A good day to teach a youngster about hunting and fishing

Back in the spring of 1971, Sen. Tom McIntyre of New Hampshire and Rep. Bob Sikes of Florida found themselves casting in the same direction. Their presentations, you may recall, were identical bills requesting President Richard M. Nixon to declare the fourth Saturday of September as National Hunting and Fishing Day.

Suffice it to say, the nation’s head guide attracted a lot of sportsmen to his camp when, after the bills passed in the Senate and House, he responded with a Presidential Proclamation establishing the first National Hunting and Fishing Day. Keeping a tight line on the action, the nation’s governors followed suit by issuing proclamations for each of the 50 states.

Obviously, Sen. McIntyre and Rep. Sikes realized that if it were not for sportsmen – license fees, special taxes, donations to conservation organizations – there would be very little fish and wildlife remaining in this country. And therein is the reason Maine sportsmen today are among the nation’s 40 million or so hunters and fishers celebrating the 23rd observance of National Hunting and Fishing Day.

Perhaps you know the slogan for this year’s observance is: “Put An Indoorsman In Your Shoes.” I don’t mean to dishonor that, but, personally, I’d replace the word “Indoorsman” with Youngster.

Here’s why. An adult indoorsman may enjoy being in your sportsman’s shoes for a day or so, but chances are he’d shed them soon thereafter. Put a youngster into those shoes, though, and it’s almost a sure bet that he’ll follow your tracks for the rest of his life.

I say that because I believe that hunting and fishing aren’t sports that people “get into,” as they say, when they’re 40 years old or so and pursue with genuine interest. To the contrary, I believe the interest that produces avid, lifelong sportsmen is innate. Accordingly, you probably became a bona fide member of the rod-and-gun fraternity before you reached your teens. Most likely, you were raised among hunters, fishers, trappers and the attendant customs and traditions.

Those outdoors traditions are, of course, symbolic of Maine. But, as you well know, they are being denigrated by societal pressures and politically correct posturing. The result is that, nowadays, youngsters are being introduced to hiking and biking trails rather than trails that will lead them to fish and game.

For sure, the so-called “soft adventures” attracting many young people are healthful recreations and there is more than enough room for them in this state. But considering the day-to-day diminishment of our natural resources and the environment, the importance of the educational aspects of Maine’s traditional outdoors recreations – particularly fish and wildlife conservation – cannot be overstated. To a youngster, nothing is more impressive than knowledge gained from firsthand experience.

So it is that, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. today, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will observe National Hunting and Fishing Day by presenting a program of related events at the Game Farm and Visitors Center on Route 26 in Gray. I don’t hesitate to say that oldsters as well as youngsters will find the facility as interesting and educational as the events.

Representatives of the Maine Warden Service, hatchery personnel, and fishery and wildlife biologists will conduct the events and answer questions regarding their occupations with the DIFW.

At the adjacent Dry Mills Hatchery, as well as at the Palermo Fish Rearing Station and the Enfield Fish Hatchery, staff personnel and fisheries biologists will explain the process by which about 1.5 million fish are raised for stocking 600 waters statewide. An added attraction at the Dry Mills Hatchery is a contest to guess the number of trout occupying the large outdoor pool. Prizes will be awarded and proceeds will be used to build a new bear enclosure at the Game Farm. Contest tickets are 50 cents apiece or three for $1.

To put the DIFW’s best foot forward in observing National Hunting and Fishing Day, Commissioner Bucky Owen has opened the state’s seven hatcheries and two fish-rearing stations to the public. The other hatcheries and their locations are: Casco Fish Hatchery, Route 281, Casco; Embden Fish Rearing Station, Embden Road, North Anson; Governor Hill Hatchery, Burns Road, Augusta; Grand Lake Stream Hatchery, Grand Lake Stream; New Gloucester Hatchery, New Gloucester; Phillips Hatchery, Phillips.

Also, if you’re inclined to let hunting dogs lead you around by their noses, you won’t want to miss two demonstrations offered by the Yankee Chapter of the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association. The demonstrations begin at noon and 1:30 p.m. at the Gray Game Farm.

Further to education, and in cooperation with Fox 51, Kids Club members will participate in a Wildlife Information Scavenger Hunt from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Participants will be asked 20 wildlife questions, with pledges collected for each correct answer also benefitting the new bear enclosure.

For their foresight in guiding the way to National Hunting and Fishing Day, Sen. McIntyre and Rep. Sikes should be issued complimentary lifetime hunting and fishing licenses by their respective states. By putting an indoorsman – preferably a youngster – in your shoes, you can help ensure the survival of the outdoors traditions that have been enjoyed and appreciated by generations of American sportsmen.

Admittedly, they are traditions in transition, but they are also treasures for tomorrow.