We hunters are in the midst of a crisis, and we need to act right now! If you look for a common concern in all of today’s outdoor magazines, it would be the decline in numbers of our nation’s hunters. First and foremost, hunter dollars profoundly affect wildlife management. We fund critical conservation work. It isn’t cited as often, but I’m personally concerned about our right to hunt. It’s a privilege that could be lost if we hunters become an inconsequential minority. As hunting is an important part of our South Dakota tradition, I don’t believe we appreciate just how fortunate we are.

I believe that the times contribute to the problem. Single parent families are short on dads who teach their sons and daughters how to hunt, safely handle firearms, and prepare game for the table. The Hunter Safety course, as well as The Friends of NRA, do a marvelous job with gun safety. Many of their graduates will become hunters. I marvel at the job Mitchell, Tyndall and Armour have done with high school trap teams. My own Wagner must get this going, and I want to be a part of it.

We must add new hunters to our numbers. I would like to see some of us veteran hunters get teamed up with youth who have no one to take them hunting. Ducks and pheasants easily come to mind as being workable. Deer hunting is workable, but we need to lay more ground work.

First, we need to get permission from our landowner friends to host an aspiring young hunter. Then we need to identify and “adopt” a youthful hunter. We need to make sure their tag application accompanies ours. Perhaps we need to pay their application fee. Better yet, a Youth Hunter license might satisfy our goal. I especially like this option as we are concentrating on their deer, not ours. Game, Fish, & Parks has advised me that if our Youth Hunter is not a son or daughter, we should have written permission from a parent in our pocket.

Now it’s time for some training on the range with the rifle they will use. Practice familiarity with the rifle – loading and unloading. Practice from the standing, kneeling, sitting, and prone positions. More important – get familiar with cross sticks! It might be wise to start out with a .22. Don’t forget ear protection, and don’t make that first hunt or experience with an intimidating caliber! A .243 would make a good start. A .223 or .22-250 with the right bullet will also do the job on deer.

Make sure your young hunter is aware of your expectations. If field dressing, skinning, and butchering will be a part of the overall experience, let them know this, but also assure them of your guidance. If they freak out, don’t push it. The deer can be donated. It is totally reasonable to expect your “adopted” hunter to take the Hunter Safety course, but make sure your connection is early enough for them to get enrolled.

Your local Hunter Safety team might help you get connected, or your school principal might know just the right kid to connect with. Perhaps you have a good friend who doesn’t hunt or fish. What about his/her children? A few years back, a friend from Scotland, SD who didn’t hunt or fish asked me to get his son started. It couldn’t have gone better. We nailed the walleyes and smallies on Francis Case from the start. We successfully applied for Jerauld County deer tags, I put him into a herd of deer, and he made a clean kill.

If you are willing to be a Youth Hunt mentor, let the right people know. If you are a young, would be hunter looking for a mentor, let your local conservation officer know, or let the Hunter Safety people know. If that won’t work, let me know.

It is sad that background checks are a part of today’s day and age. I need one to substitute teach. To you young people out there, don’t go with a complete stranger. I certainly hope that today’s column gives birth to at least a few new hunters. We sorely need you.

See you next week.