First hunt success

Times Contributor  

 

Preparing to kill a deer for the first time can be a frightening experience, but when a qualified mentor is present to support and advise a new hunter, it makes for a safe, controlled experience and brings home a hunter’s textbook learning.

“They have seen a video and read the books, but it is much different when they do it themselves and it is laid out on the ground in front of them. So now, when the deer hits the ground, they have someone to remind them what to do, how to approach it and make sure they do it safely. It often makes or breaks their choice to enter into the hunting fraternity,”   said Dave Papaplawski, Alberta Hunter Education Instructors Association (AHEIA) Coordinator for Conservation. 

“Mentorship is so important; it is a component that isn’t covered by the course…Most of the kids that participate in our mentoring program don’t have family situations where they have someone to mentor them, taking them under their wing, and showing them the ins and outs.” 

AHEIA offers Hunter Education courses that are required to obtain an Alberta hunting license. See www.AHEIA.com. The courses are structured in a way that leads to safe, respectful, ethical and humane hunting and fishing practises. Youth 13 years of age and older can apply for their hunting license once they have their certification.  

This hunting season Matt (last name withheld), a local teen (age 13) and member of Wheatland’s Conservation and Wildlife Association Shooting Club, went for his first hunt with local sportsman and instructor Larry Olson. The partnership was arranged by AHEIA under their First Time Hunter program.

Olson took Matt out of the Strathmore area to find his mule deer. He helped Matt get his tags and immediately supervised everything that went on during the hunt. Firearm safety licenses are issued after youth are 18 or over, so mentors let their student utilize their guns for their shoot and have to take responsibility for anything that happens when the gun is used. Mentors must be with the student at all times and give immediate supervision and monitoring, allowing the student to know when and where they take their shot. 

“We teach them how to respect the farmer’s land and gun safety. Once they have their hunter safety, it helps because they have been handling a gun for a year before they go out. For a 13-year-old boy, it is excellent that he knows that you respect the farmer’s land and there should be nothing behind what he is shooting at,” said Olson. “It’s not the killing part of it, it is more about being in the outdoors and the enjoyment of the outdoors.”

The area they hunted had a good number of deer. They sighted many antlered deer during the day, but Matt had learned to pass them by, as his tag was for antlerless mule deer doe. Matt shot one deer and also participated in cleaning and skinning the deer. 

Papaplawski said the AHEIA Hunter Education courses teach the students that responsible, ethical hunters take all the edible portions of the meat and ungula in animals and birds. It also teaches them how to hunt with a partner.

“The key to all of this process is finding a hunting partner.  It is just as difficult to find a good hunting partner as it is to find your spouse. You spend a lot of time with them. You have to trust them, know that they think like you and you are going to be safe and know that their morals and ethics and everything are like yours,” said Papaplowski.

After the experience, students submit an essay describing the success of their first experience. Matt summed up his experience with the following:

“I learned a lot on this trip, but the most important thing was how to be a good hunter. You must obey the rules; make sure there is nothing you can hit behind the deer if you miss, and not to lose the clip to your gun. You have to respect the property and make sure you are in an area where you have permission from the owner,” said Matt. “I will definitely go hunting again next year. It was a great experience and I wish I could do it all over again. And now, I’m just sitting here, eating deer patties and writing this story.”