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 Posté le: Mer Aoû 07, 2013 2:19 pm Sujet du message: but they convinced several of us adults to stay |
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Youth Hunter Education Program is a 'good overview' of hunting
Registration has begun for the ninth annual Youth Hunter Education Program.Seats are limited to about 200 for the free event that teaches young hunters about safety and conservation. The course is scheduled for Aug. 10-11 at the Good Shepherd United Methodist Church,aftermarket motorcycle fairings, 20155 Cypresswood Drive in Cypress. Students enrolled in the course earn an essential certification. To hunt in Texas, anyone born after Sept. 2, 1971 must take an approved hunter education and safety course. Participants must provide their Social Security number and driver's license, if they are old enough to drive. Students must attend both days of the course - from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday and from noon to 3:30 p.m. Sunday - to earn the certification. The course is open to ages 6 and older, but students must be 9 years old to pass the test. Free lunch is included during the Saturday class and parents are invited to attend with their children. There are also raffles for prizes including a hunting rifle package - and one 18-year old attendee will win a Bronze Medal Whitetail Hunt on one of Bill Carter's south Texas ranches. Rob Neilson is the hunter education chair for Safari Club International Houston,motorcycle fairing, an organization that promotes hunting,motorcycle fairings, wildlife conservation and outdoor education. "This has grown into the largest hunter education class in the state of Texas,cheap motorcycle fairings," Neilson said. "It's one of the big events we do."He said SCI Houston is a local chapter of an international hunting group. "In a nutshell, it's the leader in protecting the freedom to hunt worldwide and protect wildlife worldwide," Neilson said. "We're just a group of local hunters, and there are chapters all over the world." He grew up hunting – and has been passionate about archery for years. Now he wants to share his love of the sport with a younger generation."I think it's important to pass it on," he said. Every year, SCI Houston underwrites the certification for students in this course - with help from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department - to provide the classes at no charge. Neilson said the Young Hunter Education Program offers a wealth of information. "It's a good overview," he said. "If a kid picks up one thing that helps him out, we've succeeded. If he picks up several things, that's great too." Neilson said the program also offers top-notch teachers. "The instructors we have are great," he said. "They've been doing this for years and they can really capture the students' attention." Duke Walton coordinates the instructors for the course. "I handpick the best in the area," he said. "I solicit new instructors and teach them what to teach."Walton has been an instructor for 25 years and is a longtime volunteer for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. He served as president emeritus of the Texas Hunter Education Instructors Association and has been awarded several honors for his expertise in hunter education.He said the mission of the Young Hunter Education Program is to prevent hunting accidents and fatalities. "We emphasize safety," he said. "Safety always comes first." The course also covers ethical and legal issues. "Something can be legal but still not be ethical," Walton said. He said the course offers hands-on instruction to supplement the classroom lectures. "The biggest mistake most instructors make is to assume students understand what they are teaching," he said. "We ask our students what they've learned, and we reiterate it with hands-on lessons. "It helps if they can touch, feel and see what we're trying to teach them." Walton said he hopes the course also sparks an interest in students to spend more time outdoors and become more active. "We try to get kids off the couch and into the field," he said. "That's the reason I really do this – to get kids outdoors."Brian Durbin took the course last year with his two children, 11-year-old Kathleen and 15- year-old Robert. "My initial impression was that they were mainly interested in just the kids, but they convinced several of us adults to stay," Durbin said. He said the course offered safety rules, as well as information about ethics, behavior in the field and consideration of other hunters. "I was very appreciative that they put it on," Durbin said. "It never hurts with safety issues to hear everything more than a few times." |
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