A Wilton man stresses ethics, responsibility and safety while hunting.
WILTON – Charles Stenger has dedicated nearly a third of his life to keeping people safe. At 83, he’s still living up to his goal.
Stenger of Jay, formerly of East Dixfield, is a master safety instructor for the state Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Department. He has volunteered his time to teach hunting safety to more than 1,000 people over the last 25 years in Franklin and Oxford counties. His students range in age from 10 to 65.
At age 78, after his wife Rose Mary died, he became certified to teach all-terrain vehicle, snowmobile and bow hunting safety. He now teaches those courses as well, which has benefited more than 150 people.
“When my wife died, I wasn’t going to sit around,” he said. “I figured that maybe I could last longer if I keep my mind and body busy. So far it’s worked.”
Stenger, slightly stooped from age, talks about safety at the Wilton Fish and Game Club. It’s where he teaches several classes a year, including one last Saturday.
The retired New York Telephone troubleshooter moved to Maine in 1977. He joined the Fish and Game Association and was curious what it took to be a master instructor. He studied and took the test.
The late Mr. Ford gave him the 50-question test right at the club.
“He was strict,” he said. “Afterward, Mr. Ford said ‘you passed but if you missed one, you would have failed.’ It was either 100 percent or nothing – zero.”
Stenger stresses safe gun handling for hunters. Most importantly, he said, is people shouldn’t load guns until they’re in the area they’re going to hunt, and they need to keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction.
“What’s safe is where that muzzle is not pointed at anybody,” he said.
Sometimes he’ll stand in front of the class and, other times, he’ll pull up a stool. He uses videos to emphasize the points he makes and what shouldn’t be done.
“That’s why I like to get the younger people in here before they learn bad habits,” he said.
There shouldn’t be any reason anybody should get hurt from a firearm, he said.
“Those so-called accidents are not accidents,” Stenger said. “They’re careless acts. An accident is something that happens that you have no control over. I’ve seen it and read about people getting hurt or killed and why? That’s what prompted me to get involved.”
He also stresses ethics.
“An ethical person to me is when nobody is around they do the right thing, what society expects of them,” he said. “Ethics is a combination of responsibility and safety. All three go together.”
He teaches first aid, basic survival skills and other topics necessary to be safe in the woods.
Only two people have failed the test after his hunting safety courses. A 70 grade is passing.
“It’s a rare thing to have someone fail,” he said.
One child wasn’t ready and his mother knew it before he took the course, and the other child had trouble reading but didn’t mention it until after the test. The next time, the latter child passed.
“I’ve dedicated myself to teaching safety,” he said. “That’s my goal for the rest of my life and I don’t know how much longer that is going to be.”
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