Educate

I've said it before. The single best thing an outdoorsmen, hunter, fisherman, can do to further the cause of outdoor recreation in today's society is to educate the masses. Get out and talk about your sport in a positive light. It is really important for the public to be able to see real sportsman and ethical hunting. Then they can put a face to oppose any misinformation that is out there.

Let's face it, non-hunters don't read hunting blogs. Most farmers don't think too much about the hawks that are worrying their chickens - they often just shoot them. It can help if we bring these issues out into the open so that people can see them.

I spent the other day at the Williamston, Farm Show. It was a good day. I got to speak to a lot of every day folks about raptors, falconry, and conservation. These were real people who work in the dirt with their hands and judge the passing of time in growing seasons. Good people.

I spoke with old farmers, young kids, and even got to do a quick radio interview about falconry. Fun stuff, and I'll definitely do it again.

Educate

As outdoors men and women, one of the best things we can do is to educate the next generation about the world that they will be inheriting. It has been a ridiculously busy last couple of weeks and I have been burning my candle at both ends.

Every year I volunteer at a local festival where they ask me to come and speak about the history of falconry as well as how the sport is practiced today. I get to talk about hawks in general, and i get to hear everyone's stories about the birds that they have known.

And kids love the birds. I like the fact that they seem to intuitively understand the predator prey relationships, and they know that these birds have to kill to live.

Even though I am exhausted, this is time well spent.