Your Youth Hunting Day should be used as a tool to convey important messages about hunting ethics to the Apprentices along with the other hunting related topics. This includes:

• Hunting with respect which includes habitat, interests of fellow hunters and the non-hunting public.

• Hunting responsibly so they have the skills and knowledge to harvest the bird confidently, and to minimize the loss if they are wounded during the hunt.

• Using their firearm and other tools of the hunt wisely, safely and legally.

• Hunting with conservation in mind to benefit both game and non-game species

• How to increase their understanding of how the public perceives hunters and the activity of hunting.

• Honouring their hunting heritage including the connection to the communities in which we live.

While ethics can not be regulated, they do matter in the way the general public perceive and/or develop attitudes towards hunting. The Field Marshals and dog handlers will be in the best position to talk about ethics so they should be familiarized with these points. Have the Field Marshals ask leading questions before the hunting starts and ask them to report back on the kind of conversation that follows with both the Mentors and Apprentices. Be sure the Field Marshals engage everyone in their  group with the aim of securing agreement regarding these principles. These principles for ethical hunting were taken from the Hunting Heritage Hunting Futures Initiative In Ontario.