They're All Good Kids

Last Saturday I spent the afternoon loading 20 ga. shells into semi-automatic shotguns and helping kids break flying targets. Council Grove Wildlife Area manager Brent Konen conducted his ninth Annual Outdoor Youth Event. This year 50 participating kids, instructors and helpers were first treated to lunch by Flint Hills Chapter of Quail and Upland Wildlife Federation members, who grilled hamburgers and hotdogs. After lunch, students were divided into four groups, each going to a skills station, including archery, two shotgun/wingshooting stations, and a pellet gun range. They spent about 45 minutes at each station -- so I'm told. Once we get started in one of these events, I lose track of time. I get lost of the effort to ensure that every youngster learns something about shooting a shotgun safely and effectively. The kids were great, and every one of them broke a flying target. Some broke just about every target I could throw for them. One young lady was particularly enjoyable because she had such a great attitude. On her first turn, she followed instructions well and had good success. On her second turn at the station, I challenged her further, throwing some crossing targets and doubles. She broke them all and after each target broke, she giggled and smiled with delight. Students like her make an instructor look good, and I was definitely pleased with her success. After we were done shooting, Brent spoke to the group about what the event means to him and what he hoped it meant to them. A bunch of door prizes were given away before the group broke up to head home. I was loading target launchers into the trailer when the young lady walked out to thank me. She was all smiles as I told her she was more than welcome and that I hoped she got a chance to go hunting this fall. She was sure her dad had plans for that. We started the three-hour drive back to Pratt at 5 p.m. It was a long day, but that little girl's smiling thank you made it all worth while. I've said it before, but I'll say it again -- they're all good kids. Every one of these kids responded positively to the attention they received from instructors and all seem to have a great time. I know they all won't become hunters but I know some will, and I hope last Saturday was a perfect stepping stone for them to start that journey.

A Love Of Hunting Dogs

I wrote an entry last winter about how much hunting behind a couple of bird dogs when I was 12 years old impacted me. Since that day, I've always loved and been fascinated by hunting dogs. I had my first when I was a sophomore in high school. A Christmas present from Dad, he was a mongrel, really -- half Lab and half Brittany. He looked like a yellow Lab with a docked tail. Sam and I had some great hunting and fishing adventures. How I loved that dog. Over the last 30 years, I've never  been without bird dogs -- Brittanys and Labs. Not only do they enhance my hunting experiences, they enrich my life. Our dogs are not kenneled but live with us in the house. I enjoy their company, and I never get tired of the unconditional affection and loyalty dogs display. Hunting birds without a dog for me is like fishing in a swimming pool -- what's the point? I thoroughly enjoy hunting with a few select friends, but I also enjoy outings that are just me and the dog. I've had several great hunts with my old Lab this fall and hope to have more. He also accompanied my wife and I to Colorado, helping me trout fish however he could. Living with and training bird dogs is just one facet of the hunting heritage, but it's a part that impacts the hunting lifestyle and makes life more rewarding. I can't imagine my life without either.

Renewing The Passion

Some of my earliest memories are of fishing in Colorado with my parents and grandparents. I suppose that's why the Rocky Mountains and rushing rivers still hold such a strong attraction for me. Twenty-five years ago, my wife, Lisa, and I began making short vacations to the mountains. We'd spend two or three days in an area, exploring, sightseeing and fishing, and Lisa developed the same love of the mountains I have. Eventually we settled on an area around Creede because we found a wonderful ranch on the Rio Grande River that rents rustic cabins. We've returned to this area each year now for 20 years, and we've increased our stay to a full week. Three days just weren't enough. We spend every daylight hour outside, soaking in the cool mountain air hiking, fishing, and taking photographs. I realize that nearly everyone who spends time in the mountains appreciates the spectacular scenery. However, our connection is deeper. The mountains, the rivers, the brown trout, all renew a passion that developed in me when I was five years old. The time I spent with my family at a very young age makes this annual trek to the mountains a necessary event for me. While Lisa's tradition is younger, it's no less important. I always think of Granddad and Grandma when I'm in the mountains, and I'm still amazed at the impact the time I had with them has on my life.

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.