Dr. Bret Collier coaches one of the students on shotgun use. Working at the practice range as part of hunter education is an important component for all new hunters. (
Video)
We wrapped up the early teal season as part of this fall's The Collegiate Rookie Series - Waterfowl Edition, Sponsored by
Benelli with one of my favorite hunts--the Win Hawkins Oak Grove Hunting Club teal hunt. The Oak Grove members have sponsored the LSU Collegiate New Hunter Program for the last 16 years.
Every year the Oak Grove members graciously closed down their hunting club on the last weekend of teal season in Louisiana so we can bring a pile of college-student new hunters down to Cameron Parish to enjoy the clubs' hospitality. We learn from the guides who have spent their lives on this marsh and then have the opportunity to chase teal on some of the prettiest marsh one can find in southern Louisiana.
We headed down to Oak Grove on Saturday midday as I wanted to be sure we had ample time on the range letting our students' practices with the new Benelli Ethos and Super Black Eagles Benelli USA sent us to test drive this fall. Chasing blue-winged teal in Louisiana in September is special, as the birds, fast as they are, typically decoy pretty well and lead to some good shooting. But, never one to take a chance, I wanted to ensure that all of our students were comfortable shooting the Benelli's, but kept safe shooting on their minds. We spent a couple of (hot) hours on the range, with all our students getting ample trapshooting so that their confidence was high going into the morning.
Working at the practice range as part of hunter education is an important component for all new hunters.
A combination of nervousness and excitement fills the Oak Grove kitchen as a quick breakfast of coffee is poured, and granola bars are shoved into pockets of camouflage shirts from Nomad Outdoors. We assemble in the gun room, where I check to ensure everyone is geared up correctly. I give each shotgun a final safety check before casing them up, distribute boxes of shells, double-check that hunting licenses and ducks stamps are in pockets, and provide what last-minute guidance I can. At 0550, we walk the students out to meet their guides. We have the best guides in the business, and they build a bond with the students in a few hours during this morning that will last a lifetime. We bring the students down, and the head guide Mike and I start matching student hunters with their guides. The guides are pros; they immediately jump in, shake hands, grab shells and guns, and lead the students to the boats, all while chatting non-stop about school and science. We get down to the boat shed, and everyone piles into the boats, and they lead the students out for the experience they have been waiting for.
The whistling ducks were active this morning; flock after flock of squealers floated back and forth across the marsh. The shooting was quickly starting as teal made their initial morning flights. One flock would decoy as another swung around, guides managing both the calling and keeping a close eye on the Rookies right before they called the shot. Harvested birds hit the water all around the boat blinds, and our biggest enjoyment in a few cases was watching the small alligators, less than a foot long, try to pull a harvested teal underwater just in front of the boat. In addition to hunting, the students are true naturalists at heart, so they took photographs and samples of wetland plants for class, identified birds in the marsh, and talked about science and marsh management with the guides. The Louisiana marsh is still feeling the effects of Hurricane Laura 2 years later, and we had several instances of homes, that is, entire houses, being found in the marsh as we webbed our way through the canals on the way back to the boatshed.
Students proudly display ducks they were able to shoot during the The Collegiate Rookie Series - Waterfowl Edition, Sponsored by Benelli
We always meet the students at the boat house when they come in, and everyone waits at the boat shed until all the hunters have returned. This hunt was good, students all smiling as they climbed out of the boats, one string after another full of teal. As per the norm, everyone shot, not everyone harvested, but everyone was safe and had fun. This is what it is about for Kevin and me, seeing the students, fresh from a new, life-changing experience, sharing it with us, and us standing there knowing that we have done our job and recruited new hunters into the fold.
Each year the Collegiate New Hunter Program/Hunting Wire Rookie Series is one of the most enjoyable things I get to do with my college classes. The opportunity to engage with this new cohort of wildlife conservationists and bring to their training the science, management, and ethics of hunting, and then have the chance to provide them with a high-quality hunting experience to integrate them into our outdoor fraternity is both professionally and personally, one of the highlights of every year.
Students participating in The Collegiate Rookie Series - Waterfowl Edition, Sponsored by Benelli showcase shotguns, ammunition, and clothing all donated by various sponsors and supporters of the LSU program.
I hope you will follow our regular updates on the Collegiate Rookie Series on the Hunting Wire and catch up with us on social media. Of course, anyone interested in the long-standing Collegiate New Hunter Program at LSU, please feel free to contact us at the contact info below.
Looking forward to a great fall season creating new hunters,
Bret Collier
Professor of Wildlife Ecology
School of Renewable Natural Resources
Louisiana State University
bret@lsu.edu
@drshortspur (Twitter and Instagram)
Kevin Ringelman
Associate Professor
H. Dale Hall Ducks Unlimited Professor of Wetlands and Waterfowl Conservation
School of Renewable Natural Resources
Louisiana State University
kringe2@lsu.edu
@kevinringelman (Twitter)
