Savage Offers Great Deals To Certified Instructors

Savage Arms provided the youth model .223s to the hunter education division at a super discount, and they are now extending similar great prices to certified hunter education instructors, too.

Cathy Hale is the Savage Arms sales and marketing staff person authorized to deal with Washington certified hunter education instructors. Here's what she'll need:

• Your requested firearm, including model and caliber, along with your name, address and phone number.
• A check made out to Savage Arms, Inc. You can also call Cathy and use a credit card, which will require the number, expiration date and 3-digit code on the back.
• A copy of a Federal Firearms License (FFL) with an original signature, from the dealer who will be receiving the firearm on your behalf. (NOTE: If the delaer sends the FFL separately, be sure they include your name on the FFL or it will delay your order.)
• A copy of your current hunter education card.

You can go to the Savage web site at www.savagearms.com to view their complete product offering. Contact Cathy directly to obtain a price quote. Please note that Savage sweetens the pot even further by covering the cost of shipping!

Cathy's phone number is (413) 642-4121. You can mail the other items to Cathy at Savage Sales & Marketing, 118 Mountain Road, Suffield, CT 06078.

Thanks, Cathy and Savage Arms for your support!

Ethics And Individual Instructor Actions

Things happen--nobody will argue with that. Whether it's the result of an honest mistake or a brief inattentive moment, any one of us may run afoul of a hunting rule or regulation.

It's what happens after things happen that determine strength of individual character and degree of true ethical behavior.

Earlier today I learned of two recent citations issued to hunter education instructors or former instructors. In neither case did the individuals involved contact hunter education division staff. In at least one case, the individual involved clearly attempted to use status within hunter education as a method to avoid receiving a citation. Not surprisingly, it didn't work.

The First Law of Holes states, "When you discover you are in a hole, stop digging!" Ignore the first law and things get worse....and deeper. How much worse and how much deeper depends upon how quickly one remembers the importance of The First Law of Holes.

With hunter education instructors, it should be painfully obvious that any mistakes in the field are going to get noticed. Instructors are models for the entire hunting community, and the words and actions of our instructors must always reflect that important role. If a mistake occurs afield--we have a community obligation to fellow instructors to stop making the hole deeper! The only responsible, mature response is to acknowledge any mistake, accept it and learn from it.

There is no shame in making an honest mistake. There is nothing but shame when we deflect responsibility, deny the facts or threaten to leave the hunter education program as we dig the hole that much deeper. Sadly, not all of us understand The First Law of Holes.

Older Students Show More Interest In Deferral, Online Options

Preliminary data shows continuing interest from "older" students in both the new deferral option and online learning. The data set for both groups is roughly comparable (451 deferral applications and 509 online enrollments), and in both cases "older" students (defined as 18 or older) are applying or enrolling at a higher rate than younger students. Preliminary data reveals:

659 Deferral Applications (as of 10/25/2007)

60 Female , Under 18 years of age = 38.7%
95 Female, Over 18 years of age = 61.3%
222 Male, Under 18 years of age = 44.1%
281 Male, Over 18 years of age = 55.9%

Online Enrollments (as of 10/1/2007)

Under 18 years of age = 20%
Over 18 years of age = 80%

The data set for online enrollments may be skewed slightly in favor of "older" students as a result of information explaining the challenges of online learning and encouraging younger students to seek a traditional class. There is no apparent age bias evident in the deferral option.

"Older" students may be away at school, have jobs or families, etc. that make it more difficult for them to schedule attendance at traditional hunter education classes. The preliminary data suggests a strong correlation between hunter education options and effective recruitment of "older" prospective hunters.

Strong Early Public Interest In Deferral

Approximately 250 applications for hunter education deferrals have been processed during the first month (September 5 - October 5) of the deferral program. Interest to date in the deferral program has come mostly from adults (with roughly 60% of applicants 18 or older), although younger students have been applying in larger numbers.

The deferral program allows individuals to request a one license year, once-in-a-lifetime deferral of hunter education training. Deferred hunters must hunt under immediate supervision of an accompanying hunter 18 years of age or older. Immediate supervision is defined as within normal voice and visual distance--prohibiting the use of two-way radios, binoculars, etc. as part of the "control."