LAST EDITED ON Nov-03-19 AT 11:27PM (MST)[p] Slamdunk, up until 10 years ago, littlebuck and myself taught Hunter Education at Sportsmans in provo. We taught 1 class a month, each class was 3 nights a week for 2 weeks and a shooting class on a saturday at the end of the second week. We tried to limit class size to 35 students. Some classes were 40. Littlebuck worked with several kids who had disabilities to help them meet the requirments to become legal blue card packin hunters. There was never a shortage of kids and adults who wanted to take the class. When we stopped teaching a Sportsmans, we still did classes in both Utah and Sanpete counties when we were ask to. The DWR has made it easier and easier to take the class, you have internet classes, they dont even score the shooting test anymore.
#1 Problem (as I see it) Adults dont have either time or desire to get thier kids into hunting/outdoors. I have 3 grandsons, who live with me and Littlebuck, 14,12,and 9. They all hunt, they earn money to buy bullets, hunting equipment, fishing supplies. They do all these things because they live with an old dinosaur cowboy and his granny wife. They do have choises. They could spend thier money on video games, but there gonna have a sad look on thier face when we are all fishing and thier sittin in a chair with us watching because they dont have anything to fish with. Point is we give them the opertunity to fish with us. We dont buy them a video game baby sitter to occupy them away from us, a lot of adults do.
#2 Problem (as I see it) Stigma. GUNS KILL PEOPLE, ANIMALS HAVE RIGHTS TOO, GO VEGAN, oh ya, and GUNS KILL PEOPLE.
#3 $ MONEY $
#4 $ MONEY $ how are mommy and daddy gonna get that new I phone if they spend money on guns ( that kill people) hunting equipment and an application fee so maybe they can draw, maybe... Eel had a great suggestion, start them on small game, and let.them evolve into Deer.and Elk ect..( this really is a good idea, start them with a hunt that actually can be Planned on, and not just hoped for.) Of couse Bess is right also, Pheasents would probably be a poor choice. Ducks might require more equipment costs... what are we doing about all these damn eurasion doves =spell check= i hear you can shoot them suckers year round sure are alot of them...w&ats a box of 7-1/2s go for these days, i got.a couple old single shots id let.go cheep...
#5 problem (as I see it) who will take jr. Out. Mentors are going to be tough. Mommy and daddy dont have time, even if they do, the games.on that day or thats the hair appointment day, or... what ever.. and having been a mentor let me just say, some upcomming special little hunters are bratts, and I couldnt stand being around them, and im sure a hell not.going to have my.grand kids around them. I dont mind being a hunting/ fishing/ outdoors mentor. BUT i have NO intrest in the how not.to be a spoild bratt mentoring program. AND i dont like the liability of having an EXPERTS kid along with a gun, bow, sharp knife ect... like I said Mentors are going to be tough..
Slamdunk, sure hope.you took this in good spirit, as that is how it was ment. I would love to find a way to get more youth involved in the outdoors, i was just ask to consider teaching a fly tieing class.for.kids this summer, and am considering it. When we taught Hunters Ed people always thanked us for doing it, my secret was, I enjoyed working with young hunters as much or more than they liked learning... GOOD LUCK I hope you can find a way. Oh ya and i typed.this on my phone, so bear with me..
= edit= Slam,I had to come back and edit this, to tell you about a facebook thread I just read, a guy complaining that his wife, didnt draw a Deer tag, she was going to hunt this uear, on the " trial program". He thinks its not.fair, good god almighty, " not fair" that they, i assume he means the DWR have a program for new people to try hunting, without hunters education, and they cant even draw a deer tag on the first try... goes a long way about peoples mindset these days,id say lol.