Never too young or old to learn

Little Christan Michael Lancaster caught the hunting bug early, about the time he started going to school.

“I supposed all the kids at school were talking about it all the time, plus he was constantly watching hunting shows on television, and he got interested in hunting,” said his grandfather Bill Lancaster of Vicksburg. “I never grew up hunting or shooting guns, but my grandson wanted to learn so bad, we had to do something.

“Lucky for Christian Michael both his dad and now his stepdad are into deer hunting, so that provided the natural path for him to follow. To talk to him now just after a couple seasons and especially since he took his first doe, one would think he has been hunting for years. He’s only 9 years old. Now he has his very own deer rifle which makes him official.”

And in modern times, children, and even adults who are just taking up the sport, have many other avenues to travel to improve their skills.

You are holding one in your hands now. Whether you picked up this magazine off the newsstand shelf or you brought it home from somebody at the office, you have a tool you can use to become a better hunter, or fisherman for that matter.

I can easily argue that the purchase of a subscription to Mississippi Sportsman magazine is a great start in the process, and so is a frequent visit to its website ms-sportsman.com. Reading about hunting, whether it be advice pieces or features on successful hunters, you can glean valuable information from nearly every page.

I’ve been reading about hunting and deer for over fifty years and am still learning new information all the time. There is an endless supply of information and material on the Internet and dozens of websites dedicated to every aspect of deer hunting.

So is watching the instructional deer hunting shows, not necessarily all the High-5s and hoopla, but earnest illustrations of whitetail hunting’s best practices. Budding deer hunters can find good videos to watch on YouTube, DVDs, and other outlets.

Sit in on any hunting seminar offered like at the annual Wildlife Extravaganza in Jackson. Sometimes the state wildlife department offers regional meetings to discuss deer hunting.

Of course, the best way to learn to hunt is by doing it. By hook or crook get involved in the sport. Only time in the tree stand seat can teach you things not taught any other way. Time around a deer camp will fill in many blanks. Ask questions, talk to other hunters.

Soak it in, because as I can attest, you never outgrow the need to learn.