MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • December 18, 2022
The standard hunter safety course curriculum includes the five stages through which some hunters progress. Most start at the shooting stage; the objective for many a Maine deer hunter simply seeking meat for the freezer. The limit stage goal is to fill all their tags or bag limits. In the trophy stage, hunters begin placing voluntary restrictions on themselves. In the method stage the hunter begins to realize that how game is taken is more important than what is taken. The pinnacle is called the sportsman stage. Here, the whole experience is more important than merely bagging game. ~ Bob Humphrey