• In District 5, CO's responded to complaint during the youth deer hunt, of a father who had advised a youth to jump out of their vehicle and shoot a deer off the road on fenced, private farmland.
   
• In District 6, a CO responded to a complaint during the youth deer hunt, of a group of hunters who were seen entering a large parcel of private land, where one adult was observed carrying a rifle. When the father saw the officer approach he threw his rifle into the brush.
   
• In District 8, a CO ticketed a man for allowing his grandson to kill a deer during the youth hunt without a hunting license. The young hunter could not purchase a license because he had not taken a required Hunters Safety course.
   
• In District 9, a CO responded to a complaint of a 12-year old, too young for a firearm during the youth hunt, killing an eight-point buck with a rifle in the shotgun zone during the youth hunt. The deer was also untagged.

In all of these incidences, it's highly doubtful that any of those youngsters enjoyed a quality hunting experience that will inspire them to continue their hunting adventures. Instead, they all received valuable lessons in what happens when you break the law.

Would these incidences have occurred during the regular archery and firearms seasons if we didn't have a youth deer season? Probably.

But there are other valid arguments against the youth deer season as well. For instance, what does the youth deer season do to mentor our youth about wildlife management? If the youth deer hunt was does only, would as many youngsters and parents participate? Would there be as many violations if we weren't driven by our own greed? Are we really teaching our children that the youth hunt is only an opportunity to bag a trophy buck without competition from other hunters?

Possibly-especially when you compare the fairly high participation in the youth deer hunt to the much lower participation in the youth waterfowl hunt. A duck is a duck, and ducks don't have antlers.

Any youngster that has been given the opportunity to complete a Hunters Safety course undoubtedly will, at some point, have an opportunity to deer hunt. Deer hunting in Michigan, fortunately, requires little more than the ability to walk onto any piece of public land.

Duck hunting, on the other hand, is not something a lot of people participate in. With groups like DU and the Michigan Duck Hunters Association, who offer supervised, organized youth hunts to youngsters all over the state, not only are the records of violations much lower, but we are attaining that goal of offering an opportunity to hundreds of youngsters, and more than a few adults accompanying those kids, that most ordinarily wouldn't have.

Is our youth deer season doing that? Are we bringing more youngsters into the hunting fold? Are we giving them a quality experience and teaching them about ethics and the law?

The jury's still out on that one, and the spirited discussions about our youth hunts on our outdoor Internet message boards, like Michigan Sportsman,  will undoubtedly continue.

Additional regulations, such as making the youth deer hunt antlerless only, might help.

But in the long run, alone with that youngster in the field, the real answer lies in you, me, and every hunter in this state, every time we venture into the field. Children learn what we teach them. Whatever the future of hunting may be is not up to the next generation, but to this generation-you and me.
 

But in the long run, alone with that youngster in the field, the real answer lies in you, me, and every hunter in this state, every time we venture into the field. Children learn what we teach them. Whatever the future of hunting may be is not up to the next generation, but to this generation-you and me."