Fall River, KS -(AmmoLand.com)- Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors is partnering with a number of organizations to provide new Hunter Education graduates with an opportunity to hunt pheasants.
We held two of these events last weekend. Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors partnered with the Ringneck Rustlers PF chapter to host a First Hunt event on Saturday, 10/17 for kids in the Wichita area. On Sunday afternoon, we partnered with NWTF to host a First Hunt event for kids in the Dodge City, KS area.
The Dodge City High School has a Hunter Education program in the schools. We had 14 youths from this program along with 3 young men from the BBBS program join us for the afternoon hunt. Despite the unseasonably warm temps and high winds, everyone had a great time, a safe hunt and birds in the bag.
First Hunt events are designed to give those who have recently completed their Hunter Education Class an opportunity to put their newly learned skills to practice in the field. These events are provided at no cost to participants, thanks to our generous supporters.
We start off with a review of upland hunting safety topics, with a special emphasis on a hunters zone of fire. Swinging on game is the most common cause of accidents in the field in Kansas, so we spend extra time driving the zone of fire home to the new hunters.
We spend time getting the new hunters comfortable with a shotgun, learning how to load it and where the safety is located. Then we bust some clays to help them gain confidence in the skills they will use to bring down a pheasant.
Once they had the shooting down, they headed to the field where a mentor accompanied each hunter along with a hunt master. We provided 2 birds for each hunter, placed in bird launchers. When the dogs went on point, the hunters were coached into position and the bird was released for the shot.
After the hunt, the new hunters were shown how to field dress the birds and given suggestions on how to prepare the birds for the table.
We have a number of First Hunts planned, and provided we have the funding, are looking forward to adding many more to give kids across Kansas an opportunity for that First Hunt.
To see more photos from these hunts, please check out these links:
We want to thank the Ringneck Rustlers PF Chapter, Kansas NWTF, Chisholm Trail Safari Club, KS Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Kansas State Rifle Association, Justin Corbet Memorial Shooting Sports Foundation and the Keeper of the Plains QF Chapter for their support of this program.
About Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors:
Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors is a Wichita, Kansas-based national organization dedicated to providing children with mentors who will share with them the experiences of traditional outdoor activities. The heart of the group’s mission is to give children opportunities to connect with nature that they more than likely won’t have without a mentor showing them the way. Partnering with organizations with like-minded conservation and youth participation efforts like Big Brothers Big Sisters, Pheasants Forever, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Delta Waterfowl, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the National Wild Turkey Federation, among others, volunteers with a passion for the outdoors can give a child the chance to go fish, hunt, or simply spend time in the fields with a caring adult.
For more information about Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors, please visit www.OutdoorMentors.org.