Before You Hunt

Ry you don't know anything about Firearms or hunting what that thing before you scare the birds to hurt somebody there's no one else here when does the hunting start Barney put that shotgun away just watch maybe you'll learn something watch what Al I don't see anything come on let's move on to the action Barney will you keep quiet and try to learn something hey look at that Barney Barney stop stop hey what do you think you're doing he knock it off somebody lock up that night no titles already season there goes the game take nut man who let him out of his cage he shouldn't be allowed to you don't know better Lear buddy I I guess uh uh I did the wrong thing huh you can't just start blasting away being a good Sportsman takes patience and training these Hunter orange outfits are a good start they make it easy for hunters to keep track of one another and bringing your dog Morgan along is another good thing a really good Hunter hunts with a train dog whenever possible boy you've got a lot to learn about this sport of course hunting wasn't always a sport we had to hunt for food later as we became more civilized some people impose controls on our hunting and since this was mainly Kings and dukes and the like who owned the land they claimed all the game on it the common man had very little place that he could hunt at least legally that made it tough on us hunters well not in this country you see our forefathers wanted to make it quite clear that all Wildlife belonged to the people no matter whose land it was on I like that sure because as we were settling this country we had to hunt to provide food later some people even hunted for a living but as domestic animals replaced wild hunting became more of a sport than a [Music] necessity and we became so busy developing our land we didn't take time to fully understand what we were doing to it our environment became an obstacle to be conquered building our cities and plowing our land we destroyed much of the habitat needed for wildlife Food Water Shelter that's terrible and who do you think was the first to be concerned and want to do something about it um the biologists no it was the Hunter he saw the reduction in game and felt that something should be done to restore and preserve our wildlife and environment yeah but surely the government was taking care of all of this not at first problems come before Solutions it was the hunters who insisted on a solution to the game problem they finally started some action in Washington but there were a lot of problems with our first efforts at game management for one thing Wildlife doesn't stay put some birds migrate from Canada to Mexico and back in a single year so you see some regulations had to be International another problem was how to finance effective game management people had to be trained studies had to be made offices and departments open we made some mistakes in our desire to preserve Wildlife we overprotected some species of birds and mammals and underrot others or simply didn't know the problems of others but at least we saw the problems and kept pushing for improvement even to the extent of putting time and money into the effort finally we became scientific about it as a result our wildlife management and hunting regulations are darn practical and we can thank our hunting and fishing fathers and grandfathers for all of this how about that Morgan I never knew that the hunter helped do all of that few people do and how do you suppose we finally financed all this uh taxes no not General taxes a special tax Sportsmen all over the country pay millions of dollars in excise tax on hunting and fishing equipment [Music] hunting and fishing licenses provide the funds for our state conservation departments they've organized private groups and institutions to help in other ways Ducks Unlimited is a good example money raised by this organization buys and restores land which can't qualify for federal funds also manufacturers of hunting and fishing equipment contribute in many ways I never really thought of that I mean you usually don't think of a hunter as a conservationist it's true barn but more people should most people are concerned but very few do anything about it except the Sportsman and as he works to benefit game many many non-am species are helped many public lands such as preserves and refuges are supported by money from Hunters these provide a place for hiking bird watching camping and the like and the Sportsman's interest benefits everyone now you're catching on Modern game management is scientific a given area can only support so many animals when overpopulation occurs suffering and death can result since most animals are capable of reproducing in larger numbers than the land can support it's desirable to harvest the Surplus Wildlife departments make careful studies and determine what management is needed then Hunters harvest the Surplus like a farmer harvests a crop but surely these studies must take a long time they do hunting seasons are relatively short but game is studied all year before hunting regulations the number sex age and the distribution of the game must be determined Hunters surely go to an awful lot of trouble for their Sport and they go to that trouble because the desire to hunt is very strong and hard to explain it provide joyment personal satisfaction and food for the table a true Sportsman is interested in animals even if he can't hunt them he appreciates the outof doors he really loves loes nature I see what you mean the hunter can feel proud of the fact that he's actually doing something I mean he doesn't wave Flags or blow horns he's actually doing something constructive but how about that Al these things aren't done by real Hunters they're done by vandals unfortunately if you see one rotten apple in the barrel you cond DN the whole lot and if you don't consider others you're a rotten apple many people think any damage done with a firearm is done by hunters I don't want to be like that if you're patient pay attention I'll turn you into a real sportsman yeah yeah oh I'm with yeah I mean I'll try I'll really try okay let's get started now what do you know about your firearm well it'll shoot sure do number on a film title now your shotgun is a 12 gauge its effective bird hunting range is about 40 yard however with larger shot it can be dangerous at well over 100 100 yard now some people believe that a shotgun isn't very dangerous but watch holy macro makes you think huh Barney now a rifle is different it shoots a bullet a greater distance and is dangerous at any point along its path that's why you must be very sure of your background a rifle can be dead at a mile or more the exact ranges of these guns vary with conditions see Barn any firearm deserves respect I respect I respect okay before you get your hands on a firearm again you should learn certain fundamentals how to load unload clean store and how to use the safety the most most important thing to remember about a safety is to keep it on at all times until you're ready to fire and check it frequently but remember it is mechanical and may not be foolproof so don't depend on it always treat any firearm as if it's loaded never point a firearm at anything you're not going to shoot and be sure of your Target and what's beyond now you also have to know your ammunition there many different types of ammo for different types of shooting colorcoded shells help you be sure of your gauge the wrong use of ammo can be dangerous it sure pays to know your firearm and the ammunition you're right the ammunition manufacturers will help you they have excellent materials on the shells you need for your type for shooting using the proper ammo is part of your respect for the game respect for the game certainly if you use the right firearm and ammo and you use them properly you won't be as likely to leave any wounded game in the field this idea of respect is an important part of hunting if the Hunter's ethic could be put in just one word it would be respect and that respect goes far beyond legal requirements s [Music] [Applause] [Music] you see most of our hunting is done on private land and always get the owner's permission before you hunt some states require it after all he owns the land and it often costs him time and money to let you hunt there so show him respect and courtesy ask his permission and where you may or may not hunt and let him know that you respect him and his possessions yeah and even keep his Gates closed huh or open remember leave things just as you find them sounds like just common courtesy to me that's what a lot of hunting is or at least it should be [Music] n [Music] [Applause] [Music] do all Hunters have to walk in a formation like that no but these fellows are after Upland game birds and it's safer and you get more birds each man has a particular zone of fire zone of fire y back there when they organized the hunt they agreed on their positions each shooting within a specific area in front chances of getting hit by shot are reduced each has an equal opportunity at the game and you minimize the squabbles over who shot what but surely you wouldn't argue over a thing like that most would but once in a while you'll find a game hog who claims he shot everything now it's obvious these fellas get along well having good partners is one way to make sure you have a good hunt [Music] look [Music] [Applause] hey if he shot that bird why didn't he call the dog to him good question it's just courtesy to the dog's owner no one but his master should command the dog too many working a dog will ruin him right Morgan got that Morgan you're working for me and a good hunting dog is valuable for finding crippled birds and reducing losses [Music] hey look Al what what why didn't he shoot a good Hunter knows what he's shooting at that was a hen it's protected by law at this time in this area obeying regulations will not only save you a lot of grief but will help you have game to hunt next year [Music] there goes another one what a great shot that's good shooting these fellas know what they're doing if you follow their example you'll do all right Hey There Goes one get him get [Music] him why didn't they shoot Al good Hunters don't shoot toward anything like that if you aren't sure of your background don't shoot oh yeah respect for property now you're thinking like a sportsman oh man there's so much to know that's right learning how to use a firearm may seem easy but you can spend the rest of your life learning the ways of nature it's part of being a good [Music] Sportsman another part of your respect for game is a simple field dressing it will help keep the flavor After all you've enjoyed the hunt complete the enjoyment at the dinner table [Music] how about the land owner frequently he has offered some of the day's bag as a courtesy a small price for a good day's [Music] hunting is hunting ducks the same as hunting Upland game Birds no the duck hunter is out there before the ducks begin to fly you don't want to get caught moving around a duck hunting area much after this you're likely to scare off the Ducks and you won't be too popular with your fellow Hunters isn't Hunter orangew worn here not on a duck hunt it might scare them you see everyone gets to the place at about the same time time picks their spot and generally stays out of each other's shotgun range and at this type of hunt you're waiting for the Ducks to come to you anything out of the ordinary will scare them that's why you should be camouflaged you mean you just sit there and wait not entirely you're also watching and listening don't you get kind of cold sometimes but dress properly you don't want to be any trouble to your friends just because you weren't prepared see what I mean you know Al this is worth the trip even if you don't get any Ducks Right Here Come the Ducks but nobody shot they were out of range you don't want to be guilty of skybusting Sky busting what skybusting oh that's just blasting away at birds out of range with little chance of hitting anything but how do you know when they're within range it takes years of experience to learn to identify water fou and estimate distances two aids for the inexperienced Hunter are to wait until you see their eyes or their color then they're within range you can really keep learning can't you Al yes there's always something new acquiring the skills to take these animals will require a great deal of homework this fellow requires an entirely different hunting technique even a different firearm a rifle but you won't find a more rewarding way to spend your time I suppose that hunting big game is a bit easier I mean they're so much larger than Birds no they're usually much farther away and you're shooting at a smaller vital area with just one bullet remember a rifle bullet is dangerous at a mile or more you have to be certain of your background and never never shoot it sound over there I see actually you can save a lot of grief if you just have the right attitude about hunting attitude sure don't get so excited that you're apt to make a bad mistake control your actions know what you're doing you'll get more game and every body will have more fun but uhoh here's trouble [Music] looks like he finally got his yeah and that'll teach him a lesson he was probably so excited about hunting that they had what they call early early what early blur it's trying or hoping so hard to see game that you actually think things are game when they really aren't nobody needs that if you do it right a big game hunt can be very exciting yeah let's go sure when you're ready remember good hunting companions are important particularly on a big game hunt why there well frequently you're out together for several days and being with good friends helps make a good hunt everyone shares the work and everyone shares the good times and out of respect for the land and the hunters who might come later everything is left just as you found it and don't worry about getting the limit you can enjoy yourself without firing a shot I'm kind of glad you explained all of this Al I can see where I started off the wrong ideas about this hunting business you just can't blast off like I did there's a lot to hunting and you keep on learning and you have to have respect for others for land for the law for wildlife Barney if you use common sense control your actions and don't do anything unless you're sure of what you're doing you'll be well on your way to becoming a good Sportsman and it'll be worth it [Music]