Midwest Deer Hunting: Shooting sport

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Wisconsin: Learn to hunt deer at Buckhorn State Park

The sign for at Buckhorn State Park near Neced...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Opportunity is not just for kids

NECEDAH, Wis. -- Anyone 10 years old and older including novice adult hunters who have had an interest in hunting but weren’t sure how to give it a try are encouraged to consider a Learn-to-Hunt deer outing at Buckhorn State Park along the Castle Rock Flowage in Juneau County.
Heather Wolf, Buckhorn State Park manager, says this is the 15th year the park has hosted a Learn to Hunt Deer Hunt program.
“We have had 693 participants over the years. First time hunters and their chaperones have learned together at the workshop and have enjoyed their time spent in the woods,” Wolf said.
To participate in the November 2012 hunt, search the Department of Natural Resources website for “Buckhorn,” and then click on the "learn to deer hunt" link on right column. Download the application form [PDF], complete it, and mail it to the address shown by August 10.
There are two parts to the Learn to Hunt Deer at Buckhorn. First, a workshop is held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 8 or 9 at the LaValle Sportsman’s Club. Attendance by hunters and chaperones is mandatory. Second, the hunt occurs Nov. 3 and 4 at Buckhorn State Park and adjacent wildlife area.
Applicants will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis and will be notified upon receipt of their applications.
A chaperone must accompany each applicant. Applicants may select a chaperone (i.e., family or friend) or authorize Buckhorn staff to assign a qualified chaperone. This person will not be allowed to hunt or carry a firearm and must be at least 18 years old. The chaperone must have at least five years of deer hunting experience. The chaperone is necessary to ensure novice hunters get the complete hunting experience in a safe environment. Chaperones help hunters with firearm safety, deer identification, scouting, and field dressing, among other things.
Successful applicants and their chaperones must attend a workshop in order to participate in the hunt.
A hunting license is not required and back tags will be furnished. This is a bonus deer and will not preclude the harvest of a deer during the regular season. The bag limit will be one deer of either sex. Only shotguns will be permitted; muzzleloaders and rifles are not permitted.

Chaperones also are needed, says Keith Warnke DNR Hunting and Shooting Sport Coordinator. “If you are a hunter and want to give back to the hunting heritage by getting a new hunter started, your skills are needed!” Warnke said. To volunteer to be a chaperone, contact the park at 608-565-2789
“Learn to Hunt events are a great way to break into hunting. Novice hunters paired up with an experienced hunter will learn about conservation, safety, ethics, deer hunting tactics and firearm safety during a one-day workshop,” Warnke said. “Then, the novice hunters get a chance to experience a two-day November gun deer hunt.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Heather Wolf – 608-565-2789 or Keith Warnke – 608-266-5243

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

IOWA: Popular Youth Hunting Event Turns 20

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

INDIANOLA - The 20th year of Iowa’s youth hunter education challenge (YHEC) wrapped up on June 10, with 68 kids ages 12 to 18 participating in the eight station competition.

The event has changed little competition-wise during its two decades. The format has remained the same. The set up has been pretty consistent. About the only thing that has changed are the competitors and the event location.

“We moved from the 4H camp at Madrid to Wesley Woods three years ago and that has provided us a better layout to set up the stations and allows us to go through the course much faster,” said Donise Grygierczyk, who coordinates the challenge for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Youth from all over Iowa compete as part of a team in four shooting events and four non-shooting events. The events include the Hunter Responsibility Exam; the Hunter Safety Trail Challenge that simulates hunting and includes the ‘dos and don’ts’ of firearm safety and shoot/don’t shoot situations; the Hunting Shotgun Challenge, including shooting at clay and/or life-size targets.

Other events include the Light Hunting Rifle Challenge; the Hunting/Wildlife Identification Challenge to identify animals, tracks, or wildlife signs without an identification book; the Hunting Orienteering Skills Challenge covering map and compass skills; the Hunting Muzzleloader Challenge taking shots at life-sized targets at varying distances and positions; and the Hunting Archery Challenge requiring shots at life-size game targets.

Each event is scored. Teams compete against each other in each event and for the overall competition. Hunter education instructors are encouraged to put a team together and coach their participants.

It takes nearly as many volunteers as competitors to put on the event and over the 20 years, five volunteers have seen each and every competition: Bill Shipley, of Birmingham, Craig Glosser, of Batavia, John Sears, of Ottumwa, Loren Zaruba, of Charlotte, and Dean Ross, of Jefferson.

“We couldn’t do this without the volunteers,” Grygierczyk said. “They are the reason this event has been successful and around for 20 years.”

Iowa will have a team entered in the 2013 International YHEC in Raton, N.M. The team from Eddyville will be raising money to offset the $8,000 needed for the competition.

Iowa YHEC is co-sponsored by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa State University Extension Wildlife Programs, National Rifle Association and the Iowa 4-H Safety and Education in Shooting Sports program.

The 2013 Iowa YHEC is scheduled for June 7-9, at Wesley Woods, near Indianola.