BREAKING NEWS: Steven M. Kendus is Guest on NRA's Cam & Company Tonight

Steven M. Kendus, author of Hunting The First State: A Guide to Delaware Hunting and freelance columnist, will be a guest on Cam & Company tonight, July 2. Steven will discuss his recent article, "Invigorate interest in outdoor sports by passing on tradition to youths" and his book, Hunting The First State.

Cam & Company, broadcast from 9 PM to Midnight ET on NRAnews.com and SIRIUS Patriot Channel 144 (on SIRIUS satellite radio), covers breaking stories and coverage of current events plus lively debate and discussion with lawmakers and newsmakers engaged in the battle to preserve American freedoms.

Invigorate interest in outdoor sports by passing on tradition to youths

Here is my column from today's issue of The News Journal.

Delaware hunting license sales have declined nearly 30 percent since 1982, and the number of licensed hunters throughout the United States is following a similar trend.

One of the main reasons for declining numbers of hunters -- and participants in outdoors sports -- is that fewer young people are being introduced to hunting, fishing and shooting sports.

With that in mind, Wildlife Habitat Inc., with support from the National Rifle Association, the National Wild Turkey Federation, the Delaware 4-H Shooting Sports Program, and other local sporting organizations, hosted its annual Melvin Rust's Kids Day & NRA Shooting Sports Fest Camp last Sunday.

The camp, held at Lake Melvin in Dagsboro, provided an alcohol-free, family-oriented event where nearly 400 families received instruction and hands-on experience in freshwater fishing, archery, rifle shooting and shotgun shooting.

Wildlife Habitat Inc., created as an organization devoted to wildlife conservation, worked with William Crewe and camp owner Melvin Rust to establish Melvin Rust's Kids Day nearly 15 years ago.

"It's nice because I know a lot of kids ... got nowhere to go," said Rust, who lives in Dagsboro. "They get a day out to go fishing. [The camp] keeps them out of trouble, and they learn a lot because today there's so much stuff out here that kids get [into] drugs and all that mess. It's terrible."

Staffed by volunteers, the event's main goal is to safely introduce children to the shooting sports, but not necessarily hunting.

"We look at it as a training session," volunteer Alan Joseph of Bridgeville said. "We're not trying to make professional shooters and professional hunters. We don't even care if a kid hunts. Our goal is to show that you can have fun with firearms without injuring something. The goal really is to get families together in the shooting sports."

While many view shooting, fishing, and hunting as male sports, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, there are more than three million female hunters in the United States.

Dominique Henson, 11, of Seaford enjoyed her introduction to archery at Melvin Rust's Kids Day.

"It's fun," she said. "It's going to take me far if I ever need to know about shooting my own food."

Jillian Campanella, a 10-year-old from Wilmington, said she enjoyed trying archery.

"I learned how to handle guns and bows and arrows safely, and I saw a lot of other kids who liked fishing and shooting, too," she said. "My favorite thing was learning to shoot the bow and arrow. I turned back around and went up to shoot several times. Now I told my dad I want to buy my own bow and arrow and practice with him."

Using Melvin Rust's Kids Day as an example, we should all move to preserve and pass on the tradition of shooting, hunting, and fishing to interested children.

Take a Kid (Boy or Girl) Fishing

After 4 days of rain, this past weekend was beautiful in Delaware. I visited my parents, who live in Sussex County, Delaware on a nice lake, and managed to get some fishing in.

Each of my twin daughters caught fish from the dock, but Dominique wanted to fish from the boat with Dad. Using nothing but a push-button Spider-Man rod and a small Mepps spinner, Dominique caught three largemouth bass by herself. Awesome!

Now, while I was taking one of the fish off the hook, a bass hit my floating buzz bait and wrapped itself around an underwater log. See the photo.

I also caught a nice pickerel on a crank bait. Check out those teeth!

For more hunting opportunities, try expanding your horizon

My article from today's issue of The News Journal

HUNTER'S JOURNAL • By STEVEN KENDUS • June 4, 2009

I frequently ask local hunters if they hunt anywhere other than Delaware, and I am usually surprised by their responses.
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In most cases, Delaware hunters rarely venture beyond the state's borders, and even fewer have pursued game in other countries.

While Delaware offers plenty of hunting opportunities, I encourage Delaware residents who limit their hunts to the fields, forests and waterways of Delaware's three counties to expand their hunting horizons.

For Delaware hunters interested in new hunting opportunities that are nearby and that won't break the bank, consider hunting sika deer on Maryland's lower Eastern Shore, black bears in western Maryland or Pennsylvania, ruffed grouse in northern Pennsylvania, or wild turkeys and coyotes in New Jersey.

As with Delaware, neighboring states have specific rules and regulations that govern their hunting seasons, and in some cases necessary permits can only be obtained by state-run lotteries. These formalities should not deter interested hunters. Lottery permits are frequently issued to out-of-state hunters, and even if hunters are not selected in species-specific permit lotteries, plenty of public-land hunting opportunities exist.

Think of hunting licenses for neighboring states as insurance policies that protect against getting "skunked" in Delaware. A public-land deer hunter in Delaware, for example, knows how difficult it is to get his "perfect spot" for the Delaware shotgun season. Rather than limiting his deer hunting to his few available public spots and days in Delaware, he can take a quick drive to another hot spot in one of our neighboring states. Chances of a successful harvest are greater because the time spent in the woods is increased (no matter what state the woods are in).

The hunting seasons in neighboring states frequently do not run concurrently with Delaware seasons, so hunters can gain additional hunting opportunities with each license purchased.

Delaware hunters looking for more exotic hunting excursions should turn to reputable outfitters and travel agents who can book hunts for everything from alligators in North America to zebras in Africa. Many of these "once-in-a-lifetime" hunting trips are actually more affordable than many people realize.

Adequate research will find hunting trips that meet all budgets, and many destinations are family friendly. When booking hunting excursions, careful planning is necessary.

Hunters should always talk with outfitters' references before finalizing a deal, and they should understand all related expenses, such as airfare, lodging, licenses, firearms permits, trophy fees, taxidermy and shipping.

Wishing "The Best" for Tred Barta

Tred Barta, host of “The Best and Worst of Tred Barta” on Versus Television and avid fisherman and hunter, suffered a spinal stroke last week. After losing feeling in both legs up to a point halfway between his chest and navel, he was treated at Denver Health Medical Center in Denver, Colo., and is now at the Craig Rehab Center in Denver.

I had the opportunity to interview Tred Barta for a Versus Television podcast in September 2008. He is one of the most energetic, entertaining, outspoken, and knowledgeable supporters of hunting, fishing, and shooting sports, and we all benefit from his contributions.

I wish him well. His positive outlook and strong faith should help him overcome this adversity.

For additional information, see:
Celebrated boat captain paralyzed by 'spinal stroke'

Barta hopes for return to Beaufort after suffering stroke

Interesting Searches that Lead to Hunting the First State

I got this idea from Jody Narantic over at The Hunter's Wife blog. It's pretty interesting.

So for those of you who don't know, it is fairly simple to track various web site statistics, including the number of visitors, the locations of the visitors, the number of pages viewed, and even the search words and phrases used that brought visitors to a site.

Out of curiosity, I checked the search phrases that people typed in Google over the past month that directed them to the Hunting The First State blog. The search phrases, listed below, are interesting.

coyote delaware
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south african little deer
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tred barta
turkey hunting blogs nj
uv paint decoy reelwings
what was the first state to require hunting licenses
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zebra hunting games
zebra stallion
delaware turkey season dates 2007/2008

You can draw your own conclusions about the phrases listed, but I wanted to call attention to a few phrases that stand out.

coyotes - Look at the number of times people searched for information on Delaware coyotes. I know for a fact that coyotes are in Delaware, but it seems that people are unwilling to believe. Judging from these search phrases, it looks like a lot of people have been seeing coyotes in Delware.

Hoyt 38 Pro - I bought a new Hoyt 38 Pro last year, and I love it. The bow is longer than most bows on the market today, and that's why I like it. It seems that others may have the same feelings.

Don Travis Taxidermy - Quite simple, Don Travis Taxidermy of Chetertown, Maryland is one of the best taxidermists in the region.

Delaware Turkey Hunting - It looks like more people are pursuing turkeys in Delaware. I should have statistics on this year's turkey harvest within a few weeks.

Offseason is here, but there's still plenty to do

Here's my monthly column that ran in The News Journal on May 7, 2009.

Let the long offseason begin.

True, I could be referencing the first-round playoff exits of the Flyers or the Sixers, but instead I'm talking about the four-month gap that we hunters must endure between the end of turkey season in May and the beginning of the dove and deer archery seasons in September.

For diehard hunters, some summertime hunting opportunities exist, but most of us choose not to pursue the likes of bullfrogs, groundhogs and crows in the hot sun. Many of us trade our shotguns and bows for fishing rods as warm weather arrives, but there are other important pieces of business to take care of during the offseason.

It's easy to place your guns in your safe and throw all of your hunting gear into a closet at the end of the season, but you should take the time to ensure that all of your firearms and gear are in top condition before storing them for the summer.

In fact, now -- not a week before deer season -- is the time to fully disassemble and clean your firearms. Thoroughly clean gun components and be sure to inspect the parts to make sure they are in safe operating condition. Take note of any damaged or worn parts, and see your local gun dealer or gunsmith soon. It is much easier to repair and replace gun parts now, before the preseason rush.

The spring cleaning does not stop with your hunting firearms. It is also time to sort through your other hunting gear, including backpacks, clothing, boots, scents, calls, decoys and all of the other stuff that seems to accumulate in our basements, garages and truck beds.

Remove all items from your packs and clothes pockets, throwing out trash and unwanted gear. If the packs and clothes haven't seen the inside of a washing machine in a while, now is a good time to reacquaint them. Better yet, if they are in poor shape, get rid of them. Summer is a great time to find bargains on new gear.

Additionally, take some time to do all of the little things that we keep putting off during the season.

Apply touchup paint to your decoys. Apply waterproofing to your boots. Throw out all of the old deer scents that migrated to the bottom of your backpack. Clean your waterfowl and deer calls with some compressed air and a bit of alcohol. Pull the burrs and "hitchhikers" off your hunting camo. Sharpen you knives. Clean out your game freezer. The list is seemingly endless.

Most importantly, the offseason is the time to practice and learn. As ethical hunters, we want to be as skilled and as efficient as possible. Use the summer months to become an even better hunter.

Read books. Attend training seminars. Shoot targets, skeet, trap and sporting clays. And share the hunting tradition by introducing a kid to the outdoors.

Kendus Kids and "The Bull"

Kendus girls and Greg Luzinski at Phillies game.