Learning To Hunt & Handle Firearms In Public Schools

I'm 40 years old but vividly remember my childhood and the excitement that surrounded hunting & fishing seasons in our house...and in our community.  My dad took me along on Saturday small game hunts as soon as I was able to keep up with him.  I carried a Daisy BB gun and got to wear a blaze orange vest.  How I loved those crisp autumn days walking mile after mile with my father.  He would "kick out" the occasional rabbit which he would blast with his Revelation (Western Auto Supply) 12 gauge pump action shotgun.  Using his knife, he'd make a slit through one of the rabbit's legs, run it through his belt, and allow the rabbit to hang on his hip as we continued hunting.  

My dad would always take time to stop somewhere in the woods and allow me to shoot my BB gun at rusty Genessee beer cans we found along the way.  He even let me shoot at crows and squirrels.  Those were fascinating times for me learning the skills of the woods and learning to do what men did to provide food for their families in that part of the country.  I will always remember my mom, picking the shot out of the meat and soaking the rabbit carcass in salt water in the refrigerator.  Later on, she would dip the rabbit quarters in flour and lightly fry it in an inch of very hot vegetable oil.  It was delicious.  Even at only 10 years old, I realized how special it was.

I remember being jealous of my older brothers when each of them arrived in the 5th grade at Union City Area Elementary School in Union City, Pennsylvania.  5th Grade was when the Pennsylvania Game Commission sent a Game Warden into the classes to teach the Hunter Education class.  My older brothers would bring the book home and I would marvel at how they got to learn various rifle shooting positions.  I was proud of myself for learning that the lying down position was called prone.  My older brothers were certified and received their Pennsylvania Game Commission sewn patches that they would later apply to their blaze orange vests.  I was proud and envious of both of them.

wildlife biology class

Eventually, the time came for my Hunter Education class.  This would, in my opinion, be the best day of the year in Mrs. Prenatt's 5th grade class.  I remember bringing my patch, an official card signed by the game warden, and my rules book home.  Looking back, I'm in awe that we were allowed to learn these things in a public school.  Our high school had school-approved "buck pool" contests where students brought their whitetail racks into school for official scoring and competition.  It was gambling with a cash prize!  I remember being in 7th grade reading class where my classmate, Trevor Vaughn, brought a huge bag of fresh deer jerky to share with his classmates.  I actually bit into a lead bullet!  It was hilarious.  Today, even if you were able to sneak a big bag of deer jerky into a public school, could you imagine the lawsuits for biting down on a lead bullet?  Back then, we were allowed to exercise our own rights of freedom.  We also understood that if you bit into a piece of deer jerky, tasting a piece of the bullet was a possibility.  That's just the way we rolled.

I remember that we weren't supposed to bring knives to school, but lots of us boys did bring our knives.  We would marvel at each other's Buck lockblades.  I still remember bringing the butterfly knife that I purchased the night before at the Erie County Fair to school the next day.  There was even a student in my class who brought throwing stars to class a few times!  We didn't harm anybody with any of these tools & toys.  We were just boys who grew up in a rural outdoor culture doing what we liked...being adventurous boys.  Can you even fathom being able to enjoy any of these activities in a state run public school these days? 

Just today, a Bronx public school was put on shut down for 90 minutes while SWAT teams stormed the school and teachers hid children in closets.  It was a 12-year old with a NERF toy gun.  Meanwhile, a 5-year old Cape Cod elementary school student is facing suspension for making a gun out of LEGOs during an after school program.  No pun intended, but the whole district is up in arms.  

Back in the day, I couldn't wait to get out of Union City, Pennsylvania.  I graduated from college and have lived in Colorado for a long time.  To this date, I still remember the basics of hunting safety that I learned in a public school way back in the early 1980s.  In one of my guiding jobs, I had to remind another guide to never point a gun at something he didn't intend to kill (a person in this instance).  I will always remember and practice another rule I learned in the 5th grade:  Always assume that the gun can load itself.  Even if you think it's empty, check again.  That's the only way to be sure there won't be an accidental discharge of the weapon.  

We have chosen to homeschool our children.  We can have hunter safety classes any time we want to.  Our 5-year old daughter requested and received her first bow for Christmas last month.  I will teach our children to hunt, to fish, and to have a healthy respect for wildlife management & to be a good steward over all of God's creation.  I will never forget the years growing up in Northwest Pennsylvania.  We were rebels.  We said the pledge of allegiance at our public school, had pastors and clergymen (not clergywomen) mingling with students at lunch, had Christian rock bands perform at our school who were allowed to sing about Jesus Christ.  Oh yeah, they also taught us about hunting!