This
is the 10th year that the great folks on the Z Bar Ranch have hosted
Pass It On - Outdoor Mentors hunters on this fantastic property to hunt deer.
All
of the young hunters got to see LOTS of deer.
All but 2 of them had shot opportunities and 6 of them
came home with their tags filled! For all but 2
of the hunters, this was their 1st deer hunting opportunity and
there wasn’t one of them who didn’t want to go back out again just as soon as
they could!
We
took 4 hunters on Saturday and the remaining 6 on
Sunday. We had guides and mentors for all of the hunters. A couple
of the mentors were not experienced deer hunters and we had guides accompany
them on the hunt, giving both the young hunter and their mentor the opportunity
to learn more about deer hunting.
I
had a call from one of the volunteer guides this morning that I’d like to share with you. He said that when he went
to work this morning, he was telling his co-workers about his Sunday
hunt. His co-worker, a non-hunter, joked about teaching inner-city kids
about guns. Mark took the opportunity to “educate” them about the
program. He related how, while preparing for the hunt, he had the
opportunity to share with the young hunter how important safe gun handling is,
at the range, while traveling to/from the hunt and while in the blind. He
told his co-worker about the conversations he had with the young hunter while
they shared the blind that afternoon, discussing how hunters have to hone their
skills in preparing to hunt, as we did earlier that afternoon shooting at the
range. He talked about the patience a hunter must have, waiting for just
the right opportunity to safely and humanely harvest the deer. He talked
to the young hunter about making good choices and the responsibilities that
hunters have to themselves, to the game, to the landowners and to other
hunters. All qualities that carry over to everyday
life. All qualities that define a good man.
He
told his co-worker how today’s youth are not unfamiliar
with guns. Many have guns in their homes or they have friends who do,
they see them in video games, on the History Channel, in the movies…guns
are prevalent in our society. By experiencing them first hand, the young
hunters come away with a more respectful attitude towards firearms
and how they are to be treated. Mark commented that the young
hunter he spent the afternoon with had a much more respectful attitude once he
saw and experienced first-hand what happens when a gun is
fired. The young hunter had made an excellent shot on a doe that
afternoon. When they field-dressed the deer, they found that the round
had hit the heart, just as he had been instructed that afternoon. The
young hunter saw up close and personal what happens when you shoot something.
Mark
let his co-worker know how the young hunter found that the act of pulling the
trigger was but a small portion of the hunting experience. The
preparation work going into the hunt and the work that goes into preparing the
game for the table is all a big part of the hunt as well. That and the
stories that get told after the hunt.
Too
many boys and girls today will never have the opportunity that the young hunter
who spent the afternoon with Mark had. They’ll
never know the satisfaction and sense of accomplishment that comes with
practicing and honing your shooting skills to the degree that you can
successfully take a deer with an expertly placed shot. They’ll
never know the thrill that comes with taking your first deer.
All
of the young hunters we had out this weekend came away knowing that they
possessed the skill to shoot straight and hit what they were aiming at (and a
couple now understand “Buck Fever” first-hand as well!). And all of the young hunters are eager to go at it again.
You
can check out more photos from our hunt on our Facebook page.
As
this hunting season progresses, we’ll be taking young hunters pheasant hunting,
duck hunting, goose hunting, and deer hunting, enjoying the thrill of the
great outdoors. I hope you have plans to take a child out this fall as
well.
What
we need is more men and women like Mark and the other volunteers who assisted
with this weekend’s hunt who will step up and make it happen. We need
sportsmen and women who will share their experiences in the outdoors with
children, especially children who won’t have that
opportunity otherwise. And today, there are too
many children who won’t have that opportunity.
We
also need your financial support. If you could help us with your
donation, we can continue growing the Pass It On - Outdoor Mentors program,
giving ever more children opportunities to experience the great outdoors.
Please click here to make a donation!
Have
a great time outdoors this fall! We will!
Mike
Christensen
Pass It On - Outdoor Mentors, Inc.
310 E 2nd
316-290-8883
mchristensen@outdoormentors.org
http://www.outdoormentors.org