By Bret Collier, Professor of Wildlife Ecology
School of Renewable Natural Resources
Louisiana State University
 

What a whirlwind the last several weeks have been for the Hunting Wire’s - The Collegiate Rookie Series - Waterfowl Edition, Sponsored by Benelli hosted here at Louisiana State University. I don’t feel like we need much preamble for today. Still, for those just tuning in, the Rookie Series is focused on training future wildlife professionals in hunting science, management, and ethics and providing a high-quality hunting experience to integrate them into our outdoor fraternity.  

Over the last three weeks, LSU students in my Wildlife Management Techniques class have been learning all about waterfowl and upland game bird identification using wing and body characteristics. Our Game Management class (my classes have lots of overlapping students) has been learning about sustainable harvest management because hunting is a primary tool that states and federal agencies use to manage game species.  

Then, about three weeks ago, I got a special delivery here at LSU: Benelli USA, having heard about the program from Jay Pinsky (Hunting Wire), who worked with Jay and me to send us some shotguns for The Collegiate Rookie Series - Waterfowl Edition - Sponsored by Benelli. Now, I have shot a lot of shotguns in my day, but the day I brought home my (read, my wife’s) first Springer Spaniel (Freckled Lyla Del), I also bought a Benelli Ultra-light (it was in April of 2008) and Lyla, and I hunted with that shotgun all over the United States. Lyla is now retired at 12 and is a house dog, but that Ultra-light is sitting in its case on the floor of my office right now. So, I was extremely excited to have the opportunity to provide all of my students here at LSU with the chance to use the kind of shotgun I had grown into over the years. Nearly all of our new hunters shoot 20 gauges as we hunt in pretty close for teal, big ducks, woodcock, and squirrels (deer being another thing entirely for a later write-up), so Benelli USA is supporting the program with several 20 gauge Ethos and Super Black Eagles has been an enormous boost to our ability to get new hunters out hunting.    

 

 

Next, over the last two weeks (starting on the 8th of September), we started our hunter education program for the Rookie Series. We have taught two sections of about 45 students so far and have another section scheduled in October. The first set of students to come through the hunter education program was diverse. About an even number of guys and girls came from all over LSU, including my School (Renewable Natural Resources), Chemical Engineering, Computer Science, Economics, Sociology, and even one doing a Ph.D. in Physics at Tulane (in New Orleans). All our students got the same hunter education training as every other program in the United States. We ended the class with Dr. Kevin Ringelman (my partner in crime here) put in a full day at the range, training the students in safe firearm handling and shooting skills.    

 

Then, the first big day hit. We had our first hunt on the 16th in coastal Louisiana, chasing blue-winged teal. Now, our hunting trips are pretty standard fare as it goes. We head down the day before, spend time at the range, get the ‘Rookies’ lined out with shotguns that fit well, and practice for the morning ahead. Then, we settle in to watch evening flights of waterfowl over the marsh head inside for dinner (redfish was the menu for this hunt), relax, and prepare for the morning ahead. About an hour before daybreak, all the students head down to the boats, we pair them up, and they meet their guides for the day, we double-check shotguns, ammunition, licenses, and gear, and then we place them in the hands of the guides and watch them head out to experience their first hunt. This is the most nerve-wracking period for Kevin and me, as it is the first time we no longer have them under our wing; they are on their own, headed to the marsh to have their first experience.

We hear the shots from the lodge, but neither of us knows what is happening until we hear the first motor rolling back to camp. We always meet the students at the boat house when they come in, as that is where the action happens. This hunt was good; they piled out of the boats, cased shotguns in one hand and a string of teal in the other. Everyone shot, not everyone harvested, but everyone had fun, and smiles abounded. Every year, this is what it is about for Kevin and me, seeing the students, fresh from a new, life-changing experience, sharing it with us, and us standing there knowing that we have done our job and recruited new hunters into the fold.

I hope you will follow our regular updates on the The Collegiate Rookie Series - Waterfowl Edition, Sponsored by Benelli on the Hunting Wire and catch up with us on social media. Of course, anyone interested in the long-standing Collegiate New Hunter Program at LSU, please contact us at the contact info below.

Looking forward to a great fall season creating new hunters,

Bret Collier
Professor of Wildlife Ecology
School of Renewable Natural Resources
Louisiana State University
bret@lsu.edu
@drshortspur (Twitter and Instagram)

Kevin Ringelman
Associate Professor
H. Dale Hall Ducks Unlimited Professor of Wetlands and Waterfowl Conservation
School of Renewable Natural Resources
Louisiana State University
kringe2@lsu.edu
@kevinringelman (Twitter)