I would have been less shocked if this had come from the other side.

Currently across the nation we are losing hunters at an alarming rate, and a hunter ed instructor does something like this? Ovbiously he is not the sharpest knife in the drarwe. Granted a majority of hunters are republican, I would think it would be more benifiical to get as many people intersted in hunting, regardless of party lines or religious beliefs. No two people are every going to see eye to eye 100% of the time, but the bond forged by the outdoors is one of the greatest bonds between people that exists.

The HE class was no place for such politics. The instructor was there to teach HE and promote hunting to young people. OK DNR did the right thing in un-volunteering the gentleman. I am not a supporter of Mr. Obama but that went way across the line.

Jim in MO we had a principal of a highschool here in GA (Cobb Co. aka Atlanta) last week announce that each student must say the pledge of allegence. Normally I would agree whole heartedly, but in this case her reasoning was that the pledge was not about patriotism, but was about necessary devotion to Mr. Obama. Neal Bortz covered it well on Friday and now parents are in an uproar.

well obama does have the characteristics of the anti chrisst and is a moron and disgusting excuse for a human being but i guess becoming a hunter has nothing to do with political vciews and the instructor should have kept his mouth shut

Well if you voted for Obama, I am not sure how much you treasure your guns and rights to hunt. If you want that way of life don't voted democrat, simple as that. The instructor probably went about it the wrong way, but he also probably didn't expect to see a liberal anxious to get a gun and go hunting.

Yes, that is sad - taking things way over the edge. Have to admit, it is sometimes too easy to let political opinions out on a blog (I've been guilty of that). Support for outdoorsmen and conservation is not necessarily party specific. Second amendment support is more divided. But, all that doesn't matter - as sportsmen we do need to support each other.

I once lived in an area where, during elections, almost every lawn is marked by Democrat signs. As a neighborhood party, a woman seriously claimed that she wouldn't associate with Republicans. I asked her about Libertarians. Those she didn't mind. Go figure. She's a school teacher with daily access to many more kids than Mr. Wolf, who was, rightfully, terminated.

That guy is something else. I don't have a problem with anyone having thier own beliefs, but to express them in a room full a kids is wrong. Politics and the outdoors don't really go hand in hand, I know I don't ask the guys that I hunt with who they voted for. I don't care I just want to enjoy my time hunting or fishing.

This is very disappointing to hear about someone who is in a position to mentor future hunters and outdoorsmen. While everyone is entitled to their own opinion, this guy definately crossed the line and in the process and gave a very negative first impression of the intentions of Hunter Safety Courses. I'm glad to hear he was "relieved" of his duties for overstepping his authority and politicizing the Hunter Education Process. As I learned in the 4-H Shooting Sports Training Workshops, it all about the KIDS! They are the future of our sport, and a good hunter safety course could start a lifetime of enjoyment of the outdoors, or even a career helping others learn to do it safely, ethically, and responsibly.

The instructor should have kept his political leanings out of the course and classroom and just did his job.

Pretty simple stuff.

Jim

Jim in Mo pretty much said it.

As a Instructor myself now retired, the only person I didn’t pass was the poster child for "what not to do in hunter safety!" Think that was bad, you should have seen the beer cans in his truck!

After reading the article, I was proud of our Wildlife department. One of the things that I know from living here in Oklahoma all my life, is that generally you can count on an 'Okie' to do what is right. We can be bull-headed and opinionated, but one thing that we mostly agree on is that you treat others like you want to be treated.

From the story, I feel this is the most moving point:
"“Lance Meek called and apologized up and down and wanted to know what they could do to make it right,” she said. “The only thing we really wanted was for my son to be able to take the hunter safety course, and there wasn’t another one in the Tulsa area with an opening for the rest of 2009.”

So Meek arranged for a private class."

Completely unacceptable. Need an example of why people think we're crazy? Here it is.

Too bad that the leader of this class didn't have the common sense he should have been teaching his students. I think it is okay to dicuss politics in relation to hunting/firearms/regulations, because it is a part of the process that we all need to understand. But this went too far, an no matter who you voted for, it should not block you from taking hunters ed. How are we going to get others interested in hunting, etc. when we do stupid stuff like this?

What an idiot. I'm glad they fired him. No severance pay either. I'm not saying that i'm an obama fan but i'm sure there is some people that voted for him and are outdoors activists at the same time.
In a perfect world politics and the outdoors would not mix, does that make our world the exact moral opposite?

Nate