When I was a kid we had mandatory "hunter safety" in gym class in the seventh grade. Try that in a school today and they would line up to have your head. Very short sighted in my humble opinion. Teach everyone how to handle guns safely and the myth that all guns are killers would be a lot less of a problem. People fear what they do not know and tend to believe what other "experts" tell them.
This weekend I am taking my 13 year old son off on his first duck and goose hunt. Have to drive 400 miles to where we are going to hunt. Figure it will cost north of $500.00 by the time all the expenses are added up. Gas, food, motel, shells, guide, tips you name it. So hunting is a rich mans game, in my mind. But I would pay twice that just to make sure my son sees a sunrise in the marsh. Sees the first bird when it is too dark to see color but we strain to see anyways. Hear the wings as they fly over in the dark. Let him watch birds tease us with that circling just out of range. Have him smell fresh gunpowder on the cold morning air. Have him take a bird from the dog and see what a good dog can do and loves to do by nature.
Yes the number of hunters is down. But I have three sons who will get a chance to hunt. They may choose not to do so when they are adults but they will have tried it at least with their father as I was able to do many years ago. Heritage is what you try to pass on. The future is up to your kids and they make their own heritage to pass on to their own kids.
