Instructor

Dorindo Gravina has been an avid hunter and fisherman for close to 40 years and along with his firearms training partner, together have over 80 years of experience in hunting and shooting sports. He is experienced in all the aspects of hunting including hunting with a Bow, Crossbow, Rifle, Shotgun, and Muzzle loader. He has always been a student himself and is always trying to learn and improve what he brings to the classroom.

"I've always believed that hunting is a family activity. I take great satisfaction in teaching new and young hunters coming into the sport. I've been fortunate enough to hunt with my family including my father, both my grandfathers, as well as my uncles, and now with my children. My friends and family hunt with me including my children, my father, uncles, and all our friends, its great. I've always tried teaching my kids and my students about conservation, ethics, and the respect for the animals they will pursue and put on their tables, but also to respect all of nature and what our relationships and responsibility should be."

It's these beliefs that he brings to the Hunter Education. An active member of the Islington Sportsmen Club who always helps out with youth related programs at the club. He's also a member of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters as well as the International Hunter Education Association.

Testimonials

 

Dorindo,

My family and I wanted to take a moment and express our thanks for the opportunity to take your hunting course. Jordan was only 14 years old when he took your course this fall. We were apprehensive and wondering if he was too young and if the course would be given in a format that would engage a teenager. You have eliminated any doubt and far exceeded our expectations, but most of all you have truly inspired Jordan and made a lasting impression. Your passion, commitment and spirit resonated loudly in your delivery of the course. So much so, we have every intention of signing up our youngest son as soon as he turns 12 years old. Based on Jordan's experience and the passion and respect for the balance of nature and the privilege of hunting in such a richness of resources that he has come away with, I in turn decided to take your course. I saw first hand, your passion and leadership in support of our wildlife and this has earned our respect and we strive to ensure we capture the essence of hunting and it's privilege in every outing we do!! Thank you so much for providing us with the knowledge not only to hunt safely but also enabling a new found respect for our wilderness and all of the natural resources that surround us. Keep up the passion, and spirit and know that you have forever left an impression on our family. We hope you continue to share your knowledge, and expertise for years to come.

Thanks
The Lavictoire Family

I met Dorindo in the hunting course in 2009, he was talking about hunting as if it was his job. Later I discovered that he was using his hunter's instinct to hunt deer or moose or whatever. He has been hunting for more than 30 years with too much experience & knowledge about wild game. Then, I took the archery hunting course with him, this course was really interesting, however, it is not a requirement to hunt in Ontario, but I have really learned lots of information about deer, bear and moose anatomy & what the best spot to have a clean kill with the fastest recovery. The archery course was very realistic as it took place in a small cabin in a forest where he put some animals decoys and simulated a deer kill and how could we recover it by tracking the blood & other signs of the natural habitat of the wild game. He explained also the hunting methods as stocking & holding place hunting. He also demonstrated the use of different kinds of tree stands and the best use of each. At the end I would like to say that this guy is teaching from his own hunting background experience, not from text books like many other instructors.

Bob Ramzi, Hunter

 

"I began Dorindo Gravina's hunting class, this past weekend, with some skepticism -to say the least. Supporting ideologies rooted in animal-rights, environmental sustainability and anti-violence, I was convinced that I would not get much out of his course. By the end of the day I was blown away to discover that both Dorindo's personal hunting principles, and the principles of responsible hunting more generally, were absolutely in line with my personal politics! Hunting, as Dorindo so passionately informed us, is about adhering to fundamental ethics guided by notions of respect, responsibility and safety. Thus, the rights of Ontario's animals, the maintenance of our delicate eco-systems and the control of (gun)violence are always promoted to the highest degrees of consideration.

I am confident that the stereotypes which were challenged this weekend could not have been dismantled by a better instructor. Dorindo Gravina is fantastic; an enthusiastic, humorous, supportive and tactful teacher, Dorindo is "armed" with limitless knowledge informed by over 40 years of experience as an Ontario hunter. While at first a full-day hunting course might seem daunting, to "bear" witness to Dorindo's passion through his use of conversations, demonstrations, videos and diagrams, is an absolute privilege that goes by in the blink of an eye.

There is so much to be learned from both this course and Dorindo. As a former skeptic, I am confident that anyone, no matter what their level of interest in hunting is, can benefit from spending a day in his class. From the bottom of my heart wish to I thank Dorindo for his patience and energy, and for the knowledge which he so passionately shared with us this weekend. I hope that I will make him proud as I begin my own exploration of the sport this fall…"

Jennifer Lasachuk, October 2013

Pictures