Hunter Safety time again...

[W3MIV]

We are late with classes this year, but now revving up the process in Carroll County, Maryland. The first batch is age sixteen or so. Once the little buggers leave our classes, they can hunt legally (with a license, of course) in any state in the nation.

As a certified Hunter Safety Instructor for the Maryland Dept of Natural Resources, my autumn includes the always interesting, often entertaining and occasionally dangerous task of teaching youngsters how to make sure their quarry is the only thing killed or injured in the field.

Funny part of it all is that I no longer hunt. :roll:

Anyone else out there a HSI?

[N8YX]

The parents of one of our secretaries are both instructors and run a skeet/sporting clays range which is located about 40 miles to my southwest. Myself and 'DSG took their class several years ago; even though I've been hunting (and been licensed on and off as such) for around 25 years, a refresher never hurts - and I would rather have an impartial teacher for Nicki.

I highly recommend the course to anyone, although a lot of it is basic common sense...which (unfortunately) isn't so common.

[suddenseer]

Way to go. When my daughter turned 16 I took her to Ohio's course. I got my first hunting license when I was 16. I took the course with my daughter although grandfathered in. It was money well spent. Ohio has a youth deer hunting day around Thanksgiving. I was her non hunting adult guardian. I gave her my old Ithica 12 ga. She did her pappa proud by taking an 8 pointer. I had to do all of the dirty work. She freaked out field dressing the animal. We both drug it to the truck. I took her picture at the check in station. She has not hunted since.

[NQ6U]

Used to be a hunter and have no problem at all with properly regulated sport hunting but, somewhere along the line, I found that I just didn't want to kill animals anymore. Something about getting older and closer to the end of my own life, maybe? I don't know.

[suddenseer]

Used to be a hunter and have no problem at all with properly regulated sport hunting but, somewhere along the line, I found that I just didn't want to kill animals anymore. Something about getting older and closer to the end of my own life, maybe? I don't know.

The last time I went deer hunting during shotgun season (Ohio does not allow rifles for deer hunting) I added up all of the costs. The venison in the freezer came to about $45.00 a pound. I have not been since. I was a vegetarian at the time, so I gave all of the meat away. I did not see the point in going anymore. Now that I am an omnivore again, I have pondered it. I always renewed my hunting license, You still have to buy a deer permit. I hunt in Ohio zone 3 (Athens county) I could take at least 3 a season. One for shotgun, one for crossbow, one for muzzle loader. One can participate in urban pest control too. Most Ohio deer are grain feed, do the meat is not too gamy tasting.

[N8YX]

I don't hunt deer, waterfowl or upland game - though I love the taste of venision.

If I'm going to spend time afield I would rather spend it performing pest control. Specifically: Coyotes, coydogs, feral dog packs, feral hogs and other noxious, predatory species. Groundhogs occasionally get a free pass, unless a property owner is plagued with such an abundance of them that their burrows pose a real threat to livestock.

A group of wild dogs gets no quarter whatsoever. Even a 'yote or the random mountain lion (which we now have here) will scurry away if I get careless and it sees me. Not so with predatory mutts - they do not fear humans and will attack in groups. When I'm in dog woods I hunt with an autoloader. And lots of extra magazines.

[KA5PIU]

Hello.

I saw hunting in Texas as a kid, spoiled me for life.

[suddenseer]

I don't hunt deer, waterfowl or upland game - though I love the taste of venision.

If I'm going to spend time afield I would rather spend it performing pest control. Specifically: Coyotes, coydogs, feral dog packs, feral hogs and other noxious, predatory species. Groundhogs occasionally get a free pass, unless a property owner is plagued with such an abundance of them that their burrows pose a real threat to livestock.

A group of wild dogs gets no quarter whatsoever. Even a 'yote or the random mountain lion (which we now have here) will scurry away if I get careless and it sees me. Not so with predatory mutts - they do not fear humans and will attack in groups. When I'm in dog woods I hunt with an autoloader. And lots of extra magazines.

If I knew you back then, you would have gotten several steaks, and 6 or more summer sausage sticks with my compliments.

We have coyotes, and wild cats here too. There have been numerous black bear sightings in Greene county (south of me) There is a nest of American bald Eagles near me. I have spotted them several times. The first time I thought I was seeing things. On the local tv news they had a story of eagle sightings near Springfield. Looks like wildlife is returning.to Ohio.

[kc7jty]

I have absolutely no problem killing animals. It's just that I'm too gd old and full of aches and pains to bother anymore.
One of my best culinary experiences was a ring neck pheasant I shot and prepared meticulously to a James Beard recipe.
Bird was taken in SE PA with a Remington 870 Wingmaster 2¾" #6 high brass through a modified choke.

yes, that is frost in the foreground.

[W3MIV]

Bill's pheasant reminds me of one trip along Carroll County's northern border with PA. Large farm, soy and sorghum and corn, laid out in long strips about twenty-five or thirty yards wide separated by clear strips of about half that width. The place was a game farm in the cold months.

Two of us, with a guide/handler and two dogs. We had busted a few cocks and were about to head back when both dogs went bananas. We fell in behind, me on one edge of the narrow stubble strip and my partner on the other. The dogs were racing back and forth, but they could not pin the bird. Suddenly, my eye caught a flash of movement. This wily old cock raced out into the clear strip and took off like seasoned sprinter. The dogs wheeled, running out into the clear lane after him. He immediately cut back into the stubble; I could see him quite clearly, hunkering down but running like all hell, dodging like a broken field man. As soon as the dogs got close, he zipped back out into the clear lane and took off. It was like watching two Wiley Coyotes trying to get the Road Runner.

That bird worked the deal to perfection, reaching the end of the field before he launched, squawling, cackling and shitting as he rose like a rocket. We were both laughing too hard to shoot when he did the transition to level flight, so he made it out of the field into the next on the other side of the hedge line.

Ever see a pair of embarrassed dogs? They really show it.