There are a variety of Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks programs designed to recruit new hunters and anglers. All efforts are in response to a declining trend in the number of Kansans who purchase hunting and fishing licenses, as well as the desire to see our outdoor heritage passed on. But the positive impact of teaching youngsters about the outdoors may go much deeper than merely passing on a heritage.

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Thanks Jim

I n 2001, Pass It On, the department’s fledgling hunter recruitment program was just beginning and as coordinator, I wasn’t sure where we were headed. I wanted to emphasize youth involvement, and I was certain hands-on experiences were important. We started by
training agency staff to be wingshooting instructors. 

Jim Kellenberger was in his 35th year as a game warden, holding the title of regional supervisor for the last 20. He was an avid hunter and skilled wingshooter and had taught hunter education through a good portion of his career. He had already passed on his love of hunting to his own children, and he took an interest in the Pass It On program, believing in its importance. Jim took all of the instructor training we could offer. He also had officers who worked for him involved.

We focused on wingshooting because Kansas offers a wide array of excellent bird hunting opportunities, and wingshooting clinics are easy to accommodate. The youngsters who went through our early classes responded positively, but we were only reaching a few hundred each year. 

In 2003, Jim retired from the agency after 38 years of service. He was respected and well-liked, and his officers rewarded him with an expense-paid dove hunting trip to Argentina! At his retirement party, Jim and I visited about the Pass It On program, and I suggested that he consider becoming a part-time wingshooting instructor (or maybe he suggested it, I can’t remember). 

A week later, Jim called and said he definitely wanted to see if we could create a part-time position for him. Neither of us knew how it would work out. My priority was conducting these events across the state and getting as many youngsters involved as we could.

Within a couple of months, Jim was outfitted with a fully stocked trailer, an old law enforcement pickup and a shooting vest with the Pass It On logo embroidered on the back. It was slow at first, but we did enough events that first year to build some momentum.

Interest continued to grow and Jim eventually built up to 21-25 events a year, mostly on Saturdays from March through October. Over the past 13 years, Jim conducted nearly 300 wingshooting events and instructed more than 10,000 shooters. Most were youngsters, age 10-16, but he instructed at many women-only events, as well. Jim has loaded more than 200,000 20-gauge shotgun shells into the semi-automatic shotguns we use in our programs. He then watched over-the-shoulder on each of those shots, instructing the shooters. I would bet my next paycheck that you could count the number of shooters who failed to break at least one target over the past 13 years on one hand.

Jim criss-crossed the state, never hesitating to drive from his home base in Jetmore to an event in Chanute or Junction City. When a group requested one of our programs, I contacted Jim to see if his calendar was open. He never once asked where or how far. It was, “I’m open that day. Just tell me when and where and I’ll be there.” He just about drove the wheels off of that first hand-me-down truck. Many event organizers asked for him by name when they rescheduled. His only rule was that we didn’t schedule any shooting events during pheasant season because he always had other plans. 

It’s been a good ride. Jim is still very much alive and kicking, much to the chagrin of Hodgeman County pheasants, but he’s hanging up his shotgun instruction vest. He had
another great year until some minor surgery knocked him out of action this October. While he was recuperating, with a singular goal of being able to walk the fields after pheasants this November, he confirmed what I suspected. He was retiring again. He actually apologized for
“bailing out” on me. I told him he didn’t owe the program an apology. He was responsible for what it had evolved into. I have a couple of other part-time instructors, and they’ll likely be busy next year. I know I can’t replace Jim – there’s only one. I hope to hire another instructor, but I don’t expect to find one with half them passion, dedication and knowledge
Jim had. I’m sad because I enjoyed working with him, but the kids are the ones who’ll miss out. He is truly one of kind.

On behalf of a generation of Kansas wingshooters and bird hunters, "
Thanks, Jim. We owe you more than you will ever know.”

2 comments:

  1. Mike:
    I had the good fortune to teach with Jim at the Kansas Wildlife Federation's Outdoor Adventure Camp two times. He was excellent with the campers and a superb teaching partner.

    ReplyDelete