Protz focuses on young sportsmen

BY STACI WILSON

At 77 years of age, Mike Protz Jr. still likes going out into the woods to hunt, especially when there is fresh snow on the ground. For the Hallstead Sporting Goods owner, the experience is even more enjoyable when he takes a young hunter with him.

Protz’s dedication to young sportsmen is evident through his nearly 45 years as an instructor of the Hunter’s Safety Course.

As the next generation of local hunters prepared to take the course at the Blue Ridge Sportsmen’s Club on Saturday, Apr. 2, Protz, of Hallstead, received the “Sportsman of the Year” award, presented to him by club president Mike Rowlands. .

“This is one of the greatest sports you can ever participate in,” Protz told the young hunters before the class.

Rowlands said the club wanted to recognize Protz’s past support and contributions.

“We wanted to thank him for all he does for our community and our club,” Rowlands said.

Protz said, “I don’t know why I’ve been honored for doing the things I like to do.”

Protz has seen a lot of children go through the safety course through the years and still enjoys being an instructor. “It’s never been a task or a chore,” he said.

He said he tries to teach the hunter’s safety course students the basics. “From then on, it’s up to them to develop what they learn,” Protz said.

“I try to drill into them one thing – safety,” Protz said, “shooting a safe and visible target; landowner respect; and respect, in general, for wildlife.”

Protz said, “The educational component can’t compare to experience but it’s a start.”

A lifelong sportsman, Protz began shooting while he was growing up on a 117-acre farm in southwestern Pennsylvania.

“I’ve been a deer hunter ever since I could legally hunt,” said Protz.

It’s the anticipation of the hunt that keeps him active in the sport. “You hope you can call in a big turkey, or see a black bear or a great big buck,” he said.

He has hunted in most of the states from Key West, Fla. to California. “My goal always was to hunt in Alaska but I never got there – yet,” he said.

But one state stands out as Protz’s favorite – Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania offers a lot of opportunities for hunters, fisherman and trappers. “There is a lot of area, in every county, to hunt in,” Protz said. “I’m just as happy to stay in this county. There is so much area in this county to hunt on.”

He has a favorite hunting spot, on a friend’s piece of land in Liberty Twp. “I used to hunt all over the state but when you find a favorite spot you keep going back,” he said.

“In my opinion, hunting is Pennsylvania is the best,” Protz said. “The Game Commission and Fish Commission here are excellent. They are two of the best wildlife organizations there are.”

After he retired from the Link Simulator Division as an engineering manager in 1991, Protz took over ownership of Hallstead Sporting Goods, Rt. 11, Hallstead, and still manages the daily operation the store.

In addition to being a member of the Blue Ridge Sportsman’s Club, Protz also is a member of the Canawacta Rod & Gun Club and the Hallstead-Great Bend Rod & Gun Club.

Most of his time, he said, is spent as a member of the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen Executive Board. Protz is a past-president of the PFSC.

He is also a lifetime member of the National Rifle Assocaition.

But his passion for outdoor sports is a family affair.

His wife, Dorothy, is not a hunter but she is active in the PFSC and holds the office of treasurer on the executive board.

So when Protz travels to conventions and meetings, “Dorothy is in the seat right beside me.”

His three adult children, two daughters and one son, grew up learning how to shoot.

Now Protz is passing down his passion for the sport to his grandsons.

“My two grandsons are so enthusiastic. They both have guns they use that I built for them,” Protz said.

For Protz, working with kids is the best part of being a sportsman.

“They are the future of our sport. They’re the future of everything,” he said.