Mentor Rich

I've written many entries about my good fortune to have hunted with my father and grandfather. Those experiences mean more to me than I can express. However, while I was writing my last entry about a friend who taught me about duck hunting, I realized that I've been fortunate enough to have had many mentors. When I started working for the Kansas Fish and Game Commission in 1983, I was just out of college and hungry for outdoor experiences. I was pretty confident in my outdoor knowledge, but when I started hanging out with co-workers who were a little older and more experienced, I discovered how little I knew. One co-worker in particular, turned out to be a great friend and trusted mentor, especially when it came to deer hunting. Gene Brehm was the full-time photographer for the department when I came to work, and Gene took me under his wing. At that time, I had killed one deer with a rifle and had taken up bowhunting. When I started following Gene around in the woods, I was embarrassed at how little I knew about deer behavior and hunting strategies. Our deer populations were fairly low in this part of the state back then, and a bowhunter didn't get many chances. Without Gene's guidance and friendship, it would have taken years for me to find any success. I've been lucky to have many good friends who have helped me learn about hunting and fishing, and I think most other hunters can say the same thing. Lifelong friendships develop through outdoor mentoring. There is high level of trust and commitment that evolves during such a relationship, and it's another reason why our hunting heritage is so important.

Teal Hunting Mentor

I started hunting pheasants with my dad and granddad, and pheasants were about all we hunted, although we occasionally jumped a pond for ducks. When my high school hunting buddy Rex and I got our driver's licenses and wheels, we expanded our hunting horizons. However, our duck hunting was still limited to jumping ponds. I didn't discover real duck hunting until I went to college at K-State, where I met Kurt Keller. Kurt and I were in the same fraternity, and we discovered we a had lot in common, especially a love for hunting and fishing. Kurt grew up just a couple of miles from Cheyenne Bottoms, and when he talked about hunting ducks over decoys, I was all ears. That first winter, Kurt scrounged up eight or 10 decoys from his dad's garage and we spent several mornings at the Oldsburg Marsh on the upper end of Tuttle Creek Wildlife Area. I bought a cheap duck call and huffed on it until I was blue in the face. We skipped a few classes, had a great time and even killed a duck or two. I learned how much I enjoyed "real" duck hunting.

The next fall, Kurt invited me home with him one September weekend to hunt teal at Cheyenne Bottoms. I had no idea what I was in for. We scouted the pools that Friday evening and got up early on Saturday to be at the headquarters office to select a blind. An hour before sunrise, we headed for our blind, set out a dozen decoys and waited. I remember the teal flying pretty well that morning, but I was completely dependent on Kurt to point them out and assure me they were teal and not big ducks. Kurt and I hunted and fished together throughout our college years and got together a time or two after we graduated, then lost touch. Today, I hunt teal every September if I get the chance, and I relish hunting on the Bottoms. Each time I'm there, I remember those days hunting with Kurt. He was a year younger than me, but he was my duck hunting mentor, and he's mostly responsible for my love of waterfowl hunting today.

Too often we think of a mentor as someone older, but anyone who takes the time to share learned skills and wisdom can be an outdoor mentor. Those hunts with Kurt were 30 years ago, and I still remember them clearly. Never underestimate the power of passing it on. Thanks, Kurt.

STEPPING BACK IN TIME TO A SPECIAL PLACE

Some of my favorite childhood memories include a 10-acre farm pond tucked away in the rolling prairies  of southcentral Kansas. Mom and Dad gave me a fishing lease for an eighth grade graduation present, and I couldn't have been more thrilled. I actually remember the first trip Dad and I took to the pond after graduation. Through high school, several of my friends and I spent some fantastic times at the pond, camping, fishing and hunting. The landowners were generous, giving us permission to hunt deer and waterfowl during the fall. Now flash forward 35 years. New landowners allowed an old friend and I to fish recently. I hadn't seen the pond in 20 years and wasn't sure how well it had aged. When we drove through the gate, I was relieved to see that it was still just as beautiful as I remembered. But I knew it couldn't possibly live up to my childhood memories of fishing. But you know what? It did. We caught several nice bass on a warm evening, including a couple that were big enough to get excited about. Memories of past fishing trips flooded my mind as we fished and reminisced. It was a great evening, and it reinforced my feelings about this special place and the people who are most important to me. When I write about the impact spending time fishing and hunting with youngsters can have on their lives, I mostly focus on the relationships between people. However, time in the outdoors also develops relationships with the land. It's a puzzle made up of people, experiences and the land, and each piece is crucial.

HUNTER EDUCATION IS A GREAT FIRST STEP

 I know it's still hot, but I can feel it in my bones that fall is on the way. I saw on the weather that we're supposed to have a night-time low in the 60s later this week. Yep, fall will be here before you know it. Another reason I know fall is coming is that our Hunter Education Program is in full swing right now. Demand for classes will continue to increase from now through the end of October.

In Kansas, anyone born on or after July 1, 1957 must complete an approved hunter education course before hunting. The minimum age to be certified through the Kansas program is 11. Kids 15 and younger can hunt without hunter education certification as long as they have adult supervision. That regulation was changed so that parents could take kids hunting before committing to the 10-hour class. If they enjoy hunting, then they can find a class and enroll.

But you shouldn't look at a hunter education class as a hurdle to clear so you can go hunting. In fact, the class is a great first step, or initiation, into hunting for kids and adults. And with the internet-assisted delivery course that is getting more popular, the class is fun, too. The internet-assisted course lets students complete a portion of their studies online at their own speed. Then they will attend a field day that provides lots of hands-on activities, including trail walks, shotgun live-fire, and firearm handling. Classroom work is minimal, and students learn and have fun outside. Many will break a flying target or load a bolt-action rifle for the first time. It's a great first step to hunting.

Hunter education classes are taught by volunteer instructors who have a passion for hunting and the outdoor heritage. This passion is transferred through their dedication to teaching youngsters about hunter ethics, wildlife management, safe gun handling and more. To find a class near you, log on to the KDWPT website.

COUNTDOWN TO HUNTING SEASON

The countdown has begun. Only 25 days until the dove season opener, and I can't wait. I've mentioned before that I think one of my first dove hunts with Dad when I was 13 probably still influences how much I look forward to dove season. But the fact that it's the first hunting season of the fall and that Kansas is a great place to hunt doves probably has something to do with my enthusiasm. Good memories from an annual tradition of hunting on opening day with good friends figures in, as well.

Though the dove population is usually very high in Kansas by Sept. 1, the best hunting is found in areas where doves concentrate. Over the next three weeks hunters will be scouting for pasture ponds, worked wheat stubble fields, sunflower fields and roost sites.

If you haven't found your dove spot yet, check out KDWPT's website. On the dove page, you'll find a listing of public areas have special managed dove fields, which often produce spectacular wingshooting. And look through the areas carefully because several have fields set aside for youth hunters or youth/mentor pairs. These areas can provide the perfect opportunity to get a young hunter thoroughly hooked on wingshooting. Give it a shot.

Scouting For Enthusiasm

Even though this summer's heat is keeping most of us indoors, there is an easy and fun way to build enthusiasm for the coming hunting seasons while staying comfortable in your truck's air conditioning. When I was a youngster, our family had a tradition of taking Sunday evening drives. We'd cruise the backroads of Kiowa County, and I'd keep a tab on the number of pheasants I spotted. It was great fun, and I was always competing to see the most birds, although I don't think my sister really cared. When bird numbers were high, those scouting trips made waiting for November tough for 13-year-old. When we were old enough, Dad would slide over and let me or my little sister drive a few miles. I'll never forget learning to drive a manual transmission on that old Ford with a "three-on-the-tree." With the current drought casting doubt on prospects for the coming bird seasons in some areas, scouting will be critical to success. There will be pockets of good cover, center-pivot corners, and waterholes that will concentrate game birds. If you find a new spot this summer, you'll have time to contact the landowner an seek hunting permission before the seasons open. If you have a young hunter along, scouting will help build enthusiasm. And if there's a learner's permit holder in the truck, a lonely gravel road is the perfect place to hone driving skills. I can assure you, they'll never forget.