54 NEBRASKAland • NOVEMBER 2017
Hunting for Mentors
By Jeff Kurrus
T
here may never be a better
time to take a kid hunting
than November. To watch a
youngster's eyes bug out after
seeing their first covey rise
or flock of mallards making one last
turn toward the decoys before fully
committing is priceless.
But simple hunts can be just
as rewarding. Some of my most
pleasurable hunting experiences as a
kid were squirrel hunts, and now I'm
starting these hunts with my own family.
November is also the time for the deer
rut, where bucks often lose control of all
logical thoughts and begin chasing does.
But it doesn't take a snorting buck in
rut to do it. It doesn't hurt, mind you,
but every trip in nature becomes an
outdoor classroom for a
young hunter when they
are allowed to walk the edge of a field
or through a game trail in the woods.
What if you don't know all the
answers to the questions that they'll
ask? Simply shrug and say, "I don't
know." This moment then becomes an
opportunity for further investigation
by both the mentor and mentee. These
hunts are always learning experiences
for everyone involved. And in a month
like November, there is a lot that can be
learned together.
In addition, if you enjoy
these mentoring sessions, visit
OutdoorNebraska.org/mentoredhunts
to learn about additional outreach
opportunities or OutdoorNebraska.org/
huntereducation to learn about becoming
part of the Nebraska Game and Parks
Commission's Mentored Youth Archery
Program for the fall of 2018.
In this program, qualified Bowhunter
Education instructors, who are also
veteran hunters, are paired with
bowhunter education graduates ages 12
to 17 for a full archery season.
Mentors teach participants how to
scout, safely hang tree stands, and walk
new archers through each step of a hunt.
Regardless of what you decide, make
sure you do something. Take a friend,
neighbor or youngster into the field and
continue our outdoor heritage. ■
Abigale Bennetts, left, JP Wachter and Zachary Bennetts, all of Lincoln, archery hunt at Oak Glen Wildlife Management Area in
Seward County.
Prepare now for changing a person's life forever.
PHOTOS
BY
JEFF
KURRUS
