Aim Small, Miss Small

“Aim small, miss small.”

THOSE WORDS uttered by Benjamin Martin, played by the brilliant Mel Gibson in 2000’s The Patriot had an impact.

In the film, Martin is telling his sons, they need to focus their aim on something small on the British soldiers if they hope to be successful and rescue their brother.

It’s a sad, but powerful scene and one that would never get into a mainstream Hollywood film during this era. For starters, it paints America in a good light, and that’s not allowed anymore— and it shows kids with guns.

The Patriot is one of my favorite movies, and that line has stayed with me over the years.

It adds to the “pick a spot” theory of bowhunting that I learned early on. It aims to stop the archer from shooting at the body, instead of a particular spot on the vitals.

But “aim small, miss small” has many other applications including in the world of wildlife and habitat conservation.

In the September/October issue, I addressed the habitat loss apocalypse we’re facing. I said we would talk about how we can be a solution.

“Aim small, miss small”.

All of us who truly love our natural resources need to pick a cause or two and focus raising our awareness and donations there.

It can be overwhelming to see all of our conservation problems and think your efforts cannot have an impact. This is why many people quit before they ever really get started. My suggestion is to “Aim small, miss small.”

My family is committed to wild sheep conservation, so we started our Sheep Scrapbook Project. The sole aim is to raise awareness of the disease issues facing wild sheep in North America.

Everyone who turns in a photo of a desert bighorn, Rocky Mountain bighorn, Dall or Stone sheep gets a special challenge coin. Then we share the photos at highercallingwildlife.com and post information about disease issues in the state or province where the photo was taken.

Sometimes the disease information comes from those submitting the photos. A Nevada hunter submitted  a beautiful photo of a herd of six California bighorns (a subspecies) and said that the whole herd was killed by the state. The reason? They had been exposed to pneumonia from domestic sheep contact. As shocking as that sounds, that’s common practice in sheep country.

By starting this project, we have been able to get media coverage, raise awareness of the issue among hunters outside of the quite small sheep hunting world and we hope, help wild sheep.

Maybe you don’t want to start a conservation project, but you can donate to one. PIck a specific project of a conservation group you respect. Many will have specific projects that need help. Remember, funds donated to them have to be legally earmarked for that project.

It can be quite gratifying to know you helped create new oyster habitat on the Texas coast. Or stop native grasslands crucial to waterfowl nesting from going under the plow.

Something as simple as buying a duck stamp can do just that. That money goes to waterfowl refuge land acquisition and much of it is in the prairie pothole region. Also, there’s no limit on how many stamps you can buy.

Buy one each for your whole family and everyone at work even if they don’t hunt. It would be a great way to let people know how duck hunters contribute to conservation.

Inquire about conservation groups. Find a project you want to help with and get involved. It’s a very gratifying feeling to know you are making a difference.

Something else that helps is volunteerism. Groups such as CCA, the National Wild Turkey Federation, Ducks Unlimited, Delta Waterfowl, The Texas Bighorn Society and others are always looking for volunteers for projects involving habitat and species restoration.

How cool would it be to catch a fish on a piece of coastal habitat you helped restore?

Getting involved with conservation is fun. If we don’t do it, then we have no excuse for losing it down the line. Everyone needs some skin in the game.

Hunting doesn’t make you a conservationist and fishing doesn’t qualify you as a fisheries advocate. However, being proactive for the sake of our resources does. Now is a great time to get in the fight.

For the last nine years I have been wearing a zebra bandana. I did it for branding purposes for a television project I was involved in. Also, it represents some important things to me—one of my favorite scriptures Isaiah 53:5, and my wife’s love of zebras.

But as I enter year 10, I am changing it to camouflage. It will represent the increasing spiritual and mental battle we face in a world gone mad—and an enhanced commitment to habitat conservation.

Putting it on will remind me that the mule deer I love need a place to roam. It also reminds me that redfish, bonefish and tarpon need quality seagrass flats. It’s just a little thing, but is another example of “aim small, miss small.”

I commit to hitting the target of more conservation action and that means paying attention to the little details that pay big dividends down the line. Stay inspired and keep wildfire, fisheries and habitat on your minds going into 2022.

 

Email Chester Moore at cmoore@fishgame.com

 

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