I never thought I'd get excited about paying two bucks a gallon for
gas, but a half-dozen stations in and around Plymouth in Sheboygan
County are selling gas for $1.99. That's a bit of relief from the
$2.10 and higher I've been paying. So I stopped to fill up in
Waldo on the way home from the Marsh Cafe, on the Sheboygan Marsh, where I had a great
conversation with Jim Posewitz, excecutive director of Orion - The
Hunter's Institute. Posewitz, a Sheboygan native, suggested we meet
there. He and his brother and sister-in-law wanted to drive through
some of their old haunts in the North Kettle Moraine, despite two
straight days of rain.
The rain, by the way, will be welcomed by the broods of ducks hatching
now or already hatched across the state. The same rain will no
doubt drown out a fair number of grouse, pheasant and turkey broods,
not to mention those of countless ground-nesting songbirds who never
show up on hunters' radar screens.
Hunters' radar screens are why Posewitz is back in Wisconsin. He will
deliver the keynote address at the annual Wisconsin Conservation
Wardens banquet Tuesday in Stevens Point. I asked him what he
plans to tell the wardens.
"We need to learn our own history, appreciate it and then teach it to others," he said.
He was talking about the history of hunters' roles in the conservation movement in this country.
He told me the story of Alfred Richardson, who served as the chief
warden for the state of South Carolina from 1913 to 1958. When he
came on the job, wardens were corrupt county appointees who could be
bought off with bribes. He cleaned house, firing all the existing
wardens, including his own father, and proceeded to bring law, order
and respect to the ranks of the state's game wardens. He ticketed
wealthy industrialists for game violations, fought off poachers who
jumped him at a baseball game, and survived hostile legislators and
governors, and reintroduced whitetailed deer to the state's Barrier
Islands. When Posewitz told that story at a meeting of current
South Carolina wardens, the chief warden admitted he hadn't heard it
before.
Dudley Do-Right had nothing on Richardson! Stories like that
abound, Posewitz told me. Hunters need to dig them out and share
them with each other, with would-be hunters and with the general public
if we are to preserve the hunting heritage in North America.
More on Jim Posewitz in a few days, when I've had time to listen to my taped notes.
Meanwhile, speaking of would-be hunters, here's some info from Carol Bredeson about two programs she will conduct this summer:
BOWHUNTER SAFETY CLASS (July 15, August 7)
A Certified National Bowhunter Education class is being
offered starting July 15, from 6:00 to 9:00 PM, at the Poynette Bowhunters
club house on Hwy. Q, south of Poynette, Wisconsin.
During the first meeting, students will be registered,
study materials will be dispersed, and an introduction to Bowhunting as well
as Unit 1, "So You want to be a Bowhunter" will be covered etc. At the end
of this first meeting, each student will be given assignments, which must
be completed and handed at 8:00 a.m., on Saturday, August 7.
August 7: Individuals who complete and hand in their
assignments to the satisfaction of the instructors, will be allowed to continue
on with the remainder of this Bowhunter Education class which will be completed
around 5:00 p.m.
*******************************************************
BECOME A BOWHUNTER
Youth Skills Workshop
When: August 14, 2004 (8:00 to 5:00)
Where: Poynette Bowhunters club house (1/2 mile south of Poynette on Hwy. Q)
Why? Introduce Young People to the Basics of Bowhunting
What:
- Hands on bow shooting instruction at life-like 3D targets
- Learn where to aim and when to shoot
- Participate in a simulated hunt - Tracking and recovering game
- Build your own arrows to take home
- Experience learning how to safely climb in and out of tree stands
- Meet
local DNR Conservation Officers & learn game regulations
- Learn what it means to be a ethical, responsible Bowhunter
- Learn how to get good pictures with animals you harvest
- Expect to have a fun and enlightening day!
Wild Game Tasting Feast Served for Lunch
Prizes include a new youth bow to lucky winner!
All youths will receive a medal, and a framed certificate for participating.
*Local DNR Conservation Officers, National Gun, and National Bow
Hunter Safety Instructors, and volunteers who have logged in hundreds of
years combined Bowhunting experience will be instructing this workshop.
Requirements:
- Youths must be between 10 & 16 years old
- An adult must accompany children
- Pre-registration required ! * Attendance limited to first come basis.
$15.00 Youth - $5.00 Adult ( All Equipment Provided )
For information on either program or to register:
Carol Bredeson Phone: #608 846 5278
email: hntingnut@aol.com
9:23:09 PM 
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