skilled volunteers introduced 670 men, women,
and youths to the joys of waterfowl hunting and its
larger culture. The following run-down of the mentoring program may help others develop their own.
Delta’s mentored hunt is a two-day course that
provides students with a safe introduction to waterfowl hunting. To enroll, all students must first
take a hunter safety-education course (offered by
Credit: fred Greenslade
Delta Waterfowl biologist Jim fisher teaches the basics of decoy placement to a group
of young students in Manitoba. He demonstrates with decoys of several bird species
including mallard floaters for marsh hunting and a staked decoy for field placement.
Credit: fred Greenslade
Hidden in the reeds of Manitoba’s Delta Marsh, Delta Waterfowl mentor Eric Abel uses a
duck call to lure birds into range for a student, her shotgun at the ready. Students hit the
marsh before dawn to put their new skills to the test.
state or provincial governments) that covers gen-
eral firearm safety, and obtain a hunting license
for mentored hunts held during the regular hunt-
ing season. A modest fee of about $25 covers
the cost of food. All instructors learn the Delta
curriculum and must demonstrate a thorough un-
derstanding of protocol and procedures. Most are
federal or provincial wildlife professionals as well
as avid waterfowlers.
Day One. On the first day of this weekend course,
students have a full schedule of learning through
lectures, hands-on practice in the field, and demonstrations. Most classes range from about 25 to 50
students who break into groups of five or ten
for instruction at different stations, which include
the following:
• Safety overview: Students review safety practices including how to hold, load, and handle firearms.
• Bird identification: A slide show titled “Shoot or Don’t
Shoot” presents 100 slides of birds so students can
learn how to identify legal game birds such as mallards
and Canada geese versus protected species like pelicans
and swans by studying features such as feathers, colors,
shape, and flight patterns.
• Shooting practice: Instructors teach skeet shooting
techniques with both incoming and crossing targets
that simulate waterfowl flight patterns.
• Blind construction: Students will learn the basics of
how to set up a blind both in a stubble field and in a
marsh, using native vegetation such as wheat stalks or
cattails to camouflage the blind.
• Decoy setup: Instructors teach students how to deploy
decoys in a field and in a marsh, discussing proper orientation and distance from blinds.
• Retriever demonstrations: Because retrievers minimize
losses by recovering harvested birds, students learn
how breeds such as Labradors or springer spaniels
become valuable hunting partners by retrieving birds
from fields and water.
• Bird calling: Students learn highball calls, which attract distant flocks; feeding chuckles, which can put
birds at ease; and comeback calls, which can draw fleeing birds back within range. All youth students receive
a free duck call.
• Ethics: Conservation officers discuss the importance of
ethical hunting, which includes knowing which species
can be harvested, respecting landowners, removing
shell casings and other debris, and supporting conservation of the resource through efforts such as building
nesting boxes, doing volunteer work, or supporting
conservation organizations.
Day Two. The second day begins before dawn,
when the class gathers to be paired with mentors. One mentor takes one or two students at
most into a field or marsh, where they set decoys
