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8 Times -Advocate Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Thrill of the hunt attracts all ages
By Pat Bolen
TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF
EXETER From teenagers
to those who have been hunt-
ing for decades, the thrill of
the hunt continues to appeal
to all ages.
Among those who enjoy
the sport are 14 -year-old Col-
ton Becker of Dashwood and
86 -year-old Frank Hicks of
Centralia, who has been hunt-
ing for 70 years and who re-
cently shot a 10 -point buck.
It s a good one for an 86 -year-
old, said Hicks.
Hicks said he remembers his
first hunt with his father in
1938 when he was 16. He took
his first deer the next year.
It s quite a thing when you re
17, said Hicks.
Hick s father was featured
on the front cover of the March
1913 edition of
Rod and Gun in Canada
magazine.
Also inside the magazine
was a paragraph about a
hunter who had shot several
white squirrels in the vicinity
of Exeter.
Hicks said he and his fa-
ther hunted several areas in
Ontario including Algonquin
Park, Manitoulin Island and
the Bruce Peninsula.
Hicks said in 1910 his father
and other hunters used the
Hunters Special Train that
dropped off hunters at vari-
ous locations along the tracks.
A hunting license cost $2 in
1910.
Hicks said he has hunted
with the same group for sever-
al years, which includes Steve
Dinney, who said every group
has to have a veteran and they
are lucky to have Hicks.
I m the old buck, said
Hicks. I don t have to work.
Dinney added, It wouldn t
be any fun without you. He
keeps us in line.
Much about hunting has
changed since he started, said
Hicks, with the addition of
radios as well as ATVs to get
into the bush as well as to
bring game out.
Before the introduction of
ATVs, Hicks said you walked
or you didn t go, and to get
deer out was brute force and
awkwardness.
Training has also changed
with firearms and hunting
courses. You don t just walk
in and buy a license, he said.
In the early 1960s, Hicks
said there were no deer in
the Exeter area but in the last
25 years, the population has
taken off.
Hicks said he got his 10 -point
buck Dec. 1 on the first day of
the hunt.
With Hicks in a designated
location and Dinney and sev-
eral other hunters driving
the deer, Hicks said he saw
two deer running with 25 or
30 foot bounds. I missed the
front one but led the second
one...it was pretty exciting.
Hunting continues to run in
the Hicks family, with his son
a big game guide in Canada s
north.
Hicks plans on continuing to
head for the bush and says his
doctor recently said, you re
good for another 15 years.
Just starting his hunting ca-
reer is Becker, who recently
participated in the second
annual Youth Involvement in
Hunting at Hullett Conser-
vation Area, where he took
two pheasants. Becker says
he always wanted to get into
hunting and was one of 30
young hunters at the Hullet
event, with the hunters split
into three groups and cycled
through five fields as both
backup and shooter.
The day saw a variety of
training and activities and
was sponsored by the Ontario
Federation of Hunters and An-
glers, the Ministry of Natural
Resources, volunteer hunters
and the Friends of Hullet.
Among the training was a
seminar on landowner rela-
tions, a firearms -safety re-
fresher as well as field dress-
ing and safe handling of birds
and recipes for cooking pheas-
ants. Also covered were hunt-
ing ethics which included a
MNR trailer on site covering
illegal hunting.
In his second year of hunt-
ing, Becker is an apprentice
and is mentored by his father
Dan as well as taking firearms
and hunter safety courses with
Terry Romphf of Dashwood.
Colton is also looking for-
ward to the spring turkey hunt
but says deer are the toughest
to hunt when they are going at
full speed.
As a mentor for Colton, Dan
carries the rifle and gives it to
Colton to let him take his shot,
although when he turns 15
Colton will be able to carry his
own rifle.
The Beckers were also out
deer hunting this year, but
weren t able to bring any
home, although after Colton
was out of shells, one deer
stood there and basically stuck
out his tongue.
The great outdoors
Above, 14 year old appren-
tice hunter Colton Becker,
pictured with father and
mentor Dan Becker was
one of the young hunters
who took part in the sec-
ond annual Youth Involve-
ment in Hunting at Hullett
Conservation Area Dec. I .
At right, Franks Hicks of
Centralia took a I 0 point
buck on Dec. I . (photos/
Dear Santa,
Our names are Kayden and Ashley. Kayden is 2 14
and I m six We have both tried very hard to be good
this year but have tested our parents patience many
of times this year - we are just
at that age where trouble is
our second name!!! We have
put up our Christmas tree
and helped put on the deco-
rations. This year we are not
asking for much as we al-
ready have too much. I would
like a pink or purple i -Pod
and my Brother would like a
Leafs jersey & hat. We will try extra hard between now
and Christmas to be good so you will not have to fill
our stockings with coal. Take care, Santa we will
leave out an extra special treat for you this year. Safe
journeys!!
Love, Ashley & Kayden Keller
Parents: Sarah & Jason, Exeter, Ontario
Pool scores
Men s
John Hayter 759, Ken Kadey 677, Bob
Jones 666, Craig Hebert 663, Tyler Scott
661, John Burdon 646, Gary Deichert
631, Lee Seymour 608, Bill Crump 582,
Yvon Lauren 541, Ben Hoogenboom
526, Phil Turner 514, Derek Tiller
481, Howard Jones 408, Jim Hayter 393,
Matt Muller 390, Jerry Elmquist 382, Tom
Triebner 361, Jason Tower 250, Gus Gre-
gus 122
Ladies
Vicki Scott 682, Audrey Haugh
644, Helen Kadey 314, Helen Vincent
177
Juniors
Jordan Hill 758, Adam Foran Costain
737, Zach Kadey 634, Adam Windsor
306, Heath Coulter 69, Jessie Rudd 35
lock;
S ME R tzL
TRUE VALUE HARDWARE
Wishing you a
ferry Christmas
Donna & Kim
28 GOSHEN ST. N., ZURICH 519-236-4921
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Jan. 1, 2, 3 & 4/09
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25 Season's
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from all of us at
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26
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