Dr. Bret Collier provides an LSU Collegiate New Hunter with training on safe firearm handling.
Well, it is hard to believe that the fall semester at LSU has ended, the holidays have passed, and here were are wrapping up another year of the Collegiate New Hunter Program at Louisiana State University.
Where to begin? First, I need to acknowledge Jay Pinsky and the Hunting Wire for supporting our combined new hunter recruitment efforts and allowing me to document the 2022 season for the readers of the Hunting Wire. Next, Benelli USA played a critical role this year in supporting our program as it expanded by providing us with some much-needed firearms as our growth had put us in a situation where we were often hunting more students on any given day than my gun cabinet could support.
LSU Collegiate New Hunter Dekka showing off his harvest of a Bachman’s fox squirrel.
Starting this year, we spent a good bit of time on the range, more than usual, as we had a lot of students in the program, so we wanted to ensure that everyone had ample time to familiarize themselves with firearm safety and accurate shooting.
Looking back, 2022 was our most successful season, although it was not without some hiccups. White-tailed deer were, for the most part, less cooperative than usual this year, which happens as that is hunting, and we have added some new collaborators for next year so we can up the opportunity for deer hunting. But on the other hand, waterfowl and small game hunting were generally excellent this year, with students having lots of opportunities leading to a fantastic season's harvest of waterfowl, squirrels, and even a woodcock or two sliding into the bag.
A nice mixed bag of waterfowl for (left to right) Jackson, Manon, Zoe and yours truly at at Pinola Camp.
One of the most significant limitations in our program is time. Kevin and I are full-time professors, and we run this program on the side in that it is not part of our work duties; we just like creating new collegiate hunters. When you think about a fall hunting season, working around our classes, we usually only have 10-12 weekends that we pack full, taking new hunters out. That said, we had a pleasant surprise this year in that our students who were already hunters grouped up and started to lead small game hunts independently, and we had quite a few of our new hunters who, after their first experience, began to hunt with other friends and family members, all of which has the added benefit of providing more students the chance to try something new.
It was a warm morning at the Pine Island Hunt Club, but quite successful for the LSU Collegiate New Hunter Program student hunters.
The students who made up our new hunter cohort this year were the most diverse set we have ever engaged with. In addition to students from the School of Renewable Natural Resources (where we teach), we also had students from Computer Sciences, Engineering, Biology, and even a Physics Ph.D. student from Tulane join us this year. As the program continues to grow, students at other Universities are starting to reach out. For example, at this year's Wildlife Society Conference, I had students from Mississippi State and Auburn University just walk up and ask how they could get involved in the program and have the opportunities that we provide our students at LSU, as they heard about it from LSU students who have been through the program. It is pleasing to see that the program is creating ambassadors who, when interacting with students at other Universities, are signing the praises of our program! This is a real testament to what we are doing here at LSU with our Collegiate Hunting Program, as success breeds success. We have seen such a groundswell of interest that we will have to hire a full-time student program coordinator to help us keep all the hunting opportunities straight.
LSU Collegiate New Hunter Tatum showing off his harvest of a couple of nice gray squirrels.
Each year the Collegiate New Hunter Program/Hunting Wire Rookie Series provides 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.
Dr. Bret Collier with an LSU Collegiate New Hunter out on the trap range for some evening practice before the next morning's teal hunt.
Please 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, don't hesitate to get in touch with us at the contact info below.
End of a successful teal hunt at the Oak Grove Hunting Club for a cohort of new hunters from the LSU Collegiate New Hunter Program.
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)
