The lessons of the huntby Paul Smith, Outdoors Editor, JSOnline.com
Dec. 19, 2009Mentors offer tips on shooting, snowball fights
Max Pape (right) of Baraboo shot his first deer, a 9-point buck, while hunting with mentor Mark
Walters of Necedah during a Kids and Mentors Outdoors event. (Paul A. Smith) Poynette — Deer camp is a total immersion experience.
Just ask the 16 youth hunters of the Kids and Mentors Outdoors (KAMO) organization who assembled last weekend at the MacKenzie Environmental Education Center.
There's the hunting, of course, for as many daylight minutes as you care to utilize. Then there's the rest - cooking, eating, story-telling, cleaning and game-playing.
Maybe, too, if the conditions allow, some snow-based recreation. Can you say "snowball fight?"
Sleeping? Well, that's optional. You just try to wedge a little in.
Justin Ludvigsen, 12, of Sheldon was doing just that Saturday morning. Seated in a ground blind at the edge of a red pine plantation at MacKenzie, Ludvigsen leaned his head back and learned one of the sweet lessons of deer camp: You can't get this kind of sleep at home.
The wake-up calls can't be matched, either.
As Ludvigsen sawed logs, his mentor, Bob Babcock, 51, of Glen Flora, had remained vigilant, seated next to his young charge. Just after 9 a.m. a trio of white-tailed deer moved along a trail through the pines, just 60 yards from the blind.
"I had to beat on his knee," said Babcock, a Milwaukee native who, although no relation, is called "Uncle Bob" by Ludvigsen. "He was out good."
Ludvigsen would later claim he was dreaming of hunting. Whether it was a premonition, a gift from Mother Nature or something entirely different, the central Wisconsin woods presented him with a real opportunity.
He opened his eyes to a mature doe, standing broadside, in shooting range.
After leveling his rifle on his crutch - the boy has a lower leg cast - he touched off a round and minutes later was fixing a tag to the first deer of his young life.
The cast came in handy once more.
"Can you drag if for me, Uncle Bob?" said Ludvigsen, all smiles.
Yes, deer camp is special. Ludvigsen and the 15 other young hunters got a taste of it courtesy of KAMO, the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation and the Department of Natural Resources.
The event was held Dec. 11-13 at MacKenzie, a 300-acre property owned by the state and run by the WWF. The site includes a lodge, kitchen, dormitories, nature trails, prairies and forests.
The youths and mentors rolled into camp Friday afternoon and evening, carrying bed rolls and rifles and more than a few dreams.
Brilliant white snow covered the ground and striped the trees; the mercury hovered just below zero.
"Should develop a healthy respect for the conditions," said Mark Walters, of Necedah, founder of KAMO. "We'll make sure they're all dressed right and prepared for the day."
The kids ranged from 10 to 16 years of age. Most had never deer hunted before; for a few, it was their first hunting experience of any kind.
"I'm excited to give it a try," said Felicia Graf, 16, of New Lisbon. "I've heard stories, you know, but this will let me actually see what it's like."
Walters founded KAMO in 2007 for exactly that reason - to introduce kids, many of whom would not otherwise have the chance, to outdoors activities like fishing, camping, canoeing, hiking and hunting.
The group utilizes a time-honored process (adults teaching kids) and a persistent approach - activities are held year-round.
"My dad taught me and my siblings to love the outdoors," said Walters, 48, and a syndicated outdoors writer. "And now I've raised a few kids, too.
"I know we've got more and more single-parent households who can use the help. I also know it usually requires more than just taking your kid to a hunter safety class or taking them on one hike to teach them to value the outdoors."
Walters said he was in the midst of a divorce in 2007 when he decided he needed to start something positive. The KAMO idea seemed natural, so he wrote a column about it and solicited members.
The group now has four chapters in Wisconsin and about 180 members. It attracted national attention recently when one of its members, Jon Hilmer of Baraboo, was named one of Field & Stream magazines 25 conservation heroes of 2009.
KAMO has sponsored a wide array of outdoor experiences, including ice-fishing outings, wildlife-viewing hikes, turkey hunts and waterfowl hunts. And now a deer camp.
The KAMO deer camp at MacKenzie helped serve multiple missions, said Derek Duane, DNR director at the facility.
Since the grounds are not open to general hunting, the event helped trim the deer herd. And the KAMO goals dovetail with youth education initiatives of both the DNR and the WWF.
The young hunters got a classroom refresher on hunting safety Friday night. And hunting sites were carefully chosen and assigned. Then it was time for some stories around the stone fireplace and a little snowball throwing.
Saturday was filled with hunting and an evening presentation from Dean Teeter, a Poynette resident with a longstanding deer camp in northern Wisconsin.
"If you form a real deer camp, and you could, you will make some of the best friends of your life," said Teeter.
At the end of hunting late Sunday morning, seven deer - six does and one buck - hung outside the dorms. The kids then learned to skin and butcher deer. Each then left for home with fresh, packaged venison.
"I love this," said Ludvigsen. "I can't wait for the next time."
Max Pape (right) of Baraboo shot his first deer, a 9-point buck, while hunting with mentor Mark
Walters of Necedah during a Kids and Mentors Outdoors event. (Paul A. Smith)Send e-mail to psmith@journalsentinel.comhttp://www.jsonline.com/sports/outdoors/79685837.html
