These are a few pictures from the Glacier Valley Gobbler's recent "Learn to Hunt" in Baraboo. I took my granddaughter, Autumn. It was her first time with a gun (and her first time on the Merrimac Ferry). The guys nicknamed her "Autumn Two-feathers" and they said they will never forget her hot pink boots. We had a great time. Their group does such an awesome job! I would recommend this to any new hunter.

There were 19 participants; 10 shot their first turkeys (9 toms and 1 jake). Not sure how much the jake weighed, but the toms ranged from 21# to 26#.

Girl w/pj pants is Kelly (hunted with Steve). Mom knows Jill Larson. Other is Christine who hunted with Sarah. Autumn "Two-Feathers" Dorow hunted with Brian Sat. AM and Mike Rogers the rest of weekend.

The Scenic Hills NWTF Chapter held there "First Time Learn to Hunt Program" this last week , we bagged 4 birds and everyone had a great time.

UW Madison – Learn to hunt turkey                               March 23-25, 2012

Sponsored by the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies

We had a fantastic LTH event this weekend.  Eighteen hunters killed five turkeys on Saturday!  At least that’s my current count – let me know if I’m missing any. The enthusiasm was obvious.  I was very impressed with the strong interest in harvesting local, free range protein.  How do we grow this niche?

The classroom event on Friday was highlighted by the food.  Kate Golden generously smoked turkey breast and venison chops for us and Todd Schaller grilled duck breast and venison chops on site.  The food was absolutely incredible!  I think it got everyonefired up to head out and turkey hunt.  Many thanks to Kate and Todd!

The range training went smoothly thanks to Ray Anderson bringing all those targets so we could get through all our shooters efficiently.  Thanks also to Bill Torhorst for allowing us to shoot on his property. The weather held…at least it didn’t rain.  It was foggy and cloudy on Saturday morning, but by noon, when we met at Indian Lake County Park, there were five dead toms.  I think nearly everyone saw turkeys and heard them for sure.

Our sincerest thanks to all the mentors who gave their time to maintain the hunting heritage.  Thanks to Gander Mountain of Madison for the discounts on the ammo and equipment.  Thank you to Oregon Sports Club for allowing us to use the facility.

I encourage you all to visit www.huntersnetwork.org. Help us improve the site and gain more views. 

Please feel free to share your story and your impressions and experiences with me and at the Hunters Network FB page (if you like); http://www.facebook.com/huntersnetwork. Hopefully we can build this community of hunting for sustainability and reach to more interested locovores.  I am hoping to put together an article to generate more interest in this event so your story will help individualize the article.

Finally, if anyone needs leads on Hunter Education certification, or a mentor to hunt with this spring, please let me know.  If you have any questions, please ask.

Thank you everyone,

Keith

Keith Warnke

Hunting and Shooting Sport Coordinator

Bureau of Law Enforcement

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Click on the Banner below to watch the Spring LTH Turkey Video.

www.youtube.com/watch

The Learn to Hunt Program is an educational opportunity designed to help inexperienced hunters, both youth and adults, have a high quality, safe, and rewarding first-time hunting experience under the guidance of qualified Hunter Education Instructors and hunting mentors. Participants will receive both classroom and field instruction prior to an actual hunt. All participants will be paired up one-on-one with a qualified mentor to provide the highest level of instruction and safety. Many of these Learn to Hunt events are sponsored by local conservation clubs and organizations under the supervision of the Department.

Hunting Opportunities for Youth [PDF 251KB]

• Learn to Bear Hunt Program
• Buckhorn State Park Learn to Hunt Deer Program
• Sandhill Learn to Hunt Deer Program

• Learn to Hunt Reimbursement Program
• Learning to Hunt manual - If you need help organizing a Learn to Hunt program or getting ideas this manual is an excellent tool in providing information of how to organize such an event.
• Learn to Hunt Booklet [PDF 7.8MB]
• Learn to Hunt Frequently Asked Questions

Youth Hunt

The youth hunt is designed to give youth hunters, ages 12 - 15 who have successfully completed a hunter education program, an opportunity to hunt and gain valuable hunting experience.

• Youth Deer Hunt
  • Sandhill Youth Deer Hunt
• Youth Waterfowl Hunt
• Turkey Youth Hunt

Other Learning Opportunities

• National Archery in the Schools Program

Questions for Wildlife Management

The Glacial Drumlin Chapter of the NWTF & Tri-County Wings over WI participated in a joint LTH recently. The event was organized by Tom & Julie Bergholz @ Tom's Guns in Marshall, WI. They had 28 learn to hunt, 14 youth hunt and 41 mentors.. We harvested 15 birds on that weekend.

Bluff Country Long Spurs LTH

Here is a picture of the Learn to Hunt conducted by Bluff Country Long Spurs - Prairie du Chien on April 11th.We had 13 hunters, 13 mentors & 3 birds killed.

Here are a couple of pictures for the Rock River Chapters 2009 LTH.