Pennsylvania Game News - January 2022 - 51

BUILDING
THE RANKS
Dear Pennsylvania Game Commission:
Thank you for organizing the recent Mentored Squirrel Hunt. In many respects,
it was a dream come true. I bought a shotgun last year from a friend at work
and wanted to learn how to shoot it. My son had taken up hunting a few years
ago through a friend from college, but was reluctant to take me because he
was unsure about my gun handling and hunting skills.
So last winter, I decided to take a one-day Hunter-Trapper Education course
offered through the Kimberton Fish and Game Association in Phoenixville.
Shortly afterward, I purchased my first Pennsylvania hunting license. Still,
I might never have used the shotgun, or hunting license for that matter, if
it hadn't been for the Learn to Hunt Program and the Mentored Squirrel Hunt
at the Game Commission's Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area. Through the
program I learned how to properly handle and discharge my shotgun, as well
as where to hunt and how to find and take squirrels.
I also want to thank my mentor on that Sept. 18 hunt, Brandon Rapp from
Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, for his guidance and patience - especially
his attention to safety details. We traversed all over the woods, looking
for likely places to hunt squirrels. In the last 20 minutes of the hunt,
while seated waiting against a large tree, I spotted a squirrel coming down
the side of a large beech tree, 20 yards in front of me. It was the perfect
situation, so I raised my gun, fired once and the squirrel fell off the tree.
After the hunt, we returned to the Middle Creek visitor center, where Game
Commission hunter educator A.J. Garcia demonstrated
how to dress and skin the squirrel.
Middle Creek manager Lauren Ferreri had prepared
a pot of pulled BBQ squirrel meat that
we had a chance to taste.
LEARN TO HUNT
I appreciate the thought and effort that went
into preparing this comprehensive squirrel
hunting program. I am 62 years old and would
probably not have had many other chances to
learn how to use a shotgun and hunt for game
if it hadn't been for this program. My son and
I made plans shortly after to go dove hunting
together and began thinking about other
hunting opportunities to follow. I would
encourage other adults who would like to learn
how to hunt, but who might not have had the
opportunity so far to do so, to participate
in this program.
David Poulin
Best Regards,
David Poulin
JANUARY 2022
The Learn to Hunt Program is
designed to help hunters of all ages
get started. An online curriculum that
helps educate new hunters about
game behavior, habitat preferences,
choosing a sporting arm and cooking
wild game meat has been developed,
and the program has offered a series
of webinars in addition to mentored
hunts. More mentored small-game
hunts are in store this January and
February. For details and to register,
go to the Learn to Hunt Program page
at www.pgc.pa.gov. You can find the
page by placing the cursor on Education,
then clicking on Get Started
Hunting, then Learn to Hunt Program.
51
http://www.pgc.pa.gov
Pennsylvania Game News - January 2022

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