AB All age group tag #'s up........incl. the hipster crowd?

mmattockx said:
no attention from the authorities.
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Keep in mind srd's budget has been slashed, slashed some more, the portfolio was transfered to another department(ie, slashed massively), and then slashed some more. I believe that's a large part of the problem.

Decade's ago when I was a kid(late teens, 20's) it seemed we got stopped by f&w around once/yr. No biggie, I was taught to be a real stickler for the hunting regs and the rangers were alway's no problem, just making sure we weren't doing something we weren't supposed to; then have a nice day and good luck.

Quite frankly the last time I was checked was when my son was 12; he's now coming 24, and we do a Lot of hunting.
 
Or it shows that there really is little point to a course and that people can figure it on their own without the nanny state holding their hand.




This is likely the case. No issues = no attention from the authorities.


What authorities? You do realize there are two F & W officers to patrol AB south of the #9 highway, right?
Not sure about how many are N of the # 9 though
 
The Ontario Hunter Education Program is also a joke, I don't think I picked up all that much from it. You can regulate this and that, but with no enforcement in any province, people will continue to break laws because they're ignorant to them. Maybe I should start a cost-covering mentored hunt next year for black bear.
 
Suka said:
Quite frankly the last time I was checked was when my son was 12; he's now coming 24, and we do a Lot of hunting.
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I went through a game stop a couple of years ago, haven't seen one since (eastern Alberta in the Hanna area). Have never been stopped out there by the local CO, wherever he is based out of.


tokguy said:
What authorities? You do realize there are two F & W officers to patrol AB south of the #9 highway, right?
Not sure about how many are N of the # 9 though
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Probably not much different, they are thin on the ground.


In response to both replies, when I said no attention from the authorities I actually meant the provincial government. If there was a perceived problem with our slack hunter training system it wouldn't take long for some boneheaded kneejerk reaction legislation to come down the pipe. Enforcement is an entirely different thing and I would like to see more CO's on the ground, just like most of us.

I do stand by my comment that it seems like it is something that doesn't need nanny state assistance. It is not the province's job to make sure people are skilled hunters, all the course is ever supposed to do is give you an idea of the legalities and overall requirements along with some basic safety information. Beyond that it is up to the hunter to learn and gain skills, which seems to be happening despite the lack of government requirements.


Mark
 
mmattockx said:
I do stand by my comment that it seems like it is something that doesn't need nanny state assistance. It is not the province's job to make sure people are skilled hunters, all the course is ever supposed to do is give you an idea of the legalities and overall requirements along with some basic safety information. Beyond that it is up to the hunter to learn and gain skills, which seems to be happening despite the lack of government requirements.
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I do agree on this. However, in my experience, they're not even getting those basic rules and safety regs right here in NB. I am sure it's the same everywhere, but I'm getting a little frustrated with people who can't even be bothered to follow basic rules - like, don't go out and target animals that aren't allowed, under the assumption that everything with wings or four legs is legal.
 
When I shot my first deer, I'd read a lot about how to field dress an animal. If my Dad and older brother hadn't have been there, I wouldn't have had a clue. Having some form of mentor or practical experience is 100% necessary, but sadly not mandatory :S
 
Lupara said:
This kind of thing should be passed on from father to son. No course can teach that.
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If you have a father or if you have a father that hunts...not all kids have this option. I learned everything I knew about hunting in the early days from books and magazines....while maybe not ideal....it can work, especially today with so many more resources.
 
Lupara said:
This kind of thing should be passed on from father to son. No course can teach that.
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Unfortunately I come from a family that doesn't hunt. I had to learn all that I know about hunting through trial and error, time in the field, and reading and listening to peoples real life experiences. TV shows teach you nothing other than what brand to buy. Magazines aren't that valuable either as every month theres different articles written about something that supposedly worked for someone at one time at one location and is a write up about what they think the key to it all was... when it could have just been luck like most hunts.

If I have a son and they're into it, I'll tell him all about the do's and don'ts and hopefully it will take the edge off the learning curve for him.
 
Like many things, there's a difference between education and practical experience. THere's a good chance that even what you're doing for a living required some schoolwork followed by practical experience in the field. Hunting is no different - except the only way for novice hunters to get experience is through mentoring by other hunters. That makes it your responsibility to mentor new hunters.

I'm a novice hunter and have had some mentoring that I deeply apreciate. And I'm attempting to bring young hunters along with me whenever I can. it's important. If fellow hunters don't commit to doing this, nobody will
 
Lupara said:
This kind of thing should be passed on from father to son. No course can teach that.
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Like driving?
Sometimes a knowledgable teacher is a better plan.
Not all fathers are good teachers remember?
Then again some teachers are less than stellar as well...
I'm lucky in that as Dad said " You didn't eat beef til you were 5 years old. We couldn't afford store bought meat" so he was more than proficient at game harvesting.
Not everyone is that lucky I suppose
 
I grew up in a family that didn't hunt, but was encouraged to take hunter's safety anyway (thanks Dad!). I did, loved the course, did well etc etc etc. Fast forward, I dunno, 20+years to my first hunt. Lets just say I was glad I was with someone who knew what they were doing. Some of the finer points may have gotten fuzzy.

I wonder if the gov't has ever tried setting up a mentoring system with the game draws? Could be a good way to pass on some knowledge, if voluntary. Maybe getting increased odds for a moose tag would be some much deserved incentive for experienced hunters to mentor. I know lots of younger hunters that would love the opportunity to hunt with someone that knows what they are doing, but it isn't always easy to meet someone willing to take a newbie out. My friend and mentor is awesome, but I would never even ask if he wanted to take 5 newbies out at once.

As an aside to game ID and processing, I think a practical marksmanship test should be required - maybe a 5 shot group from 75 yards -1 shot prone, seated, kneeling, standing with a rest, offhand. Keep them all in the vitals. It would be a start, and similar to I believe Sweden - though I have heard they even have a moving target.
 
The hunter training course doesn't teach field dressing or skinning. People used to learn that stuff from family and father. Now they learn it from youtube. Smart devices are making dumber people.
 
jethunter said:
The hunter training course doesn't teach field dressing or skinning. People used to learn that stuff from family and father. Now they learn it from youtube. Smart devices are making dumber people.
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How do you figure that...if they are learning it how does that make them dumber? I'd say those that fail to learn it are the dumb ones...I think method of learning is irrelevant.
 
sheephunter said:
How do you figure that...if they are learning it how does that make them dumber? I'd say those that fail to learn it are the dumb ones...I think method of learning is irrelevant.
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Yeah, it's the dumb ones, LOL. Because learning it by watching a video on youtube is obviously just as good as being there with your dad and learning by helping to actually do it. :)

Youtube is better than nothing but it's not the same as being there.
 
jethunter said:
Yeah, it's the dumb ones, LOL. Because learning it by watching a video on youtube is obviously just as good as being there with your dad and learning by helping to actually do it. :)

.
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For those that have a dad.................So no dad and no mentor people should just not hunt?
 
sheephunter said:
For those that have a dad.................So no dad and no mentor people should just not hunt?
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LOL, Show me where I said that? That's just silly.

I said smart devices are making dumber people, and learning from a family member is better than learning on youtube. I made those comments based on the simple fact that the article which is the basis of this thread is about people who don't know how to hunt or field dress.

Based on that, could you please explain how you could possibly conclude I had implied that people who don't have a mentor shouldn't hunt?? :)
 
BigUglyMan said:
So I'm 35...does that make me a hipster? If so I have to go outside and kick myself in the nuts, just because.
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Nope. You have to make a deer hide man purse and flaunt it to the latte crowd as you prance through your local starbucks thinking that not only are you morally superior to regular folk, you're even better than the metrosexuals sitting around you who's acceptance you crave more than you're 7$ low-fat-skim-mocha-frappe-grande. Like the guy in the article. Then you can officially be a hipster. :cool:
 
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