The Martha’s Vineyard Rod and Gun Club hosted three sessions on basic hunter education this month and gathered potential new hunters to learn about hunter safety, tribal hunting techniques, and tick prevention.
The class brought together 18 people interested in the sport, four of whom were under the age of 18, and concluded on the precipice of a lot of potential changes to the hunting landscape on the Island.
The class is offered by MassWildlife and taught by Jeffrey Day, hunter safety program lead instructor for the state at the Rod and Gun Club, for anyone as young as 12 years old. The course is free of charge and open to the public; those that complete the course receive a hunter safety certificate, which is a requirement to get a license and is recognized in all U.S. states, Canada, and Mexico.
There were three required sessions on April 20, April 25, and April 26, and Day said he plans to do another class in November after he got 25 sign-ups at last year’s first fall course. Day wants to increase participation in the course and said the club can hold up to 45 people.
Students were met by several other experts on the ever-increasing sphere of hunting. Patrick Roden-Reynolds discussed tick-borne disease prevention for hunters, and Brad Lopes, education department manager for the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), taught students about traditional hunting methods and how to use all parts of game animals. David Wilkins, owners of crossbow manufacturer Wyvern Creations in New Hampshire, also demonstrated crossbow use. Joseph Capece was also there to represent the MV Hunt Club, which coordinates land access between homeowners and hunters.
There is currently a bill in the state filed by Gov. Maura Healey not only to increase access for hunters through lessened setback limits and hunting on Sundays but also to expand crossbows use to anyone. (Crossbow use is currently limited to those that suffer from a permanent disability.)
Day said the “learning curve” for crossbows is much shorter than archery, and that, in the session, some students hit the bullseye immediately, which can take months for a bow-and-arrrow hunter.
Bret Stearns, who was director of the natural resources department for the tribe and is now a full-time Chilmark Police officer and on the board of directors for Tick Free MV, was also in attendance to educate hunters on how they can “fit into the system helping the Island recover from the tick problem.” Day said his students were made aware of how they can give back to the larger community and reduce the number of deer.