Why couldn't you just answer the question like WCO R.W.J. I became a safety instructor when they started that program, but considered that no big deal, there were a lot of other sportsmen doing the same thing. I'm sure WCO R.W.J, could make a list two or three times longer than yours, but he's not that kind of person to brag about his other accomplishments. I'm glad to see your sons are great hunters like their father and your daughter can out fish her husband.

Two of my sons have their Masters in Engineering, I just threw that in if those kind of things impress you, but to me sucess in your work and what you harvest, doesn't make the man or woman.

As for my grandson, that you keep bringing up, if I would let him use my tag for a deer he shot, then have to pay a fine and lose my license, I would gladly do it to have him keep an interest in hunting and carry on the tradition in the family. He comes to my home every other week, I make sure I have at least a box of shell around for the 243 I purchased for him. He always asks his father to take him out on the patio and shoot, no matter what the weather. Today I told my grandson, if you keep praticing all the time, you will become one of those hunters that never misses a deer. Perhaps some day when you are older, your other grandfather will take you to Canada and down South hunting with him.

Well now let’s see. I guess the first one was about 35 years ago or so, before I had any kids of hunting age I started a young hunter who was interested but his dad didn’t hunt. He hunted some archery and rifle deer season with me for a few years until he graduated from high school and went into the service. I lost track of him during his service years and have no idea where he is today.

About 20 years ago or so, still before my boys were of hunting age, I formed and organization that was set up just for the purpose of matching older hunters and youth with no adult mentor to get them started in hunting. You USP members might even want to check on when your organization presented an award to me at your banquet for that project.

In fact I even traveled over to Renovo several times to assist the then USP President in setting up a similar mentoring program in his area.

As part of that program I took one youth of about 13 years old out on his first ever pheasant hunt and was there when he shot his first pheasant. I took him hunting several times over that first year and got him matched up with a couple of other mentors that had more time to devote to hunting then I could come up with.

Now he is one of the leaders in not only the local pheasants forever but also within the state. He served as the Habitat Chairman of the local Chapter and lead their habitat work to where it was one of the top 20 in the nation several years in row.

He now takes me pheasant hunting with him, and his three top notch bird dogs, several times each fall.

We both work with the local P/F Chapter that mentors between 40 and 50 youth each year on the Youth Pheasant Hunt where each youth gets a two hour hunt with a mentor, a dog handler and one of the best bird dogs in this part of the state.

I also taught my two sons to hunt when they reached hunting age. Both were avid and enthusiastic hunters right up to when they left for the service. The older one is still in the service and hasn’t been back home to hunt since 1997 though he still hunts in areas of the country where he might be stationed during a season.

The younger son just got out of the service about a year ago and just got back to this state as his residence early last fall. His work schedule doesn’t give him much time but we hunted together a day in the past flintlock season.

I also spent many hours taking my stepson out before he was old enough to hunt and then when he started hunting. He too is still a very active hunter though he to is now out on his own.

In a few more years I will also be working on starting two grandsons as hunters.

I think the thing that makes them hunters yet today is they always got to hear and experience a positive attitude when they were hunting even though they weren’t always successful at making a harvest or even at seeing game on each trip a field.

I never hear them complaining about not getting something or seeing something. They just talk about a new plan and then somehow always end up enjoying their season and looking forward to the next one.

Maybe that is the difference between a hunter and someone who is only out there for the quick and easy kill. Maybe it is just a difference in personalities, some people just seem to have a positive attitude and some people are never positive about much of anything.

R.S. Bodenhorn

If it was up to my ex daughter-in-law, my grandson wouldn't be a hunter and there is nothing my son could have done about it. The pressure on her to allow him to go hunting, came from her father, who is also a hunter. Her father sent a 410 down here for him to pratice and hunt squirrels, he has a 30-30 for him if he wants to use it.

I know the first morning my grandson had a hand help game player, perhaps he had in the afternoon also. He didn't have it with him on the first Saturday when he went with me, but we didn't go hunting until 3:00.Either before or while we were getting into the stand, my son was sitting on the patio and a nice buck and doe ran through my yard from the woods where the stand is. Within 15 minutes the farmer came with the corn husker and enjoyed watching the machine work and the rabbits running out. It didn't bother me that he wasn't watching for deer, I also enjoyed the time with him and watching for rabbits. Perhaps some fathers place too much on the sucess of harvesting deer and big racked bucks, that their sons don't want to hunt because they might fail their fathers expectations.

I see no difference in playing a video game, reading a book, talking on your cell phone or taking a nag. If a child wants to take a video game along hunting, just be glad that he is interested in going in the woods with you.

Now isn't this a lot better than arguing, I find this quite interesting to learn more about the person you dealing with, rather than where they stand on the current deer management plan.

I had just the opposite problem with the two boys that I started. Both were real big on the outdoor video show scene, and both expected a trophy buck to walk out into the open field, stand there broadside, and take a bullet through the boiler room. They were pretty unhappy when the fantasy didn't happen, but hung in there for several years before they finally accepted the reality of the deer plan and threw in the towel.

PS....I'm quite surprised to readRSBs comments on the USP. I was under the impression that those guys never do anything good.

Unfortunately despite all the efforts of individuals, sportsmans clubs and the PGC , junior license sales began to decrease in 2005 after several years of slow but steady increases. I don't see how anyone can deny the the decline is directly related to the reduction in the herd.

AS of 2007 PA was actuallyshown to be better than the national average over the past several years at recruiting new hunters.

http://www.ruralpa.org/future_hunting07.pdf

Any explanation for this one year dropwould be speculationbut since we're speculating, I can think of atwo kids that in my scout troop that swore they were done deer hunting after the miserable weather and lousy opener of 2007. One went back this year and one didnt. Pure speculation on my part but just as valid asblaming HR.

Lack of access, lack of a mentor and changing lifestyles made up 75% of the response as reasons for youth not hunting. Lack of deer was a mere 10% according to the study.

Why do you care what I've done coalcracker?Since you asked,I'll tell you.First of all I have a 10 year old daughter and a 4 year old son.My daughter like's the outdoors but she won't be a hunter.She's helped me cut up tons of deer,she understand the relationship hunters play and she respects that relationship.She accompanies me on habitat tours,has helped me hang stands and loves messing with trail cameras.She just isn't a predator.Her thing is horses.He's obsessed with them so that's what her and I do together.It's actually pretty cool becauseaside from running barrels,we do alot of long trail rides.That help's open up more of my world to her.My boy isstill pretty young but he's running for the door everytime I come come to see what I got.I imagine he'll certainly hunt.When the time comes,he'll understand what it takes to be successful.That I guarantee.

As far as helping other hunters,Ispend more time getting deer for other people than I do myself.I also helped form a committe and worked for four years to open up 2200 acres of land that had been off limites to hunting for almost 50 years.I ridiculed by anti-hunters and laughed at by hunters during the process.NO ONE THOUGHT HUNTING WOULD EVER BE ALLOWED ON THIS PROPERTY.I COULD HAVE BEEN SELFISH AND PUSHED JUST FOR RESIDENTS TO BE ABLE TO HUNT.MYSELF AND TWO OTHER GUYS MADE SURE IT WAS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.I've put total; strangers in stands,let them stay at my house,helped them recover deer and ever cut up a bunch for guys thatI barely knew.

I've also responded to several PM's over the years and helped people find places to hunt in 2G.Most of those places were areas that I hunt myself.Do asearch on HPA for a guy called rockdog.I showed him where to hunt last year and he ended up killing a nice 8 point on public property in 2G on the last thursday.He got lost after he killed the buck and called me at work so Icould go out and find him.The story and pictures are there in Dec of 2007.This year,my neighbors sister and brother in law moved up from Louisianna.I took him with me the first day and showed him one of my favorite places in Moshannon state forest.Unfortunatly,he ended up calling it a day shortly after we got in the woods because he was sick.Still,I went out of my way and changed my plans at the last minute to help out a guy I didn't even know.

Every year I also have my business sponsor a youth field day,hosted by Pa wildlife habitat unlimited.On top of that,I've also taken a couple kids outfor the youth turkey season.I'm actuall in the process of planning another youth turkey hunt for some people that just moved down from NY state.

Is it really the lack of deer or just people likeyourselfwho'sdismissive ,hateful and condescending attitude that is driving youngsters away from something that could quite possibly bring them a life time of enjoyment and untold hours of family enjoyment.
I can't even imagine the untold number of people young or old that your assine views have dissuaded from ever even giving hunting a try. You must be a real joy to be around come thanksgiving weekend.[:@]

I notice we've never heard anyting of BB's efforts to bring youth into our sport. Maybe that's for the best, eh?