>> I FEEL LIKE I'M IN
THE ARMY OR SOMETHING.
>> MOTHER!
>> SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD
HEATHER FELTZ
AND HER MOM SIT QUIETLY...
>> YEA, HERE COMES THREE MORE.
>> ... WAITING FOR A MORNING
FLIGHT OF DOVES.
>> LOOK BEHIND YOU,
HEATHER, LOOK!
>> LOOK IT,
THERE THEY GO OVER THE POND.
(gun fires)
>> GOT IT! SHE GOT IT!
>> HEATHER IS ONE OF 30
TEENAGERS INVITED TO HUNT
ON THE KING RANCH.
THE EVENT IS SPONSORED BY THE
TEXAS YOUTH HUNTING PROGRAM,
A GROUP THAT HELPS FAMILIES
REDISCOVER THEIR
HUNTING TRADITION.
>> COMING LEFT, COMING LEFT.
>> WE'RE GOING TO LOSE A WHOLE
GENERATION OF PEOPLE THAT ARE
NOT GOING TO BE IN TOUCH WITH
THE OUTDOORS OR THE ENVIRONMENT.
OR EVEN CARE.
(gun shot)
>> YES, ALRIGHT!
>> I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE WHAT
THE WORLD, OR OUR STATE
WOULD BE LIKE,
WITH A SITUATION LIKE THAT.
>> I WINGED HIM.
YOU GOT HIM? GOOD.
OH, YEA.
>> MY SECOND, BUT, PLANNING
ON GETTING MORE (LAUGHS)
(gun cocking)
>> HUNTING IS A LEGACY THAT
MAY BE IN TROUBLE.
(gun shots)
>> THE AVERAGE TEXAS HUNTER IS
OVER FORTY YEARS OLD,
OLDER THAN IT'S EVER BEEN.
>> OH, MAN.
>> ONE REASON IS IT'S GETTING
HARDER TO INTRODUCE YOUNG
PEOPLE TO THE SPORT.
(duck call)
>> THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT WITH
AGE COMES EXPERIENCE.
>> TWO RIGHT IN FRONT OF US.
>> THERE'S TWO, AH,
DUCKS UP HIGH.
>> THERE'S SIX COMING TO YOUR
LEFT IN FRONT.
>> AND TEXAS HAS AN ABUNDANCE
OF EXPERIENCED HUNTERS WHO CAN
PASS THEIR TRADITIONS
AND PRINCIPLES ON TO
OUR YOUNG PEOPLE.
>> DAD, DAD, DAD, DAD, DAD.
>> TAKE THOSE FOUR RIGHT THERE.
GET 'EM!
(gun shots)
>> ALL RIGHT! ALL RIGHT!
>> I GOT THAT ONE, ME AND HIM.
>> WE'VE GOT TO GET THEM A
PLACE TO GET OUTDOORS,
ON A REGULAR BASIS.
AND INCORPORATE THOSE PEOPLE
WHO KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING,
WHO KNOW THE LANDSCAPE,
AND WHO KNOW BIOLOGY
AND MANAGEMENT.
INCORPORATE THOSE WITH THE KIDS,
AND THEN TEACH THEM ABOUT
THE OUTDOORS, ABOUT HABITAT,
ABOUT WILDLIFE, AND ABOUT
ETHICS, AND THAT'S WHAT IT'S
REALLY ALL ABOUT.
(disc flying out of blind)
>> FOLLOW IT IN, FOLLOW IT IN,
TAKE IT.
(gun shot)
>> GOOD SHOT!
>> BEFORE, YOU JUST THOUGHT
IT'S A GUN AND YOU SHOOT IT.
AND NOW I'M LIKE, IT'S A GUN
AND I KNOW HOW IT WORKS, YOU
KNOW AND YOU'RE MORE AWARE OF
WHAT KIND OF POWER YOU GET
FROM A GUN.
AND YOU ALSO UNDERSTAND
MORE ABOUT THE SAFETY
AND YOU KNOW, HOW IT CAN
REALLY HURT PEOPLE.
AND IT CAN KILL PEOPLE
AND STUFF, SO...
YOU UNDERSTAND MORE THAT THE
GUN IS, LIKE, A PRIVILEGE AND
YOU NEED TO LEARN HOW TO USE IT
SO IT'S NOT USED WRONG.
>> OK, RIGHT BEHIND THE TWO DOE,
AS SOON AS...
LET THOSE TWO DOE COME OUT.
AND RIGHT BEHIND THEM,
CAN YOU SEE IT?
SEE THAT BUCK RIGHT THERE?
>> YEA.
>> THAT'S YOUR BUCK RIGHT THERE.
>> THE BOTTOM LINE IS, IF YOU'RE
INTERESTED IN WILDLIFE,
YOU HAVE TO BE INTERESTED
IN HUNTING, BECAUSE ONE
SUPPORTS THE OTHER.
WELL, I'M A WILD LIFER
BY TRAINING, AND ANY PERSON WHO
SPENDS A LIFETIME IN WILDLIFE
WILL READILY RECOGNIZE THAT
HUNTING AND THE ECONOMY RELATED
TO HUNTING IS THE UNDERPINNING
OF OUR WILDLIFE HABITAT
IN TEXAS.
IF WE DIDN'T HAVE HUNTING,
WE WOULDN'T HAVE, OF COURSE,
THE ECONOMY RELATED TO HUNTING,
AND WE WOULDN'T HAVE THE
LANDOWNER INCENTIVE TO MAINTAIN
AND ENHANCE WILDLIFE HABITAT.
HUNTING MAINTAINS WILDLIFE
HABITAT SO THE TWO
ARE INSEPARABLE.
>> THIS GROUP OF FATHERS, SONS,
MOTHERS, AND DAUGHTERS HAS BEEN
INVITED ONTO THE PROPERTY OF
RANCHER MARK WATSON.
SINCE THE TEXAS YOUTH HUNTING
PROGRAM DOESN'T OWN OR LEASE
ITS OWN LAND, ITS SUCCESS
DEPENDS ON THE GOOD WILL
AND COOPERATION OF
PRIVATE LANDOWNERS.
>> AND SO WE'VE ASKED PRIVATE
LANDOWNERS TO HELP US OUT.
BRING US ON TO THE LAND,
LET US WORK WITH YOU.
>> IT'S A DOE, ROBBIE.
>> ... AND LET US PROVIDE
THESE KIDS WITH AN EXPERIENCE
THAT THEY CAN'T HAVE
ANYWHERE ELSE IN TEXAS.
>> AND I WANT EACH AND EVERY
ONE OF YOU TO FOLLOW THE RULES
AND UNDERSTAND WHY WE HAVE
THE RULES BECAUSE WITHOUT THE
RULES THAT INVOLVE SAFETY,
WE WOULD NOT HAVE INSURANCE.
AND AGAIN, WITHOUT INSURANCE,
WE WOULD NOT HAVE
A PLACE TO HUNT.
THAT'S PRETTY SIMPLE...
>> DEVELOPED OVER THE COURSE
OF MANY YEARS, THE TEXAS YOUTH
HUNTING PROGRAM REPRESENTS
SOME OF THE BEST THINKING FROM
WILDLIFE EXPERTS ON HOW TO
EXPOSE YOUTH TO THE
ETHICS OF HUNTING...
(gun shot)
>> ... AND BASIC
OUTDOOR EDUCATION.
>> IF YOU WERE SHOOTING THESE
TURKEYS WITH A SHOTGUN FROM
WHERE JOEL WAS, WOULD IT MATTER
OF THOSE CATTLE THAT ARE
MAYBE A MILE AWAY?
>> THE NEXT STEP IS TO TAKE THIS
TO OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE
INTERESTED IN YOUTH,
CONSERVATION, HUNTING AND THE
ETHICS OF HOW WE DEAL IN THE
OUTDOORS, AND ASKING THEM TO
HELP IN THIS EFFORT.
TEXAS WILDLIFE ASSOCIATION
WITH PARKS AND WILDLIFE ARE
READY TO PASS THAT BALL,
GET EVERYONE INVOLVED.
>> THE PROGRAM HAS DEVELOPED
A "HUNTMASTER" PACKAGE THAT
CAN TEACH PRIVATE GROUPS HOW
TO CONDUCT THESE EVENTS -
FROM FINDING THE KIDS AND
LOCATING A PLACE TO HUNT,
SECURING INSURANCE,
TRAINING GUIDES,
AND EVEN PREPARING MEALS.
>> WE'RE LOOKING AT THEM LEAVING
WITH AN EXPERIENCE THAT, THAT IS
EMBEDDED IN THEIR PSYCHE,
EMBEDDED IN THEIR THOUGHT
PROCESS ABOUT THE OUTDOORS.
ABOUT CARE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
THAT WE LIVE IN.
AND ABOUT THOSE THINGS AROUND US
THAT THEY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT.
IT'S A SITUATION WHERE YOU WANT
THE KIDS TO BE OUTDOORS AND
UNDERSTAND THEIR SURROUNDINGS.