Young and perspective hunters face a dilemma as they contemplate joining friends and family on a hunting trip. Their youthful enthusiasm is often thwarted by the requirement of a Hunter Safety Course before legally hunting, despite the exceptional safety record that hunting carries. Football is surely a dangerous game for youth, yet they kids aren’t required to pass a test and demonstrate safety on the gridiron.
To carry the football analogy further, Families Afield promotes the introduction of hunting safety through family supervision, just as under the guidance of a football coach. It’s not a formal replacement for hunter safety courses, just an alternative that helps new hunters get started. Wisconsin is taking this step and your state may be a good candidate.
Identical bills have been introduced in the Wisconsin State Assembly and Senate that will greatly help sportsmen and women pass their hunting heritage to the next generation. Assembly Bill 411, sponsored by Assemblyman Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc), and Senate Bill 301, sponsored by Sen. Terry Moulton (R-Chippewa Falls), builds on the previous success of mentored hunting by allowing parents to decide at what age their sons and daughters are ready to begin hunting.
Current law allows a newcomer ages 10 and older to try hunting prior to completion of hunter education, as long as they are under the control of an experienced mentor. This concept, called “try before you buy,” is the cornerstone of Families Afield, a program launched by the Sportsmen’s Alliance, National Shooting Sports Foundation, and the National Wild Turkey Federation and since joined by the National Rifle Association and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation. The program has resulted in 1.5 million apprentice hunting license sales… [continued]
Tell us what you think in the comments section below.
