I have heard Posewitz speak before. He has written Inherit the Hunt, Beyond Fair Chase, and Rifle in Hand, all really exceptional books I recommend. He is also an avid Theodore Roosevelt junkie. Dr. Norton spoke at last year’s conference in Baton Rouge. His research about the attitudes of hunters and non-hunters is extensive. Tantillo was the keynote speaker. His remarks carried much of the research and conclusion of his doctoral thesis- “The Morality of Hunting: “A Damnable Pleasure”.

I took pages and pages of notes, reveling in fascinating discussion by people who have experienced and appreciated so many aspects of the outdoors from the most basic morning in the wild and exotic hunting trips in far away places to the most abstract concerns like the fact that a recently as the 1960’s virtually everyone who held a position of wildlife management at state and national levels had experiences with hunting and fishing.  Today less than 50% have that experience. At the current rate of this trend, by as early as 2020 the only experience with animals’ most wildlife managers will have had prior to taking their jobs will have been in the laboratory.

Friday was a field day at the World Shooting Complex in Sparta, Illinois DNR’s state-of-the-art, 1,600 acre recreational complex with 120 trap fields, 24 skeet fields, 3-D Archery area and three and a half mile shooting line.  There are 1000 RV campsites in case you want to hold a little get-together.

 Saturday there were sessions directed specifically for hunter ed instructors and of course the banquet and auction.  I got a chance to visit with the new Executive Director, Wayne East. And Chris Chaffin told me about a new group called the Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA). I met Marilyn Bentz, Executive Director of the National Bowhunter Education Foundation and a variety of Hunter Education State Coordinators from all over North America and beyond. 

The folks that attend are easy to get to know. There is a strong community feel in the air. By the time I left the hospitality suite Saturday night, I felt like I was saying so long to long-time friends, looking forward to meeting up again next year.

I need to preface this story with the admonishment that no ethical Hunter Ed instructor would support shooting a firearm up in the air. The shooter does not have control over where the projectile goes and that is just not safe. That being said, anyone who has been woken up from a peaceful sleep in a quiet public campground will appreciate this.

Fellow Hunter Ed Instructor John Durbin and I were manning the MHHF booth at Bass Pro yesterday during the Field & Stream Total Outdoor Challenge. John told one of the funniest stories I’ve heard in a long time. He said, you know how there are some guys that’ll do just anything that comes to mind, things you would love to do but know better?

 John and his friend Rodney were camping in Arkansas canoeing the Buffalo River. Late one night about two in the morning the camp was awakened by a big pick up truck driving in loud, radio blaring careening between the tents. Many of us have had an experience like this. It makes you crazy.

 The trucks stops. Someone get out of the truck and yells as loud as a he can- “We’re from Jacksonville Mississippi, M***er F***ers and it’s time to party!”

It’s really dark in the tent. John hears Rodney rustle and then the familiar “click-click-click” of a double-action revolver being cocked.  John knows Rodney is packing a 44 caliber Blackhawk. In a hushed and urgent voice John says: “What are you doing!?!”

Rodney replies with three words: “Cover your ears.”

 You can imagine what’s next.

 Lying on his back Rodney points the gun out the door of the tent and straight up in the air.

 John says the report from that 44 echoed up and down the river and back and forth across the hills for what seemed like forever.

 Then Rodney bellows:  “We’re from Independence, Missouri M***er F***ers and it’s time to get quiet!”

 John said he did not hear so much as a hammer strike a tent stake the rest of the night.

Of those, some came with their parents or other relatives but many would be dropped off at the door in the morning and picked up after six.

Did they ever hunt?

Who did they go with?

Was it a good, quality experience?

Did they see any game?

Did they bring game home?

 You can go to www.MHHF.us and see how the hunter ed clinic works, but bottom line we take six young people and a parent or guardian through the class starting Friday night, a supervised life fire instruction session Saturday afternoon and by mid-day Sunday they have experienced their first hunt, with a mentor, often on private land.

We know these families had a good experience.

We feel they are very likely to hunt again.

Missouri has the distinction of the smallest hunter attrition rate. That means all the other states are losing hunters faster than we are. We are trying to make a difference.

For more info go to www.mhhf.us

This weekend a group of seasoned hunter ed instructors held a hunting clinic.

We met 10 youngster and their parents at the Cass County Justice Center in Harrisonville and started the class Friday night. Completing the class Saturday we went to the Harrisonville Trap & Skeet just north of town. Sunday we met the families at the Hedge Hollow Game Ranch near Adrian, MO for a pheasant and chucker hunt.

It was beautiful all weekend. All had a wonderful time.

I‘m heading back from Baton Rouge, my first annual conference of the International Hunter Education Association.  In attendance, about 80 state hunter education coordinators, about 20 volunteer instructors and 30 or so vendors (sales representatives of everything from training materials to wildlife art).

The programs and informal conversation was both fascinating and alarming.  Louv’s book; “The Last Child in the Woods” was referred to often.

Too much report all but here are a few of the highlights…

A representative from the Louisiana Dept of  Wildlife & Fisheries presented her experiences as an emergency responder to Hurricane Katrina.

Bob Norton provided a summary of findings from research he produced for his book: “The Hunter”.

The number one difficulty non-hunters have with hunters: When asked the question “What do you feel when you kill an animal? The majority of hunters responded: “Nothing”.

Thomas Baumeister, Montana Hunter Ed Coordinator provided statistics on hunter and fisher decline, pointed out that ironically wildlife is more in abundance now than anytime in history along with greater access to wild lands.  80% of children now reside in urban areas. Two out of ten children are clinically obese. The average child spends 46.5 hours in front of an electronic screen.

Montana government recognizes the need and taking aggressive steps.  They are pursuing an Outdoorsman’s Bill of Rights, creating Montana Outdoors Days to coincide with teacher in-service dates, considering a free first hunting license upon the successful completion of a hunter education course, among others.

Saturday while the IHEA governance was in meetings, the rest of us were hosted to an “Advanced Wingshooting” workshop at the Waddill Oudorr Refuge, a great specialty workshop and wonderful facility. There was also a little clay bird competition. I finished second out fo about two dozen thanks in part to a little coaching from MDC Outdoor Skills Supervisor, Bryan Bethel.

Boy, the eco-alarmists make me crazy. It seems like everywhere you turn these days, one group or another wants to protect or wipe out a particular species without consideration of the impact on others.

Last February at the Conservation Federation of Missouri Conference (CFM) Dennis Figg from the Missouri Dept of Conservation (as seen on the Missouri Outdoors TV show) presented several recent success stories using the Comprehensive system approach. Basically the concept acknowledges that when you take action for the sake of one species you affect a variety of others simply through the interconnectedness of our existence, the “web of life” as they say.  Sometimes the impact on other species isn’t intended or a good thing.

The comprehensive system approach acknowledges that you can’t treat one without affecting others and suggests focus on the entire system involved.  In this way when something is introduced or removed – the entire system is considered.  Nature is left to take its course regarding the growth or limit of a particular species and we are less likely to screw something up.

Here are some other pictures I took during the trip.  (You can click to see them a little bigger).

Better suited to lumberjacking than farming I tuned up the McCullough H-16 two-cycle chainsaw and wreaked havoc on a half dozen thorny locust tress. Sweating, bleeding and brimming with satisfaction we left six where they fell and used the tractor to drag the remainder into three brush piles to form a veritable “quail haven”.

Last year Kipp Woods, Exec Producer for Missouri Outdoors assigned me stories about Operation Game Thief (OGT) and Operation Forrest Arson (OFA), programs created in cooperation with the Conservation Federation of Missouri in the 80’s to provide a phone hotline for regular folks to tip off authorities about near do wells.   OGT was easy. Each year there are a number of tips that lead to arrests and convictions.  OFA on the other hand was a tougher assignment, not as many cases.  The OFA story fell to the bottom of the list.

Last month I hit pay dirt.  Dennis Rhoades out of the MDC Camdenton office pointed out though few of the calls lead to arrests, the hotline still provides desired information which often gets firefighters on the scene sooner than without the tips.   Dennis was very interested that we wanted to do a story.  “Those news people from Springfield come out and set up at the tail end of a fire and do their report with a few smoldering bushes in the background.   That’s not what these fires are all about.” He was ready to scramble aircraft if they could get a camera crew in a position ahead of the flames. In my five years with the program, that was a first.

The dry spell of the last 18 months has greatly heightened the potential for fires.  Foresters in south central Missouri tell me they know there are folks just waiting to hear of a ban on outdoor burning like an antsy third grader waiting for the bell at recess.

With the promise of rain unfulfilled last Sunday Dennis encouraged me to send the video crew down.  I put things in motion with Director of Photography, Tom Newcomb.  He and audio/grip Jerry Wheat began packing with intent to depart St.Louis 6 AM Wednesday.  Thinking this shoot probably didn’t justify my expense; I’d planned to let these guys go it on their own.  Tuesday weather reports were changing constantly. The chance for fires continued to grow but the weather front had stalled.

I had gotten to know Dennis well enough by now to see that personnel in that part of the state would provide significant interviews for this story that for almost a year seemed to have no angle. Rather than risk the expense of a day of shooting and travel on a fire that might not show, I decided to rendezvous with the crew in Lebanon, MO to shoot my interviews at least.

Wednesday morning we met Forrester Steve LaVal at the office.  They rescheduled a prescribed burn on MDC property for that morning to provide us the opportunity to get our shots.  They were sure that by the time that project was finished; reports of wildfires would be coming in.

The ground fire is pushed by the wind. In order to shoot the real excitement, the camera crew needs to be ahead of the advancing fire line.  The heat and smoke was very uncomfortable at times. Through the smoke Tom got shots of the MDC guys tending he line.  Sometimes they just stood or squatted, watching.  I wasn’t sure if they were forcing a calm attitude to regulate their breathing or if the smoke had started to shut their brains down.

With stinging eyes and sinuses we made our way to the side of the fire line away from the smoke and heat. Jerry said he never thought clean air tasted so good.

There is so much to know and fear about these wildfires, how powerful, fast and destructive they can be.  These firefighters are remarkable.  It became apparent to me the kick these guys got from “outsmarting” the fire and forcing it to die, not with streams of water but by determining it’s course, moving ahead and cutting off the fuel supply.

From there we went to the wild fires that had been predicted.  Tom got great shots and our interviews were excellent, way beyond the norm.   This story that last year had no angle is going to turn out great.