After the inadvertent shooting of his 78-year-old hunting companion, Vice President Dick Cheney and the Bush administration became stewards of the importance of gun and hunting safety.
Officials with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, which has a center on Centennial Campus, said it is important for hunters, both novice and expert, to take advantage of the workshops offered.
“We get a lot of people [who] are long-time hunters who come to these courses, especially if they have children,” Capt. Chris Huebner, an enforcement officer with the commission, said. “Even those people get a lot out of the courses.”
Jonathan Cowin, a sophomore in extension education, has practiced safe hunting since he was three years old. He is licensed and said the safety class required for licensing was helpful, but said he took it so he could “be able to legally hunt.”
“I have [learned a lot] through [Boy Scouts] and my dad and granddad taking me hunting,” Cowin, who enjoys hunting deer, duck and squirrel, said.
Program Coordinator Jessica Ball said the Centennial Campus location is an asset to students and was chosen because the commission’s biologists “work closely” with University professors.
As a duck hunter, Ball said she maintains focus to “know [her] target,” and said Cheney’s recent accident was an example of the importance of safety.
“It just goes to show that a person can never be too careful when it comes to guns and hunting,” Robert Harvell, a sophomore in communication, said. “You have to know your surroundings at all times when hunting, [which includes] where other hunters are located.”
Harvell also said a highly publicized accident, such as that of Cheney’s, gives hunters a “bad wrap.”
“People think of us as people who are willing to do anything to kill a deer,” he said. “This is just giving those people more ammunition to use against hunters.”
Huebner said the commission’s course required for licensing focuses on “firearms safety, conservation, wildlife management and basic survival skills.”
“It encompasses a lot of things that could be useful outside of hunting,” he said.
Novice hunters, such as freshman in criminology Patrick Barefoot, said he tries “not to act on impulses” when hunting deer, doves and turkeys.
“Be aware of what you are doing,” Barefoot said. “Always know how to use your gun, and be aware of who is around you.”
Huebner said that commission discourages hunters without licenses and it is a simple process to become licensed.
“The class is free, unless there is a facility charge,” Huebner said. “An expired license or no license violation has an average fine of $35, plus the cost of court, which is $110.”
A basic hunting license costs $15 and is valid for one year from the date of purchase, according to Huebner. There are restrictions of game and location with a basic license, so big game and sportsman licenses are also available for an additional cost.