Hunting is a natural way we can participate in the circle of life. But how hunters choose their shots is CRITICAL.
Picture this: You are softly walking through a wheat field on a crisp, autumn morning. It is a beautiful day to be out hunting. A dog sniffs in the tall brush ahead, seeking out your quarry …. a wild pheasant. Suddenly, you hear a cackle before a large pheasant flushes into the air. You quickly turn the safety off and take aim with your firearm … but the bird is too far away for you to make a clean shot. You put the safety back on, lower the shotgun, and continue on your hunt.
You may be wondering, “Okkkkk cool …. But why didn’t the person take the shot? Isn’t a shot just a shot?” If we fired a shot whenever we saw our game, we could end up wounding or even losing the animal. Now THAT wouldn’t feel good. That’s why ethical hunters strive to cause minimal suffering by only taking a clean shot. It’s a part of the Hunter’s Ethical Code. As hunters, it is our responsibility to be respectful to other hunters, landowners, non-hunters, and of course, our natural resources
But how do you know if you can make a clean shot? One of the most essential skills you can have as a hunter is good marksmanship, which means you can accurately and consistently hit your target where planned. And boy … is being accurate and consistent VITAL to making a clean shot and having a successful hunt.
Hmmm … doesn’t this sound like we’d need a lot of target practice? You would be correct!! Practicing with your firearm before hunting is always a good choice. It will help you understand your capabilities, build confidence in yourself, and improve your judgements in making an ethical shot. And shooting ranges are great places for anyone to develop their firearm accuracy skills and have a family adventure! Many ranges offer chances to work with trained instructors and safety professionals who can help you become proficient at shooting with handguns, rifles, and shotguns. You can test your skills by firing at bullseyes and 3D targets, or even challenge yourself to hit moving clay targets. And it’s all in a safe and fun environment! Now that’s a plus!
Ah yeah! There are TONS of shooting opportunities you can have at a shooting range. But what if someone has never shot a firearm before? …. Where can they start? Perhaps think about practicing with a shotgun … Shotguns are great firearms for beginners because they spray several pellets when fired. This means they give you a wider area of coverage and a higher chance of hitting the target. Because of this, you can use them to target small, fast moving animals such as rabbits, squirrels, and flying game birds!
Don't believe it? Watch the video to see how two teens who have never fired a shotgun before do at hitting clay targets. You will discover the nine secret shotgun shooting techniques and more! And to hone your shotgun accuracy skills:
Oh and don’t miss this fun lesson activity below! It will prep you for your future hunting expedition by giving you the entire package to hunter ethics.
Approved by IHEA-USA and your state hunting agency
Hundreds of thousands of young people become certified hunters each year. But you may be thinking … “Hunting requires us to use firearms. That can’t be safe, right?”
Hunting with a firearm is actually the 3rd safest sport in the country according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation. This outdoor sport has lower injury rates than other popular sports like golf, volleyball, and football! Now how did that happen? Easy … in order to become a certified hunter, people are required to pass a hunter safety course.
The main goals of hunter education are to keep you and others safe in the field while hunting, and to reduce chances of accidents! For example, in a hunter safety course you can discover:
Ahaaa! So really … hunter safety can give you all the knowledge and tools you need to have a safe and rewarding adventure out in the field. Now let’s get started!
Note: Some states have a minimum age requirement. Double check your state requirements before signing up! If you are too young to participate in hunter education, there are LOTS of ways you can still pursue this outdoor sport. Try sitting on a hunt with a family member who is a certified hunter, or participate in youth events held by your local sport clubs. Also, youth mentored hunts are great ways for you to go hunting with a hunting guide without even needing a hunter certification. Just contact your state DNR to find out more!
Follow these simple steps and you will be well on your way to becoming a responsible hunter for your health, family, and planet! To get a head start on your hunter safety skills, watch the video and see how young people who have never handled firearms before do on their field day. Or unlock more firearm safety skills in the “Learn More” section below and download the lesson activity so your class can get a head start on firearm safety!
Approved by IHEA-USA and your state hunting agency
Ever peeked at the list of ingredients printed on your packaged foods and wonder, “What is THAT?!” Let’s take hotdogs, chicken nuggets, or deli meats for example …. You may read things like: BHA, Sodium Nitrite, Sodium Benzoate, TBHQ, or MSG. They sound pretty alien, right? But the truth may be even more unappetizing …
To reduce food waste and extend their “shelf life”, many packaged foods you buy are pumped with additives, preservatives, and hormones. These substances and chemicals help slow air, fungi, bacteria, mold, or yeast from decomposing our foods. Others enhance the appearance, flavors, and textures of foods so they look attractive to consumers.
UH OH … so if we’re actually consuming chemicals, what does that mean for our bodies? Studies have determined that digesting these preservatives and additives (even in small amounts) can increase our risk to heart disease and cancer while others can change behaviors or cause severe allergic reactions like asthma and nausea. Ok … YUCK! There’s gotta be something we can do about it? Health experts across the country recommend you reduce the amount of packaged food you consume, and instead eat organic foods and lean, fresh meats and poultry.
Oooo … Fresh veggies, fruits, breads, and other produce can easily be found at farmers markets and community gardens. Yum yum! But where does one even begin to find natural meat for their diet? Well have you ever thought of becoming a locavore? Locavores are people whose diets consist of foods and natural resources that come from their local area – such as wildlife! People have actually hunted and consumed wild game for thousands of years … ever since our species could walk! And for good reason. Harvesting wild game meat is as natural and healthy as it gets!
Not sure why? Well nibble on these health facts about harvesting wild game :
This all sounds like a pretty sweet deal, right? Start your journey to becoming a locavore by watching this video or checking out the “Learn More” tab below. You will be “stuffed” with hunter safety knowledge that locavores need to collect wild foods! And don’t forget to check out the lesson activity below to discover how locavores can take sustainable portions of wildlife by adhering to hunting laws and regulations.
Approved by IHEA-USA and your state hunting agency
If you don't find enough excitement in other conservation careers, then maybe you should consider becoming a Conservation Officer. They are charged with protecting our natural resources, promoting recreational safety, and enforcing environmental protection regulations and laws. So the job covers a lot of outdoors and environmental areas. Admittedly, the job isn't for everyone. As you'll see in the video, the job can be physically demanding, and may even be dangerous at times. But on the flip side it can also be very rewarding protecting our fish and wildlife resources.
The terms conservation officer and game warden are often used interchangeably but a conservation officer does a lot more nowadays than just enforce "game laws". Today's conservation officer is a trained and licensed law enforcement officer who is charged with upholding all sorts of conservation and environmental laws, protecting nature, and helping people with wildlife interactions.
As you'll see in the video here, some conservation officers work for a state government (New Mexico) and patrol specific areas within the state, while others work for the federal government and may work in a larger, multi-state region. At the state level, most work under the Department of Natural Resources or a similarly named department such as the Division of Game & Fish. Conservation officers may also work in state parks and nature reserves or may patrol wetlands, lakes, rivers, beaches, and other areas.
Any job working with the public and those who break the law can be both exciting and demanding. Conservation officers are often outdoors in all types of weather, including heavy rains, snow, heat, and at night. Conservation officers often work alone, and depending on the needs of the department, may work overnight, on weekends, and on holidays when more people are interacting with natural resources.
The duty of a conservation officer is to uphold the law and to provide assistance to people in need. Though that's a broad description, here are some of main things conservation officers do in their jobs:
The final question is are YOU interested in a career as a Conservation Officer? To help answer that, watch this video, have your teacher use the free classroom lesson activities below and click on the Learn More tab below.
This wildlife education program is made possible with support of these key educational partners. You and your teachers can link to their websites for additional information and educational opportunities.
At SCI Foundation’s American Wilderness Leadership School location in Jackson, Wyoming, educators and students learn about conservation, wildlife management, and outdoor recreation through outdoor, hands-on activities. Their Hands on Wildlife (HOW) program provides educators with conservation education instructional tools they can use in hands-on instruction.
Okay, so if one of the key principles of the North American Wildlife Conservation Model is to manage wildlife using sound science, who are those scientists and what do they do? The answer is... they're wildlife biologists and they do all kinds of interesting and exciting stuff.
To get a sense for some of what they do and what it takes to become one, watch the video here of a real-life wildlife biologist in New Mexico. As you'll see, wildlife biologists are professional scientists who study the behaviors of animals. They observe the lifestyles and life cycles of various wildlife to help determine the animal's role in specific ecosystems and how they interact with or how their populations are impacted by human beings. Plus, they will often perform various experiments (such as capturing and radio-collaring elk) to either increase our knowledge about a certain species or see how an individual animal influences their range and the overall ecosystem in an area.
As you can imagine, wildlife biologists are extremely important to preserving the wildlife populations and our natural environments along with increasing our understanding of the creatures that share our planet. Like Nicole in this video, many wildlife biologists specialize in certain areas of study that are often defined by ecosystem or species, or the agency that they work for. Some of these fields include: mammalogy, entomology, ornithology, marine biology, or limnology. In this video you'll see the study of mammalogy that deals specifically with the study and observation of big game mammals. This could include many different aspects of mammalian life, including evolution, biological function, management, and ecosystem impacts.
So becoming a wildlife biologist might be the ideal career for someone who enjoys spending time outdoors and traveling. Many wildlife biologists spend the majority of their time working in the field, observing wild animals in their natural habitats, and actively interacting with those species. Some of their time is spent working in labs or offices, and working with others in developing overall wildlife management plans for certain areas or regions. That's why many think that becoming a wildlife biologist is the perfect career for an adventurer who likes to work in a variety of outdoor environments.
The final question is are YOU interested in a career as a Wildlife Biologist? To help answer that, watch this video, have your teacher use the free classroom lesson activities below and click on the Learn More tab below.
This wildlife education program is made possible with support of these key educational partners. You and your teachers can link to their websites for additional information and educational opportunities.
At SCI Foundation’s American Wilderness Leadership School location in Jackson, Wyoming, educators and students learn about conservation, wildlife management, and outdoor recreation through outdoor, hands-on activities. Their Hands on Wildlife (HOW) program provides educators with conservation education instructional tools they can use in hands-on instruction.
Scientists now know that early Paleo-hunters played a lethal role in the extinction of many of North America's megafauna. Using flint-tipped spears and arrows over the past 15,000 years, they over-harvested many big game species to the point of extinction. The list of these creatures is pretty astounding and includes, North American horses, glyptodons, mastodons, mammoths, short-faced bear, dire-wolf, American cheetah, ground sloth, giant beaver, camels, and more. It's hard to believe, but explore the Internet to learn more about these long-lost animals of the American landscape.
Unfortunately, the waves of European immigrants that flooded to America in the 1700 and 1800's didn't know about America's past of hunting megafauna into extinction. So they shot and ate what was left of America's wildlife as if the herds would last forever. But of course they wouldn't last forever. Especially when the population of European immigrants doubled from 17 million to 32 million between 1840 and 1860. To feed the masses of humans invading America and reduce the food sources of Native Americans, buffalo hunters descended upon the 33 million buffalo that once spread across the west. In 1870, market hunters killed an estimated 5 million buffalo that year alone. And by 1886, there were only 540 bison left in the entire United States, mostly in the Yellowstone area of Montana.
But thankfully for America's wildlife, things began to turn around in 1872, when the outcry of early conservationists prompted President Ulysses S. Grant to established our first national park, Yellowstone, that included over 3,300 square miles. Next, a politician, hunter, and conservationist named Theodore Roosevelt organized a group of hunters in New York to form the Boone & Crockett Club in 1887… with a mission of preserving the big game of North America. More and more people pushed for conservation of America’s wildlife and in 1900 Congress passed the Lacy Game and Wild Birds Preservation and Disposition Act, that made it illegal to transport wild game taken illegally across state borders.
Then in 1901, Teddy Roosevelt became President and spearheaded a new era of wildlife conservation. He strongly believed in protecting as much land as possible for wildlife and public use. During his presidency, Roosevelt helped protect wildlife and habitat by establishing 148 million acres of land in 16 national monuments, 51 wildlife refuges, and 5 national parks.
In the 1930’s, another hunter and pioneer in wildlife conservation emerged as “the father of wildlife management”. Aldo Leopold became the first professor of game management at the University of Wisconsin. He wrote the first book on Game Management where he said that a combination of ethics and science should be used in wildlife management and conservation. Leopold and his writings helped educate a nation about the importance of an environmental ethic, and the scientific principles of wildlife management that included things like the biological carrying capacity of species in a certain habitat.
To learn more about the story of America's Pioneers in Conservation, watch this video, have your teacher use the classroom lesson activities below and click on the Learn More tab below.
This wildlife education program is made possible with support of these key educational partners. You and your teachers can link to their websites for additional information and educational opportunities.
At SCI Foundation’s American Wilderness Leadership School location in Jackson, Wyoming, educators and students learn about conservation, wildlife management, and outdoor recreation through outdoor, hands-on activities. Their Hands on Wildlife (HOW) program provides educators with conservation education instructional tools they can use in hands-on instruction.
What's one way to hone your hand-eye coordination, sharpen your reflexes and quicken your reaction time? Nope, you don't have to try out for your school football quarterback position. Clay target shooting sports is a realistic option for anyone... even if you're not all that athletic.
So you're probably wondering, how challenging is it? Simply watch this video of two teens who have never handled a shotgun before to see how quickly you can learn with some proper instruction. To discover all the programs across the country where you can discover clay target shooting for yourself, check out the reference links at the bottom of this page.
For instance, the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF link below), is one of the leaders in youth development shooting sports programs. Using a combination of education and athletics, they help the growth and personal development of student athletes throughout the nation through a variety of fun, team-based shooting tournaments. They offer both a Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) and a Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP), that offer student athletes from elementary through college age a supportive environment where shooting sports serve as catalysts for teaching life lessons and skills that emphasize positive character traits and citizenship values.
Clay target shooting, which comes in several defined types, can be done almost anywhere… where it’s safe. But before you try any type of clay target shooting, you’ll really need two things: 1) proper safety and gun handling training from a qualified instructor, and 2) you really should also take a certified hunter education course such as hunter-ed.com (see the bottom of this page).
Skeet shooting can either be recreational and/or competitive. Participants, using shotguns try to break clay targets that are mechanically flung into the air from two fixed stations at high speed from a variety of angles. Watch the video to get a better idea.
Then there's trap shooting where the clay targets are launched from a single "house" or machine, generally "flying" away from the shooter. Trapshooting was originally developed, in part, to augment bird hunting and to provide a method of practice for bird hunters. But now it's practiced all over the world with a number of varieties, including Olympic trap.
Finally, there's the super-fun Sporting clays. It's full of action and is the closest thing to actual field shooting of all shotgun sports. Rather than having clay birds thrown from standardized distances and angles as with skeet or trap, sporting clays courses are designed to simulate the situations a shooter might encounter when hunting ducks, pheasants, other upland birds, and even rabbits. Since there is no set season and it can be shot at any time, many hunters shoot sporting clays to further their wingshooting skills during the off-season. Targets may be thrown from literally any angle or distance to simulate wingshooting, and six different sizes of clay targets are used to further give the shooter the experience of actual hunting conditions.
To learn more, have your teacher download the lesson activity below, check out the "Learn More" tab and explore the helpful links provided below... and be safe while having fun or earning gold at the Olympics. So enjoy the journey of discovery in all of the content in our America’s Conservation & Hunting Heritage Series funded by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in partnership with Safari Club International Foundation, a nonprofit org dedicated to promoting wildlife conservation across the country. And even if you don't decide to try the challenge of shooting sports, consider the fact that everyone who participates in these sports helps fund conservation programs that all Americans enjoy.
Approved by IHEA-USA and your state hunting agency
There's an old saying that, "Archery is the king of sports, and the sport of kings". In medieval times that was certainly true and especially for royalty... as Robin Hood defies King John in the image above. But today, despite being thousands of years old and still a way of life for some rare primitive cultures, archery remains the king of sports for many outdoor enthusiasts.
So what makes archery such a popular shooting sport? Many people will simply say it's fun. But we're science geeks here so let's try to decode the F-U-N of archery.
The "F" in the word fun could mean the "Force-draw conversion". Sorry for the diversion into physics but archery is really the conversion of your body's physical muscular energy into "stored energy" in the limbs of the bow that's suddenly turned into the kinetic energy of the arrow launching from the bow. Okay, even that's a bit too geeky for us. No matter how you define it, there's something almost mystical about actually feeling your body's muscles being converted into launching something over 200 feet-per-second through space and ker-thumping into a distant target. If you doubt that, try a simple experiment. First, try converting your body's physical energy into kinetic energy on a sport you haven't tried before. Maybe whacking a tennis or golf ball, bowling, or tossing a Frisbee. Next, try shooting an arrow from a bow. If you're like most people, you'll feel your body's energy in the arrow as you watch it soar toward the target. And unlike most sports that involve hitting or launching balls, you'll never forget the feel of your first arrow.
The "U" in archery is Understanding the five simple steps to draw, aim and shoot an arrow. Watch the video here to get some expert advice from a world-class archery coach from PSE Archery. And as you watch these two teens, remember that neither of them shot a bow before filming the video. The "U" could also mean Universal because archery can be enjoyed by anyone from 2 years old to 102 (and beyond). It also has Unlimited ways to enjoy the sport from target shooting, 3-D competition, bowfishing, bowhunting, "stump shooting", and even archery-golf in some places. And of course there's National archery tournaments and the Olympics.
Finally, there's the "N" part of it. That's because archery Naturally connects you with Nature. Though few sports actually feel "natural" when you first try them, many people admit that archery feels natural, like it's part of our DNA that been released from a primal part of our brain. Ask any archer and they'll tell you about their almost mystical connection with the sport. Plus, there's no question that either an outdoor archery range or one of the bowhunting pursuits puts you outside in nature. Plus, as you evolve as a bowhunter, you'll develop advanced outdoor skills on how to get within close range of wild animals. That in turn elevates your understanding of entire ecosystems.
So to try archery for yourself, explore the links below. You'll discover all kinds of helpful pathways to archery from NASP (National Archery in the Schools Program), Archery 360, to finding local archery clubs or ranges near you with youth programs. And to explore archery in your classroom, have your teacher download the lesson activity below. Also, check out the “Learn More” tab below… and discover a sport that can last a lifetime and possibly win you gold someday at the Olympics. Enjoy the journey of discovery in all of the content in our America’s Conservation & Hunting Heritage Series funded by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in partnership with Safari Club International Foundation, a nonprofit org dedicated to promoting wildlife conservation across the country. And even if you don’t decide to try the challenge of shooting sports, consider the fact that everyone who participates in these sports helps fund conservation programs that all American’s enjoy.
Approved by IHEA-USA and your state hunting agency
One reason people participate in sports is to increase their skills through some sort of challenge. The challenge can simply be a personal one where you're improving your skills or score, such as bowling or golf. Or, more competitive challenges might be trying to win in casual or structured competitions against other contestants or teams. Archery is no different.
A fun and simple form of archery is shooting at clumps of grass, leaves, or sticks out in the forest. It's called "stump shooting" where you use a special tip on your arrow that catches on brush and makes it easier to find after the shot. You can roam at leisure while shooting by yourself, or make it more competitive by shooting with a friend or two.
Target shooting at an archery range offers a variety of competitive challenges, from shooting with friends to a formal "archery shoot" or tournament. Archery tournaments some in all shapes and sizes from local, to regional, to state, to national, to international and even the Olympics... or even in school with NASP (National Archery in the Schools Program) shown here.
Some archery ranges also offer more realistic challenges of shooting at wild animals. For instance there are 3-D archery ranges that have life-size three-dimensional targets that look like real deer, bear, turkeys and other wild animals.
Other ranges might have printed actual images of real animals such as bears or mountain lions that can offer fun shooting challenges, especially if your shooting partner helps with the fun factor with interaction. Just watch the video here to see how these teens have fun with a friendly competition while pretending to face dangerous wild predators.
To discover some of the many ways you can have fun and increase your shooting skills in various archery challenges, click on the Learn More tab below. And to explore archery in your classroom, have your teacher download the lesson activity below. Also, enjoy the journey of discovery in all of the content in our America’s Conservation & Hunting Heritage Series funded by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in partnership with Safari Club International Foundation, a nonprofit org dedicated to promoting wildlife conservation across the country. And even if you don’t decide to try the challenge of shooting sports, consider the fact that everyone who participates in these sports helps fund conservation programs that all Americans enjoy.
Approved by IHEA-USA and your state hunting agency
Consider this… the primitive Clovis culture in North America has been dated back to about 14,000 years ago. But guess what else roamed the landscape back then, often creeping up or making a full charge on the odd two-legged creatures?
Though we don't see them today, America lions, saber-tooth cats, and 500-pound wolves were out there hunting fresh meat until about 11,000 years ago. Do the math to figure out what that means. Answer - It means that these Clovis Paleo-hunters had to look over there shoulders every day for almost 3000 years, because big furry things with sharp fangs and claws that had a daily thirst for red meat could be hunting them.
So what happened to allow human to not only survive from being prey, but to becoming the ultimate hunter on the primitive landscape? Two things in combination; 1) development of primitive hunting tools, 2) refinement of hunting and shooting skills that determined the balance between life or death.
If you're like most people, you probably wonder if you could have survived back then, or for how long before you became the warm insides of a stomach of a saber-tooth lion. Then consider finding out by creating your own “educational primal shooting challenge” to see if you could survive during Clovis time, either hunting big game to feed your clan, or the terror and rewards of surviving predator attacks.
Additional information and classroom materials that will be appearing on this page will help you explore those questions. Until then, enjoy the video and imagine yourself on North America's primitive landscape. Also explore the other "shooting sports challenge" classroom videos and lessons, including the full 27-minute program with the thumbnail on this page.
Until then, enjoy the journey of discovery in all of the content in our America’s Conservation & Hunting Heritage Series funded by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in partnership with Safari Club International Foundation, a nonprofit org dedicated to promoting wildlife conservation across the country.
Approved by IHEA-USA and your state hunting agency