My tip is for hunters to surround themselves with good people.
Choose friends who challenge you to be an ethical hunter, a better sportsman, as well as people who give back to hunting so our great sport will be there for future generations.
Editor’s Note: Brian’s tip might seem a bit simplistic, but there’s more to his notion I’d like to expound upon.
Parents, be careful who you allow your children to hunt with! Please do not allow them to hunt with any friend you don’t know well, not only for safety’s sake, but to review what they are being taught in the field.
Poaching is a generational, learned behavior. Time and time again I’ve witnessed this in my 40 plus years of hunting — families of lawbreakers passing unacceptable tactics down to a younger generation.
Beginners will deem acceptable what their peers deem acceptable. If youngsters grow up around people who shoot deer at night and hunt illegally over bait, invariably, they will shoot deer at night and hunt illegally over bait.
Kids whose parents, friends and hunting mentors teach them to respect shooting hours, property lines, bag limits and game laws of their state will flourish and, invariably, grow into upstanding hunters.
Teach by example. This is so important if we are going to have hunting for future generations. The better the hunter around your kids with, the better and more respectable and respectful hunter your kids will become.
Never forget: Poachers are not hunters.
If you read or hear the word “hunter” in the media when a game law is broken, email the editor of the newspaper, radio station manager or TV show producer who misused the word. Tell them to use “poacher,” not “hunter.” There’s a BIG difference! – Tim H. Martin/Buckmasters Online Editor
Send your questions to: huntingtips@buckmasters.com