direction” “Treat Every Firearm as Though it Were Loaded” and

“ Unload Firearm and Open Action Except When Ready to Shoot”• Certificate of Authenticity • Tax Receipt

Mail to: IHEA, P.O. Box 490, Wellington, CO 80549, or call (970) 568-7954.

IIHHEEAA EENNDDOOWWMMEENNTTGoal: One Million by 2010

In order to ensure that Hunter Education funds willhave sufficient assets at work in the years ahead,

the IHEA has created a permanent endowment. Itsgoal is to generate one million dollars

by the end of this decade.


Being raisedin ruralMissouri, I

learned about theoutdoors from my father. He is a manwho truly loves and admires goodhunting dogs. I can't ever remembera time when we didn't have a goodbird dog, usually several. The firsttime I was allowed to go with dad andone of his quail hunting buddies wasan experience I will never forget. Ifinally got to join the men, although Iwas only a small boy at the time.

Early on, my parents decided tobuild and operate a kennel. It start-ed off as a boarding kennel for alltypes of dogs, but evolved into a ken-nel where doctors, lawyers, and othersportsmen, kept their bird dogs yearround. Dad would train and workwith the dogs, getting them in goodcondition for hunting season.

Upon returning home from mili-

tary service, I started a career in therailroad industry as a locomotiveengineer, and over the years I haveseen a lot. My experiences run thewhole scope of what you mightexpect, including feelings of enor-mous power with trains weighing upto 14,000 tons, a mile or more inlength. I've observed beautiful sun-rises and sunsets, rivers andstreams, wildlife of all sorts. I've alsobeen an eyewitness to tragedy.

One incident that stands out inmy mind concerns a hunter.Rounding a curve, train speed about60 mph, I saw two English setterdogs in the middle of the track, con-fused and squatting down. The near-by hunter dropped his shotgun andran toward the dogs, waving his arms

and shouting. It was no use. He wasno more than 100 feet away, standingwith his mouth open and a terriblelook on his face when the lead enginestruck his dogs. As the head of thetrain passed him, he looked at meand shook his fist.

Several years later while takingpart in a railroad safety booth at acounty fair, a man approached andtold a story about losing his dogs.Everything matched. Was this thehunter who made the mistake ofhunting on the railroad right-of-way,watched as his dogs were killed, andby his gestures blame me? I didn'trelate my story to him, but insteadasked what he had learned from theincident. He said he would never

RRaaiillrrooaadd SSaaffeettyy:: HHuunntteerr’’ss PPrriizzeedd PPoosssseessssiioonnss NNoo MMaattcchh ffoorr aa TTrraaiinn (nor are hunters)

By J.D. “Buzz” Stone, BNSF RR

The first time I was allowed to go with dad and one of his quail hunting buddies was an experience I will never forget. I finally got to join the men, although I was only a small boy at the time.


By David M. Knotts, Ph.D., EVP

A Lesson in Wildlife Conservation and Economics

Contrary to modern perceptions, huntersare conservationists, and hunting is aconservation tool whether for economic,

cultural, or political reasons. The economic dimension ofwildlife management (conservation) is sometimes easier to por-tray and understand.

A few years ago, while in Mexico, I was interviewed by theMexican national press about a conservation education pro-gram development project I was a part of. In the course of theinterview, it came out that I was a hunter. One interviewerasked me on national radio how could I call my self a conser-vationist if I was a hunter? In my response I focused on theeconomic contribution of hunters to conservation and pointedout that a white-tailed deer in Mexico is worth 7 to 10 times thevalue of a goat or cow based on dollars hunters will pay to hunt.

Given this economic boon, private landowners with huge20,000 to 30,000-plus hectare ranches (1 hectare = 2.5 acres)and thousands of hectares of communal lands will manage

their land for white-tailed deer in addition to grazing for cattleand goats. Of course wild turkey, dove, quail, hundreds ofsongbirds, various predators, and even butterflies benefit fromthe habitat set aside for deer. I asked the reporter, if we wereto shut hunting down tomorrow across Mexico, in the name ofwildlife conservation, what did she think would happen to thedeer and other wildlife? The answer was simple. They wouldsoon disappear. Without economic value, deer would no longerbe viewed as beneficial to the landowner. The same landown-er who previously took great pains to manage their lands toinclude white-tailed deer, would now be out with their D-9Caterpillars and chains plowing up the habitat and converting itto pasture land for livestock. The reporter just stared at me fora few minutes and then said, "I never realized that!"

What's disconcerting is that many a hunter cannot put twoand two together and come up with the relationship betweenhunting, hunters, and conservation, and all the internal andexternal influences that impact the sport. ✛



hunt along the railroad again, thatthose were the best dogs he everowned. He said his whole familymourned their loss. I couldn't help butthink about how it could have beeneven worse. What if he had been walk-ing in the middle of those tracks whilehunting? He could have tripped—there is every opportunity for that—and struck his head on the rail. Whatwould have happened? What aboutcrossing a railroad bridge or trestlewhile hunting, and being caught right in the middle when a trainapproaches?

Sadly I have observed the resultsof those two actions. I have seen theoutcome when people disregard thelaw and trespass on railroad property;when they use railroad tracks for theirvery own jogging path, ATV trail, orhunting preserve, totally disregardingcommon sense and personal safety.I've had to counsel train operators aftera tragic incident that they could nothave avoided. Take it from me, younever get over these tragedies.

Trespassing on railroad propertyhas become a serious problem. In thepast several years, more people werekilled trespassing on railroad propertythan were killed in motor vehicle-traincollisions. Now, in my job as a safetyofficer with the railroad, I'm amazed bypeople's responses when they're toldthey are in violation of trespassinglaws, that they can be arrested andfined. They get mad, unreasonableand belligerent. We're trying to keepthem from harm, but that's not howthey see it at the time.

I believe in the power of education.Railroad safety education has madetremendous strides in the area of pub-lic safety; statistics prove it in everycategory but one: trespassing.Through organizations such as theInternational Hunter EducationAssociation, this education can reachthe hunting public and, perhaps, pre-vent more tragedies.

For more information, visit theOperation Lifesaver Inc. web site atwww.oli.org.

J. D. "Buzz" Stone is a LocomotiveEngineer & hunting dog lover. ✛

Railroad SafetyContinued from page 26

Rumor has it that the best hunting occurs along railroad rights-of-way, but that'sonly rumor. The fact is, hunting in the railroad right-of-way is dangerous, andpeople walking on or along railroad tracks are risking serious injury or death.

Increased interest in outdoor activity presses the need for rail safety education.Operation Lifesaver, a national non-profit educational organization, was founded in

1972 to increase the public's ability to make wise decisions about railroad tracks, cross-ings, and rights-of-way. "Particularly in the spring, we find the numbers increase each yearfor hunters, kayakers, and hikers out walking or ferrying their boats on the right-of-way oreven in the gauge of the tracks," explains Eric Sondeen, former Colorado OperationLifesaver Coordinator. "They say they have no idea that the tracks are in use and they'reunaware that they are trespassing on private property. Unfortunately, in my job as a fire-man and first responder, it is just such people I have been called upon to rescue."

In 1990, for the first time, the number of railroad trespassers, pedestrians walking ille-gally on the tracks or rights-of-way who died nationally went above 500. If injuries areincluded the number is over 1,000. And, for the first time, this number also exceeded thenumber of people who died in vehicle-train collisions at crossings. The number now nipsat 500, but it is still higher than the number of people killed at the highway-rail grade cross-ings. Possibly this is because of the difficulty we have in reaching the wide variety of peo-ple who "make use" of the tracks, some without knowing the peril they face at the nextbend in the road!

That is why Operation Lifesaver reaches out to organizations like the InternationalHunter Education Association to get our safety message to outdoor sportsmen andwomen: Stay Off! Stay Away! Stay Alive! If you would like safety information for yourhunting club, check on the Operation Lifesaver web site (www.oli.org <http://www.oli.org)for your State Coordinator's name, email address or phone number. If you do not haveweb access, you can call Operation Lifesaver at 800-537-6224. We want you to havemany years of happy hunting! ✛

HHuunnttiinngg SSaaffeettyy MMeeaannss AAvvooiiddiinngg tthhee TTrraacckkssBy Marmie Edwards, Operation Lifesaver

the environment.Hunters have become a silent minority, and society has minimized the importance of

hunters to current conservation issues. A campaign, similar to that undertaken by hunters at theclose of the 19th century, must be mounted to bring hunters back to a high level of visibility andinfluence.

Hunters must recognize—and work to make themselves recognized—as an essential partof the overall conservation movement. We need to have hunters as role models for our children.Basketball star Karl Malone, Winston Cup driver Terry Labonte, General Norman Schwarzkopfand comedian Jeff Foxworthy are hunters that kids can look up to, and there are many others.

The North American ModelConservation in North America has always and does depend on hunting. Valerius Geist of

the University of Calgary points out that the seven components of the North American Model ofWildlife Conservation—wildlife as public trust resources, the elimination of markets for wildlife, theallocation of wildlife by law, wildlife harvesting only for legitimate purposes, wildlife is an interna-tional resource, science is the proper tool for discharging wildlife policy and the democracy of hunting—incorporate some element of hunting.

Changing RoleContinued from page 22



The Hunter Education & Shooting Sports Journal, Hunter’sHandbook, and many other student and instructor trainingaids are made possible by the generous support of the following manufacturers. Without their support this material would not be available.

If you are looking for special product pricing and program discounts, manyof these businesses are listed on the instructor website. Or you can visit

the websites listed here to get a better idea of the products they offer.

The IHEA wishes to thank theseforward-thinking manufacturers

for their support in making these programs possible!

PLATINUM MEMBERSAPI Outdoors ◆◆ www.apioutdoors.comATK (Federal) ◆◆ www.federalcartridge.com

Browning ◆◆ www.browning.comBrunton ◆◆ www.brunton.com

Buck Knives ◆◆ www.buckknives.comBushnell ◆◆ www.bushnell.comCabela’s ◆◆ www.cabelas.com

Daisy ◆◆ www.daisy.comDoskoSport ◆◆ www.gunguard.com

Gander Mountain ◆◆ www.gandermountain.comGarmin ◆◆ www.garmin.com

Gerber Legendary Blades ◆◆ www.gerberblades.comHenry Repeating Arms ◆◆ www.henryrepeating.com

Hornady ◆◆ www.hornady.comIrish Setter ◆◆ www.irishsetterboots.com

Knight & Hale Game Calls ◆◆ www.knightandhale.comLeupold ◆◆ www.leupold.com

Marlin Firearms ◆◆ www.marlinfirearms.comMossy Oak ◆◆ www.mossyoak.com

Motorola ◆◆ www.motorola.com/talkaboutO.F. Mossberg ◆◆ www.mossberg.com

PSE ◆◆ www.pse-archery.comRemington Firearms ◆◆ www.remington.com

Sentry Group ◆◆ www.sentrysafes.comSmith & Wesson ◆◆ www.smith-wesson.com

Streamlight ◆◆ www.streamlight.comTasco ◆◆ www.tascosales.com

Thompson Center Arms ◆◆ www.tcarms.comWal-Mart ◆◆ www.walmart.com

Wildlife Research ◆◆ www.wildlife.comWinchester Ammunition ◆◆ www.winchester.com

GOLD MEMBERSConnecticut Valley Arms ◆◆ www.cva.com

Jordan Outdoor Enterprises ◆◆ www.realtree.com

SILVER MEMBERSATSKO ◆◆ [email protected]

Austin & Halleck ◆◆ www.austinhalleck.comCanadian Firearms Center ◆◆ www.cfc.gc.ca

Flambeau ◆◆ www.flambeau.comGalyan’s ◆◆ www.galyans.com

Laser Shot Simulations ◆◆ wwwlasershot.comMack’s Prairie Wings ◆◆ www.macksprairiewings.com

Plano Molding Company ◆◆ www.planomolding.comSavage Arms ◆◆ www.savagearms.com

Traditions ◆◆ www.traditionsfirearms.comVan Patton Industries ◆◆ www.theinhibitor.com

Meet the Partners in Hunter Education TeamMeet the Partners in Hunter Education Team


Education Resources Review

Don't let your neighbors beat you to the latest and greatest advice on

managing wildlife on their land. Take advantage of the National Wild

Turkey Federation's reference guide and resource planning tips on CD-Rom

called "Get in the Game: Attracting Wildlife to your Land." This CD is a ware-

house full of easily accessed technical information to help landowners manage

land for wild turkeys, deer, quail and a variety of other birds and animals.

"Get in the Game" features an electronic food plot planting guide, landown-

er journal, turkey game, and resource materials and is the easiest way to organ-

ize a management plan for any piece of land. The CD also features a program

that allows users to create maps of the user's property or hunting club and videos

that offer insight from land management professionals on prescribed burning,

choosing and applying herbicides, timber planting and harvesting, planting a

food plot, the wild turkey subspecies, and much more.

"Get in the Game" includes links through the Internet to all federal and state

wildlife or forestry agencies, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the

Farm Service Agency, and the USDA Agriculture Extension. In addition, users

will be able to link directly to the NWTF's web site at www.nwtf.org where they

can post questions about land management, find an NWTF event or simply talk

turkey.To learn more about "Get in the Game," call (800)-THE-NWTF, or check out

www.nwtf.org.

Video Tribue to Hunting HeritageThe National Wild Turkey Federation recently unveiled a

video, commissioned by the NWTF and produced by noted

outdoor filmmaker Glenn Lau, which offers non-hunters

insight into the importance and tradition of hunting.

The video depicts a family of hunters through four gener-

ations that span from the Depression to modern times. The film

captures the nature of hunting during an era when subsistence hunting helped

families and neighbors through lean times to the present day, when family mem-

bers hunt to enjoy each other's company. A common thread through out the film

is the powerful memory and hope of sharing the hunting tradition.

The hunting heritage video is a valuable tool, which can be used for NWTF

chapters, hunter education classes, universities, conservation organizations, and

other civic organizations to share with others around them. The video can be

purchased for $20 by anyone who will be sharing it with an audience or group.

Personal home use copies are available to the general public for $30 plus $4.95

shipping and handling. It can be ordered by calling the NWTF at 1-800-THE-

NWTF or by e-mailing Linda Bledsoe at [email protected].

Send check or money order to: NWTF, Attn: Hunting Heritage Video, P.O. Box

530, Edgefield, SC 29824

Everyone has had a class

that seemed fraught with

trouble. But, that's nothing com-

pared to "Charlie's Worst Night-

mare—Classroom Management

2.1."

This entertaining and effective

training video and discussion guide

is designed to train volunteer

instructors in the basics of class

control. Charlie, the affable lead

instructor, lays out the principles of

class control and the basics of

youth protection in a straight-to-

the-point narrative that leaves no

question about how to prevent

problems in your classes. Eight

real-life scenarios, with introduc-

tions and before-and- after reviews,

allow your instructors to practice

the valuable principles they just

learned.

You will find "Charlie's Worst

Nightmare" to be a classic training

tool to help you protect your stu-

dents, your instructors, and your

program. The video was developed

for the IHEA by Les Smith, NV.

Contact IHEA Supply Services

for information at 970-568-7954 or

[email protected].

Get in the Game New Instructor Training Resource


Because we were generating many pamphlets and educational mate-rials for our shooting range program in Missouri, I designed a logoseparate from our hunter education logo to use on range-related

items. It quickly grew in popularity. Today we use it on range uniforms, pam-phlets, and other items related to shooting ranges

We have five manned shooting ranges in Missouriand 43 unmanned. In a marketing attempt to familiar-ize citizens with our manned shooting ranges, I had lapelpins and patches made from our new logo. I then hadchevrons made for each range, with the name of individ-ual manned ranges on each chevron. The range patchand pins can now be purchased in our various gift shopsaround the state and on our website, priced at cost.

The owner of a patch or lapel pin can show it to arange officer and receive the corresponding chevron withthe name of that range. Chevrons are only available atindividual ranges, so to get all five chevrons, a personmust visit each of our five manned shooting ranges. Thisprogram started only recently, so we'll report later how itis working. So far the results are good.

Robert Staton is Hunter Education Coordinator for thestate of Missouri.

Arizona began a huntereducation program in1955. Instructors used

the materials of the National RifleAssociation until Arizona developedits own manual. The first patches

issued to students were the roundyellow NRA "Safe Hunter"patches, also used bymany other statesearly in the pro-gram. The veryfirst Arizonahunter educa-tion patch was aninstructor patch inan oval shape withcrossed firearms in the center.

The first Arizona graduate patch-

es were issued in the 1960s. Thesepatches had the wording ArizonaFirearms Safety Graduate NRA.There are three known variations:blue on yellow, black on orange andone version of brown on red. All ver-

sions included a quail outline designin the center of the patch.

In the 1970s, a new rounddesign included a full color

quail in the center of thepatch. The graduate andinstructor patches stillincluded the NRA lettering. A

later, second version eliminat-ed 'NRA.' The graduate and

instructor patches were 3¼" in diam-eter. This design was used well intothe 1980s, when the wording was

changed from Hunter Safety toHunter Education.

The next design dates from thelate 1980s through the 1990s. It is around larger instructor and graduatepatch, 4" in diameter, with the fullcolor quail in the patch center.

The current version of the gradu-ate and instructor patch (began issuein 2000), similar to the previous ver-sion, includes a green center with thewording Arizona Game & Fish sur-rounding the quail design.

Arizona has graduated nearly200,000 students since the huntereducation program began. There areapproximately 800 instructors in thestate.

Thanks to Don Winslow, BillLarson and staff of the Arizona Gameand Fish Department for their helpwith the research of the Arizonapatch history.

If our readers are able to addadditional information regardingArizona hunter education patches,please contact the author, Mr. Jan G.Morris, at P.O. Box 38, Imperial, MO63052 or email: [email protected]

Jan Morris is a Missouri volunteerhunter education instructor and IHEAInstructor Representative Zone III. Heresides in Imperial, MO. ✛

The Patch Collector

The Missouri Range Patch

Arizona Hunter Education Patches

By Jan Morris and Robert Staton


To quote George W.Bush, "Let's Rock." Wecan do that in 45 min-utes using an inter-

active discussion, question/answerand demonstration approach.

1. Start by asking your stu-dents if they can name three thingswildlife needs to survive. When theyname food, water, and shelter,explain that these three things makeup wildlife habitat. Explain how dif-ferent animals have different needsby asking, "What does a white-taileddeer need for food? A red fox? Whatdoes an elk need for shelter? Aprairie dog? Etc.

2. Let your students discoverlimiting factors by giving them thisscenario: "I have a farm. I made apond that is full of plants, snails,and other duck food. I have plantedcorn all the way around the pond. Ihave the best duck food in the world,but no ducks nest on my property."Ask, "What could be missing?"Discuss this for a while and if neces-sary, tell the students that ducksneed tall grasses to hide their nestsfrom predators and to shelter theducklings. Ask the students, "Whatif I planted more food, would thathelp?" Explain that the lack of nest-ing cover is "limiting" the population.

Ask, "What do I have to do to getmore ducks?" The answer is,"improve the habitat by providingnesting cover."

3. Discuss how arrangementand space are important.

4. Explain that populationsadd and subtract animals throughbirths and deaths.

5. Demonstrate carrying capa-city using a set of at least three bowls(small, medium and large) and morethan enough snacks to fill the medi-um bowl. (I use wrapped, snack-sizecandy bars.) Explain that the carry-ing capacity of the habitat is like abowl. Habitat will only hold a certainnumber of animals, represented bythe candies. (Use the medium bowlfilled with candy to demonstrate.)Explain how carrying capacitychanges during the year. Move theanimals (candies) in the large bowland explain that in the spring andsummer, plants are rich in nutrients,there are more plants, etc.; in otherwords, the carrying capacity increas-es. Ask, "What do animals do in thespring and summer?" The answeryou are looking for is, "They haveyoung." Add more candies to thelarge bowl. (Not enough to fill thebowl though, as animals rarely fill the

carrying capacity of their summerhabitats.)

Represent winter using the smallbowl and ask, "What happens whenthese animals go into winter and thecarrying capacity of their habitatdecreases?" The answer is, they die.

6. Use a flipchart or chalk-board. Vertically write:

SHAPEDTell the students that six mortal-

ity factors shape wildlife populations.Ask the students if they can thinkwhat they might be. (A clue is thatthe first letter of each factor is a letterin the word "SHAPED.") S=Star-vation, H=Hunting, A=Accidents,P=Predators, E=Exposure to weatheror extreme weather, and D=Disease.Still using your small bowl, ask,"What if we kill all the predators? Willall the animals survive the winter?"(Will all the candies go in the smallbowl?) The answer is no. More ani-mals will starve, die in accidents, etc.

7. You may do this demonstra-tion many ways and I do it at least afew times in each hunter educationclass. I always use one hunting

Teaching Exercise for Wildlife Conservation

By Patt Dorsey

To teach Wildlife Conservation, first, develop objectives based on what studentsmost need to know. The IHEA is a great place to start. The IHEA website,

www.ihea.com, lists the minimum standards or learning objectives for hunter education. Mexico, 50 state and 13provincial wildlife agencies recognize these standards. To paraphrase the standards, by the end of this lesson stu-dents should:

• Learn how and why hunting supports wildlife conservation.• Understand key wildlife principles that might include the following: wildlife management, conservation, habitat,

carrying capacity, limiting factors, biological surplus, renewable resource, succession.

TEACHING 101


example, by allowing students (thathave taken hunter education, boughta license etc.) to "hunt" animals fromthe large bowl. I pass the bowlaround, giving the students a chanceto participate and get a chocolate fix.I have enough animals left so thatsome will be killed by cars, others bypredators; some will starve and somewill freeze, as they will not fit in thesmall bowl. I ask, "Does hunting fitin as a wildlife management tool?""Is hunting animals bad?"

8. By going through a com-plete cycle, students learn thatwildlife is a renewable resource. Wiseuse of this resource is conservation.

9. Ask, "How can we get morewildlife?" Improving the quality orincreasing the quantity of habitat arethe only answers. Using the bowls,you can demonstrate how destroyinghabitat can rapidly reduce wildlifepopulations, to the point of endan-germent or extinction. Ask whileholding up your bowls, "What aboutregulated hunting, does it makewildlife species endangered orextinct?" The answer is no. Makesure students understand thatwildlife habitat is the key to healthywildlife populations.

10. A little imagination and youcan add market hunters, severe win-ters, drought years, and more.Before ending the lesson, add thathunters buy hunting licenses, paytaxes on hunting equipment, etc.Money from hunters pays for wildlifemanagement and research. Re-sources are available in "InstructorResources" at www.ihea.com. Hand-outs like your state wildlife agency'sannual report or the "Hunter's PocketFact Card" are excellent pieces ofinformation students can take home.

We hope the tips in this article willgave you some ideas that will maketeaching wildlife management fun for youand learning wildlife management fun foryour students. Please feel free to contactyour local wildlife professionals for exam-ples that have additional relevance to youand your students. ✛

If the North American model is to continue as an example to the rest of the world, huntingmust continue. The North American model has worked well over the past century and is an exam-ple of how man and wildlife can not only co-exist but also thrive in a world with increasing require-ments on its natural resources.

Hunters pushed for the elimination of market hunting and adopted ethics of fair chase to pre-vent over-harvesting of game animals. Hunters originally pushed for the application of science ingame management and continue to provide one of the most persuasive arguments against thecommercialization of wildlife. Geist said it best when he said, "Discouraging the sportsman willdestroy the most effective force now working for game protection."

The times they are a changingHunters as a population are dedicated, passionate participants. They are respectful of the

game and the land they hunt. Are hunters still the most supportive constituency wildlife agenciesand managers have? You bet!

Hunters raise billions of dollars for conservation, while groups opposed to hunting raise moneyonly to promote their own agendas and never for projects that directly benefit wildlife and wildlifehabitat. Hunters also volunteer many hours for projects that involve wildlife research, improving habi-tat, and transplanting animals to suitable areas.

But the tide of society is changing how hunters and hunting are perceived by the non-huntingpublic—a change that will affect how wildlife agencies and hunting/conservation organizations areable to enlist hunters for help and allow them to influence our decisions. We must change with thetimes.

Last year at the NWTF national convention in Columbus, the Ohio Division of Wildlife sup-ported the convention with more than 250 biologists, law enforcement officers, secretaries and otherpersonnel who volunteered their service because they believe in hunting. On the other hand, theMaryland Department of Natural Resources sponsored a youth turkey hunt last spring, a weekbefore the regular season opened. In the news release they prepared, however, the departmentcouldn't publicly promote youth hunting. They can hold the hunt, they just can't promote it. Wherehave we gone wrong?

The MDNR asked the NWTF to provide a quote for the release that supported the hunt. "TheNational Wild Turkey Federation strongly supports the introduction of our youth to turkey hunting, anda youth turkey hunting day is a great way to introduce kids to hunting. Hunting is an activity thatbrings the generations together in the outdoors. It is a wholesome activity in which a child can par-ticipate with their parents and grandparents throughout their lives. And if children are lucky this April,they can be proud that they are participating in a tradition as old as America when they provide theirfamily with next November's Thanksgiving Dinner."

As valuable as hunters are to our mission, they are but one component of the public that weserve. Hunters must bear some responsibility of determining how they will work in this changing cli-mate and deciding how they can continue to be an effective force in the foundation of wildlife con-servation.

ConclusionWhy are we ashamed to tell the public we hunt? Is it from the school- and rage-shootings? I

don't think so; we began our withdrawal long before that. There is a distinct difference between schoolshootings and hunting, and it's called a loss of family relationships and parenting.

We have to take an active role to tell the public, who will decide the future of wildlife, that huntingand hunters are honest, law-abiding role models doing what generations upon generations have donefor thousands of years.

It is because of hunters, not in spite of hunters, that we have the rich wildlife resources we havetoday. The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is the most successful wildlife conservationmodel in the world. In fact, other countries are looking at our model, which features the role of huntersthroughout, to develop their own conservation practices. We must continue to integrate the role hunt-ing plays in conservation into mainstream America, our institutions of higher learning, and especiallyin the wildlife profession itself. To ignore this responsibility is a slap in the face to the hunters/ conser-vationists of our past. ✛

Changing Role, Continued from page 28


Make It/Teach It

Safe Zones of Fire

To demonstrate zones of fire, mark off individual shooter zones with masking tape or cord. Theinstructor uses a flashlight to cast a beam on a wall to simulate a bird or rabbit. The students use adeactivated firearm, Daisy Lazer Ed* rifle, or a broom stick and simulate shooting the object when itis in the proper zone of fire.

* Daisy Lazer Ed rifle (laser beam is emitted from the barrel when the trigger is depressed) - can be orderedfrom Daisy Outdoor Products, PO Box 220, Rogers, Arkansas 72757-0220;

tel: 800-713-2479; fax: 501-621-4238.

By Dr. David M. KnottsArt by D. Michael Knotts


Wild Game Recipes By Monroe Lutrick

DOVE OR DUCK DIP30 dove breast or 2 ducks washed and all feathers and shot removed

from shot holes. Marinate overnight in meat marinade (see above).Place dove or duck in pressure cooker - cook as directed.De-bone and chop in food processor to a fine grind.Add to taste: honey mustard salad dressing and French onion dip.

Mix well.

Serve as hors d'oeuvres.

MEAT MARINADE

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

3+ Tbsp Huntin' Buddies seasoning

1+ tsp crushed garlic

Mix ingredients in glass dish or plastic bag. Add meat, coating all sides.

Marinate in refrigerator overnight. Grill, broil or fry. Pot roast - use crock pot for elk,

moose, deer, antelope, squirrel, goose, ducks, dove, sage hens, grouse and any other

red meat.

The marinade can be altered in the following way to make it spicier:

Add ½ tsp red pepper to 1 tsp Tabasco sauce.

To marinate ground meat, leave out the water.

To order Huntin' Buddies seasoning, contact Monroe Lutrick at 405-722-2333 or

visit [email protected]

Monroe Lutrick

Journal, Summer 2002

Monroe LutrickJournal, Summer 2002

Monroe Lutrick is anOklahoma hunter educa-tion instructor, an NRA-

certified pistol/shot-gun/black powder

instructor, an Oklahoma State

conceal carry instructorand an Oklahoma

licensed food service operator.

He lives in Oklahoma

City.

Got a Wild Game Reicpe? Send it to the IHEA

Documents

J H OURNALUNTER & SHOOTING SPORTS · PDF fileThe Hunter & Shooting Sports Education Journal is the ... VP for Conservation Programs, NWTF 24 Armchair ... Finally we challenge you to