FATHER-SON BONDING ELDER HUNTERS TRYING TO WORK IN SPORT'S NEW GENERATION.Byline: Rochelle Kaplan Special to the Daily News One of Marijan Grgas' fondest memories of bonding with his son was when he took the boy to the rifle range for the first time. Even though his son, Anton, was only a toddler and couldn't shoot, much less hold a rifle, Grgas wanted him exposed to an activity he deemed important. A pastime that Anton might want to choose for himself one day. ``I started him sitting on my lap at the age of 3 while I shot on the rifle range and then took him target shooting when he was 5,'' said Grgas, a mechanical engineer from Rancho Palos Verdes Rancho Pal·os Ver·des A city of southern California on a channel of the Pacific Ocean west of Long Beach. Population: 42,100. . ``I supervised him, of course, and I even had to build up the bench for him with pillows. ``When he was 7, I took him walking with me while I hunted, and at 10, he started shotgun shooting.'' Grgas wanted to create the same close relationship he had with his grandfather when he was a youngster. Anton, 12, and Grgas joined the Santa Clarita Valley The Santa Clarita Valley is the valley of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. It stretches through Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita. The valley was part of the 48,612-acre (19,672. Chapter of Quail quail, common name for a variety of small game birds related to the partridge, pheasant, and more distantly to the grouse. There are three subfamilies in the quail family: the New World quails; the Old World quails and partridges; and the true pheasants and seafowls. Unlimited (SCVQU) so they would have regular hunting, shooting and conservation trips. ``I wasn't in any hurry to get him into hunting,'' said Grgas, whose main focus is upland Upland, city (1990 pop. 63,374), San Bernardino co., S Calif., in a citrus-fruit region at the foot of the San Gabriel Mts.; inc. 1906. Citrus fruits and grapes are packed and processed in the city. Paint, orchard heaters, auto parts, and feed products are also made. game and waterfowl waterfowl, common term for members of the order Anseriformes, wild, aquatic, typically freshwater birds including ducks, geese, and screamers. In Great Britain the term is also used to designate species kept for ornamental purposes on private lakes or ponds, while in , ``and the first year, I basically walked with him so I could watch him and correct him. ``Now, to tell you the truth, he's turning into my best hunting partner. I even trust him more than my (adult) partners.'' Participating in a controlled hunt recently at the Van Damm Ranch property near Lancaster, the Grgases and other father-and-son teams were able to put their skills to the test as they tracked pen-raised Chukar chukar Popular small game bird (Alectoris chukar), a species of partridge. Stocked in many countries, it is native from southeastern Europe to India and Manchuria. It has a brown back with strongly barred sides and a black-outlined whitish throat. and Bobwhite bobwhite, common name for an American henlike bird of the family Phasianidae, which also includes the pheasant and the partridge. The eastern bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) is about 10 in. (25 cm) long. using trained hunting dogs. The hunt was staffed with volunteer guides affiliated with the High Desert Hunt Club as well as SCVQU. ``In a controlled environment, you can go out and see the dogs pointing and approach the birds in a safe manner,'' said Derek Fong, youth coordinator and vice chairman for SCVQU. ``Compared to packing up with a map and going into the wild, where you might not get anything, this is really good for the kids. And there's a lot of frustration in not getting anything.'' In the Grgas' group of four, 10 Bobwhite and three Chukar were taken out of a possible 20 ``planted'' birds. Like Grgas, Bob Hendrix grew up in a hunting family and wanted to impart his experience and enthusiasm to his 13-year-old son, Dan. Although Bob Hendrix's participation in the sport had waned in recent years, he envisioned a hunting duo with his son like he had with his father. He credits his business trips to the Central Valley the past two years - which afforded him opportunities for upland-game hunting in Visalia - as well as Dan's participation in SCVQU with getting him back into hunting and fulfilling his dream. ``What's really neat is that Dan got his first pheasant pheasant, common name for some members of a family (Phasianidae) of henlike birds related to the grouse and including the Old World partridge, the peacock, various domestic and jungle fowls, and the true pheasants (genus Phasianus). at 12 during a Game Bird Heritage Program event (of the California Department of Fish and Game) using the same shotgun I used at 12 to get my first pheasant,'' said Hendrix, a commercial real estate agent from Agoura Hills. ``It was a really neat thing for Pop.'' Even though his son is inundated in·un·date tr.v. in·un·dat·ed, in·un·dat·ing, in·un·dates 1. To cover with water, especially floodwaters. 2. with activities from baseball to surfing, Hendrix said the two participate regularly in SCVQU events such as hunting, trap shooting 1. (Sport) Shooting at pigeons liberated, or glass balls or clay pigeons sprung into the air, from a trap. and habitat renewing. ``When I was a kid, I hunted and fished and played pick-up football,'' Bob Hendrix said. ``Today, kids have so many activities, so many people pulling them in all directions.'' Dan, who'd just gotten his first Chukar, shrugged off all the talk about his intense schedule as if it's no big deal to juggle his outdoors activities. Although his long-term goal is to play third base for Pierce College In 2006 the Library won a national Excellence award. Academics Pierce College offers associate's degrees, mainly in the arts and sciences. There are also certificate programs in early childhood education, social services, dental hygienist, and others. in Woodland Hills, he's content to hone his shooting skills to become a better hunter. ``I try to go up to Oak Tree (Gun Club) as much as I can to practice on the 5-stand and with sporting clays Sporting Clays is a form of clay pigeon shooting. Often described as golf with a shotgun, the sport differs from trap and skeet shooting in that: 1. It is considered by many to be more difficult than trap or skeet. 2. ,'' said the eighth-grader from St. Jude's School in Westlake Village. ``But I also like trout fishing and, oh, I like to golf, too.'' With 60 active members in SCVQU, including many females, the club's primary focus is to keep the sport alive through youth and women's participation. ``It's a big family deal when we go out,'' said SCVQU chairman Bruce Kenyon. ``Usually, the kids come out first and then bring their parents at a later time. Fifty percent of people out there may not like hunting, but the other 50 percent will tell you that they just don't have the time to hunt. They're too busy making a living. That's part of the problem (with the sport). Youth is an important factor if hunting is to go on.'' Volunteer hunting guide and dog trainer A dog trainer is a person involved in the training of dogs. Professional "dog trainers" train the dogs to understand and comply with voice commands or hand signals. But as is more often the case, they find they must train the owners in proper use and technique. Dwayne Blankenship of La Crescenta agrees. ``Hunters are a dying breed,'' said Blankenship, a member of the High Desert Hunt Club. ``We want to introduce hunting back to the kids and women. Quail Unlimited is all about bringing out the youth.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: The father and son team of Bob, left, and Dan Hendrix are active members of the Santa Clarita Valley chapter of Quail Unlimited. Rochelle Kaplan/Special to the Daily News |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion