Northwest Sportsman – August 2019

146 Northwest Sportsman AUGUST 2019 | nwsportsmanmag.com

HUNTING

about turkeys and turkey hunting. I

could watch and actually process the

information I was being presented

with, without the bothersome worry

of having to figure out exactly what

to do with my shotgun.

It’s been that way for the past 20

years or so, I reckon, and believe me,

it’s been a tremendous experience.

Oh, I drop the hammer on a longbeard

every now and again, but truthfully?

I’d much rather watch you, Dear

Reader, shoot a big fat Merriam’s or

Rio Grande than see him over my

gun barrel.

My point with the story above is

this: It’s usually easiest, if not best,

to be a mentor first and a shooter

second. If it’s possible, set the shotgun

aside and concentrate solely on the

task at hand, which is teaching this

new waterfowl hunter everything

there is to know about waterfowl

hunting. Can you carry a shotgun

into the field and use it judiciously

for – what my biology teacher

Jeff Rooklidge called – a teachable

moment? Absolutely; however, and

trust me here, you’re going to pay

more attention to your mentee if

you’re not worrying about shooting

this greenhead or that drake pintail.

INDEED, FIREARM SAFETY is priority one.

As a hunting mentor in situations

involving firearms, your primary

objective is safe gun handling. Period.

Always. That’s why it’s often easier

to be a teacher-slash-observer as

opposed to a hunter-teacher.

As the former, you should be – and

more easily can be, I believe – focusing

100 percent of your attention on that

new ’fowler and his/her gun handling

practices. Like the TSA folks at the

airports say, if you see something,

say something. Don’t be shy about

stopping the process in midstream,

even unloading and taking the

firearm, if necessary, and having

another teachable moment about

whatever the case may be. Muzzle

control. The safety being pushed into

the off position too soon, or not being

automatically/instinctually returned

to the on position after each shooting

opportunity.

Does your mentee stand, shoulder

his/her shotgun, safety off, and then

sit back down having never fired the

piece? New ’fowlers can be indecisive

• Is it in range? What type of duck
  is it? Am I going to make a fool of
  myself? What if I miss? Is he/she (the
  mentor) watching?
  Well, of course we’re watching;
  it’s precisely what we’re supposed to
  be doing.
  I see this jack-in-the-box situation
  The singlemost important thing you can teach a new waterfowler has nothing to do
  with decoy placement, calling or telling the difference between drakes and hens. “As
  a hunting mentor in situations involving firearms, your primary objective is safe gun
  handling. Period. Always,” says Johnson. (TROY RODAKOWSKI)