Hunting’s five stages

I spent an hour on the phone recently with an old friend. Jim Dabb retired from the DNR more than a decade ago, and we've been friends for about 30 years because of our ongoing interest in Hunter Education.

His job, when he retired from the DNR's Law Enforcement Division, was to oversee all of the Hunter Education programs in the state. He was the go-to guy for the newest rules, where training sessions would be held, and much more.

He was one of the greatest friends a legal hunter could ever have. He'd spent years as a conservation officer in the field, got yanked to Lansing for his final time on the job, and put in those last years riding a desk and doing what had to be done to get as many children (and parents) involved in a Hunter Education class as possible.

Hunter Education was his state-wide job.

We met when I began running The Detroit News' Hunter Education Program in 1980, and 20 of my 23 years as the paper's staff outdoor writer were spent honing our two-day program each September. The paper scrapped this wonderful program back about 2000, but training kids and their parents is something that still moves me.

Dabb and I discussed what he calls "The Five Stages Of A Hunter." It is a continuing maturation process that takes hunters through these various stages. Wisconsin has done numerous studies on this, and I shall report more on it again at a later date.

*Shooting is the first step in this process. A novice hunter wants to shoot his or her bow or firearm. It can be nothing more than plinking at tin cans or stumps in the woods, although some novices start out wanting to hunt and shoot.

This shooting can fall into two distinct areas: one is to practice shooting at a target or at game in season. It's been proven that the more a hunter shoots a bow or firearm, the better their skills become providing they have capable assistance from other caring sportsmen. Kids, in particular, love to hear the firearm go bang but must be taught the responsible use of a firearm and the dangers of careless use.

*The second stage in hunter development, Dabb says, is limiting out. They want to kill a limit of ducks, rabbits, ruffed grouse, squirrels woodcock or deer.

This is a stage many hunters find themselves mired in, but some feel the purchase of a small game or big game license should guarantee them a full bag limit.

A hunting license guarantees them only the right to legally hunt in season.

What many sportsmen don't realize is the purchase of a license guarantees them only the privilege of going hunting in a legal manner. It means they can legally hunt, and nothing else is granted.

*The third step in the progression of a hunter is learning techniques. The hunter seeks out advice from longtime sportsmen, reads hunting magazines or weblogs like this one, watches videos and reads books. Those who read, and practice what they learn, are the best hunters.

They want to work with bird dogs or hounds, hunt with a centerfire or muzzleloading rifle, and they study various methods of hunting the rut, hunting deer in cornfields, how to call wild turkeys or other game-birds, and they are on a quest to soak up knowledge about hunting.

*Step No. 4 is the trophy stage. "This," Dabb said, "is where hunters want to shoot the biggest buck in the county, the largest bear, the ringneck pheasant with the most bars on its tail."

This stage often becomes the macho period in a hunters life where they want bragging rights. They want to be known as a good hunter, and nothing but the biggest and the best will do. Sadly, some will jump on a plane, fly somewhere on a canned hunt, and shoot the critter within a matter of an hour or two, and be on their way home the same day.

*Last but certainly not least is the Sportsman Stage. This is where the hunter acknowledges the fact that he/she can become the supreme predator, and the kill no longer becomes the sole reason why we hunt.

The kill is the end result of a hunt, but a true sportsman can have a successful hunt without firing a shot. It means pitting one's skills against an animal while giving the game the greatest chance to escape. It is ethical hunting, fair-chase hunting, and the hunt becomes more important than the kill.

This final stage often isn't attained until middle-age, and with some, they never reach this level. It is where the wind on the cheek, spotting a deer, hearing the gobble of a wild turkey -- when all of these and many other things become more important than pulling the trigger. It's when we start caring about and respecting what we hunt.

Take a long look at this issue, and ask yourself: which category do I fall in? If you've read this blog for very long, you'll know that I'm in the fifth stage. Killing is no longer why I hunt.

I hunt to have hunted. I hunt to have spent time outdoors, and have been at it long enough to learn that the buck that got away will be remembered long after the deer we shot has been forgotten.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors