HUNTMASTER GRAND JUNCTION - INVEST IN THE NEXT GENERATION OF HUNTERS
(from the Colorado Division of Wildlife's DOW Insider)
The Colorado Division of Wildlife (DOW) is offering a two-day Huntmaster training course to certify volunteers for the Hunter Outreach Program. The Huntmaster training will be held Saturday, Aug. 14 through Sunday, Aug. 15 in Grand Junction. Huntmaster training covers planning of hunts, safety and organization protocols for DOW-sponsored hunts.
The deadline to register for the course is Aug. 9. Applications are available on line at: http://wildlife.state.co.us/Hunting/HunterOutreach/VolunteersAndHuntmasters/. For answers to questions, contact Jim Bulger, DOW Hunter Outreach Coordinator at (303) 291-7248.
The DOW Hunter Outreach Program teaches novice and inexperienced hunters of all ages the knowledge, skills, ethics, and traditions of hunting. Through workshops and clinics, seminars, group and 'mentored' hunts, the program appeals to diverse interests, backgrounds, and levels of ability.
Dedicated western Colorado sportsmen and sportsmen’s organization are searching for ways to increase hunting opportunities and recruitment of youth and novice hunters. As a group, sportsmen can make a positive difference in stemming the national decline in the number of hunters by taking an active role in teaching, coaching and mentoring hunters in partnership with the DOW.
“The Outreach Program has been increasing in size and scope since its inception in 2002," said Bulger. "The desire to learn about hunting skills and our hunting heritage continues to grow and we need to add new volunteers to meet the growing needs of the program."
Last year in northwest Colorado, the DOW offered hunting programs for hundreds of youth, women and families who had not had the opportunity to hunt in the past or have limited hunting experience. Volunteer assistance was critical for those offerings but to expand the number and quality of the hunts more volunteers are needed.
“Each year we have many more applicants than we can support with hunts through the program,” explained Kathleen Tadvick, DOW education coordinator in northwest Colorado. “Now, the Outreach Program needs the community to join us in this partnership by becoming a Huntmaster and building a strong corps of dedicated volunteers to extend our hunting heritage to future generations.”
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For more information about Division of Wildlife go to: http://wildlife.state.co.us.
Your Colorado Duck Stamp Feedback Wanted
Calling all Colorado Waterfowl Enthusiast...
Ducks Unlimited is interested in getting your feedback regarding the Colorado Duck Stamp program. As most of you know, Colorado’s state duck stamp provides important revenue for habitat work within the state of Colorado, but the price of the stamp has remained at $5.00 since the program began in 1990. As a result, funds generated by the stamp have not been sufficient to keep pace with the cost of doing important conservation work in Colorado.
Discussions are underway about increasing the cost of the Colorado state duck stamp to provide increased funding for work in Colorado and to help fund critical habitat work on breeding areas in Canada. We’d like to get feedback from DU members and volunteers regarding this issue. You can provide your feedback by taking this very short survey:
http://prairie.ducks.org/costampsurvey.cfm
Two Colorado DU Green Wings are going to the Junior Olympics
On July 13, the Colorado State Junior Olympic Qualification Tournament for International Skeet was held at Tri Service Sportsman’s Club at Buckley Air Force Base, Aurora, Colorado. Two of the shooters, Tyler Mitsch and Cory Pinney serve as the Green Wing Coordinators for the Aurora, Colorado Chapter of Ducks Unlimited. The third shooter on their squad was Michael Cates. All three are part of the Golden Eagles SCTP (Scholastic Clay Target Program) youth skeet team, based at the Golden Gun Club, Watkins, Colorado.
This tournament was shot using the International Skeet method (low gun) and international skeet rules, exactly as you would see in the Olympics. The Golden Eagles squad took top honors, beating out two other Colorado teams. Amazing scores were turned in by these shooters; Tyler a 105, Cory a 97, and Michael a 93 out of a possible 125. Tyler’s and Cory’s scores garnered them second and third place individual honors for the tournament. For this, they received Silver and Bronze medals respectively.
Since they won their state qualifier, these shooters are now eligible to participate in the Junior Olympic International Skeet Tournament in Colorado Springs August 26 – 28. This is an invitation only event, hosted by USA Shooting, the governing body for Olympic shooting sports. In last year’s Junior Olympics, only 32 shooters from around the country were invited in skeet. Even if the squad would not have won, these scores alone are above the threshold for automatic invitation. Only four shooters in the tournament scored above that mark, 90 out of 125.
Best of luck to the two Colorado DU Green Wings and their teammate, Michael.
To find out more about SCTP (the Little League of shooting) go to www.nssf.com/sctp. For more information about Olympic shooting sports, go to www.usashooting.com.
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