Teaching Hunter Safety - Something Every 4-H Agent (& Parent!) Should Do!

As an Extension Agent for the University of Florida and Brevard County, it is not my responsibility to teach the Florida Hunter Education course as put forth by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).  I do it as a volunteer, and gladly so because of all of the benefits it has to me and my programs.

Here are just a few...
I get to meet some of the best people in the world at the gun range where it's taught.  All of my colleagues in Hunter Education are there because they want to be.  None of us get paid.  Their one and only concern is making sure those who take the class will leave and carry the message of safety and wise outdoor stewardship by word and deed, into the woods.


Sidebar - Did you know that unlike a drivers license, a Hunter Safety Certification card never expires?  That is a point I bring up to my students, that once they leave the classroom, they are free to carry a firearm in the woods for the rest of their life!  What a privilege and a responsibility!


Out of all of these people I meet, a bunch of them are kids and their parents.  I've found about equal amounts of Moms and Dads in the class.  As agreed upon by my Supervisor, one of the benefits I have as a 4-H Agent teaching this class is I get to "plug" the 4-H program.  I have recruited some of the best families in the FWC Hunter Safety Program in to 4-H.


Lastly I'll mention how Hunter Safety helps me hone my skills, and gets my name out there in the community to gain credibility.  People care how much you know, and this allows them to get to know me.  My safety, shooting  and teaching skills are reinforced.  In firearms training, the skills we learn are perishable and they need to be practiced and hopefully constantly improved.


I'm grateful for this opportunity to teach, and recommend it to all of my professional and volunteer colleagues.

Fishing Knots...Part 4 of 6, The Nail Knot

Step 1. Place a nail between the fly line and leader. Wrap the leader back towards the end of your fly line about 6 times.

Nail Knot (Leader to Fly Line)

The Nail knot is one of the most important knots that every fly fisherman should learn. There are a few variations in the way this knot is tied. The angler can use a tube or a needle in replacement of the nail. With a little practice, this knot can be tied very quickly. Most common area for use is attaching the leader to the fly line. It can also be used to attach the fly line to the backing.

Step 2. Pass the end of your leader back through the loops you just made. After the leader is through, pull on both ends of the fly line and leader trying not to have the loops cross each other. Holding with fingers, remove nail.

Step 3. Moisten and snug down by pulling both ends away from each other. Clip excess line and leader close to the formed knot.

National Shooting Sports Invitational 2011, San Antonio Texas

I decided to put up this page to help myself, family members and colleagues by building a one-stop-shop for information we may need for the big trip.


Organization 

• National 4-H Shooting Sports Home
• National Shooting Complex, San Antonio - Our range for the week.

Documents

• Event "Howdy Packet"
• 2011 National 4-H Shooting Sports Invitational  - Event Synopsis
• 2011 National 4-H Shooting Sports Invitational - General Rules

The Group Hotel

Days Inn San Antonio Northwest/SeaWorld

6010 NW Loop 410

San Antonio, TX 78238

Phone: 210-522-1995

Fax: 210-522-1106

Hotel Link

Springtime A Flurry of Shooting Competions

Brevard County Fair FITA Match

My writing has been kind of slow this spring because of my involvement in all of the shooting matches our local kids have been involved with.  But man, was it fun!


The State 4-H Matches - Locally we had about 50 kids participating in the Florida 4-H State Matches giving kids the opportunity to show their skills in archery, trap, skeet, rifle and black powder.  The state riffle match was held first, and Francis D. came in 6th place state wide in three-position air rifle, Intermediate Division.  Next was the state archery match at the new Easton-Newberry Sports Complex near Gainesville.  20 of our top archers competed in FITA, Field and 3-D competitions with most of our club placing or doing extremely well.  Our club is especially proud of Paul T., a 4-H Senior, who qualified for the National 4-H Invitational in June in the Sighted Compound Bow Division.  Our shotgunners did well in trap and skeet over in Bartow, Florida.  In this match, a child does not even place with a score less than 90 usually (of 100) broken clay targets!

Christina learning to
break both targets with one ball! 

I almost forgot to mention our muzzleloaders!  The season's local shooting culminated in the 4th Annual Brevard County Fair Archery Match.  63 shooters, shoulder to shoulder, competing against their peers for big, beautiful rosettes.  Our local club the Sharp-Eye Shooters took most of the awards, but all of the kids representing 11 different Florida counties did very well.

Noah and his Dad shooting together at
the state muzzle loading match.

What pleased me most with all of these events, was the level of safety, volunteer participation and sportsmanship displayed.  It was amazing.


Thanks to all who participated and to our commercial sponsors as well such as, but not limited to Brevard Archers, Action Gun and Archery, Hodgdon Powder, our local gun clubs in Mims and Palm Bay and the Florida 4-H Shooting Sports Program.

Fly Tying Adventure, Guest Post - Rodney Smith

A story by good friend, author, publisher and conservationist Caption Rodney Smith of Coastal Angler Magazine -

Rodney kissing his prize catch!

Photo credit to Addictive Fishing Television

Looking back some twenty years ago to the first fly I tied brings back fond, humbling memories. My first fly was an extremely weird looking thing that didn’t resemble anything I’d seen before or since! It was a colorful combination of deer hair and meager chicken feathers wrapped around the shank of a silver hook. It was loosely wrapped with of a wad of yellow sewing thread.

I can still recall my pride afterwards. Even though I had a long ways to go before I’d show anyone my flies, I knew I was on to something much bigger.

I attended a fly tying class that was being offered by a local fly fishing club, Melbourne’s Backcountry Fishing Association. Not long afterward, under the supervision of master fly tier Tom Lentz, I started getting the hang of it.

In class, we tied simple and effective fly patterns. We learned classics like the Clouser’s deep water minnow, foam spiders, ants, and Lefty’s Deceiver. In no time, I was catching redfish and spotted seatrout in saltwater, and  bream and bass in freshwater on my creations. Learning to tie flies and catch fish with those flies lead me down a more copasetic path with nature with my fishing experience.

Learning to tie and catch fish with my own flies has been very rewarding and fulfilling. Besides learning new skills, first-time tiers become acquainted with the aquatic ecosystem. This brings awareness of important conservation and environmental issues.

Capt. Gabe Nybald with a silver salmon

caught on the Goodnews River in Alaska

Kids who want to learn fly tying need to become familiar with a few basic tools and materials. They’ll need an inexpensive fly tying vise, a bobbin with thread, scissors, hooks, and tying materials. These can be purchased in a beginner’s kit or separately at a retail sporting goods store, fly shop or on-line.

Today learning to tie a fly has become as easy as turning on one’s computer and googling fly tying. But, if you are fortunate enough to have a local fly club in your community contact them to see if they offer classes for beginners. These classes can be a wonderful gateway to an extraordinary adventure.

About Rodney - A Florida native, conservation advocate, and lifetime angler with an in-depth understanding of the economical and environmental impacts of Florida's recreational fishery.

Married thirty years, father of four, and community leader, for fifteen years Rodney has been the publisher of Coastal Angler Magazine, which focuses on fishing, boating and conservation.

Rodney's also a member of the South Atlantic Marine Fisheries Council's Grouper /Snapper Advisory Panel.

Practice Does NOT Make Perfect

Practicing is the act of rehearsing a skill or behavior over and over, or engaging in an activity again and again, for the purpose of improving or mastering it.  How many times have we heard, "Practice Makes Perfect"?  What if you are repeating behavior incorrectly over and over, does practice still make perfect?  I think not.  This might just be the most major piece of misinformation I was ever taught in school!

Used by permission from the creator, Mark Stivers.

If you have ever taken formal archery lessons, you'll know that there are certain steps to shooting an arrow out of a bow to make it not only fly true to hits its mark, but to have a safe and rewarding experience.  The physics of archery show us that if you execute each shot following each of the steps perfectly (or near), the arrow will go in the nearly exact same spot every time.  If you introduce a variable such as wind, or lose concentration so as to not take the shot perfectly,  the arrow will miss.  In the photo below, 100 students line up shoulder to shoulder at the 2009 National Archery In The Schools Program (NASP) World Tournament in Orlando, Florida.  In NASP, all of the equipment is identical except for color.  The difference measured in competition is the ability of the shooter, and how they have learned to follow each of the steps as near to perfect as possible in order to hit the 10 ring or bulls-eye at 10 or 15 meters. Perhaps we should say, "Perfect Practice Makes Perfect"?

I see my young archers and other shooting sports kids week after week practicing their skills, and while some are taking short cuts, not working on each step to perfection, others are following the steps, and their coaches advice, and it shows! 

Acknowledgements: Even though this article used archery as the main activity, almost any other activity could have been substituted of course.  Thanks Mark for the cartoon, and NASP for dedication to teaching archery to kids world wide! - Mr. Gus