Mentoring New Hunters

Have you been approached by a new hunter? Are you a new hunter looking for guidance or mentorship? If your answer is yes to either of these questions, this post may be of some help.

The 2023 Whitetail Season is fast approaching, and this is my first year that I am returning to deer hunting, after a long time away. While I am specifically relying on my previously obtained knowledge from my time in the woods, I am also relying on the information that my mentors passed and still pass on to me. Trust me when I say, I’m no expert! However, that doesn’t stop other new or returning hunters from reaching out to me to asking my advice or perspective on certain hunting situations.

Recently, I was approached by a young family friend who expressed his desire to learn how to hunt. At first, I was hesitant to say anything, but the more I thought about it, the more I feel compelled to pay it forward as much as I can. The reason I learned how to be a conservationist was because I had mentors like my Uncle Mike. He was the one that took me out into the woods on my first deer hunt. Knowing how much that meant to me, I would be honored to be a part of another hunter’s journey.

Adults new to hunting, much of the time, just want to know the basics. What do I need to do to start hunting? What will it take to get my license? How do I go about purchasing a firearm/bow for hunting? Where can I go hunting? These basic questions often do not take an expert on the subject or require prior commission as a DNR officer to answer.

In a lot of cases, new hunters want to be supported or guided in their journey. Supporting new hunters allows them to become more knowledgeable than they were by fostering our inquiring nature. When hunters ask questions, they also do not always require direct answers, a lot of reference material should be discussed or provided, as well. For example, “I want to hunt in this location, how many deer can I harvest?” “I’m not sure about that specific location, lets take a look at the Hunting Regulations for that specific area!” It’s ok to not know the answer to every question, as long as you can get to the answer together.

Things that can help you whether you’re a mentor or mentee:

• Be honest about your hunting experience. Have an open discussion about where you are in your hunting journey as a veteran hunter, or someone new.

• Get to know each other.

• Talk about obtainable goals that both of you have out in the woods. This can be from setting up in a prime spot, to harvesting a deer or turkey in your first season together.

• Don’t be afraid to start off small either, sometimes focusing on things like walking quietly through the woods or discussing what is in your hunting pack is something that can make all the difference.

• Make it fun! One thing that can turn a hunter off is not having fun. Whether you see anything on your excursion or not, making the experience fun by teaching and learning as you go helps to keep the hunting spirit alive.

• Spend some time with each other outside the woods. You can go to the range and practice sighting in your firearm or bow or go to hunting seminars or classes together.

• Don’t be afraid to fail. Either as a mentor or mentee, having the high expectation of being perfect is unrealistic. Additionally, failure allows us as hunters to learn from our mistakes to become better conservationists.

Of course, this is not a comprehensive list. There are thousands of hunters out there that want to share their stories or experiences. The majority of states Department of Natural Resources/Fish & Game Wildlife Commission have their own state sponsored mentor programs. For Minnesota you can visit the DNR website at: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/r3/index.html, otherwise visit your state specific website.

Stay Safe & Happy Hunting!