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Learning to hunt

10 high school students take part in annual mentored pheasant hunt

Photo by Jake Przytarski New hunter George Bierman walks with Metro Area Pheasants Forever member Bruce Michelsen at the start of the hunt.

MARSHALL — The Lyon County Pheasants Forever (LCPF) held its 10th annual mentored pheasant hunt on Saturday where they provided new youth hunters from around the metro area and locally with an opportunity to take part in a guided wild pheasant hunt as part of its “Learn to Hunt” program.

Organized by LCPF youth coordinator Mark Peper, the Pheasants Forever initiative seeks to expand the sport of hunting to a new generation as participation numbers continue trend in the wrong direction.

“We’re trying to get them started young so they continue with it throughout their lives,” said Peper. “Hunters are starting to decline. The population is getting older, so we need to revamp that and get the younger generation out there.”

This year’s hunt saw its biggest turnout with a total of 10 high school students participating in the event. Conservation Officer Matt Loftness spoke briefly to the students about safety and protocol before they were split into multiple groups with Pheasants Forever mentors guiding the students through a Wildlife Management Area near the Redwood River Sportsmen’s Club.

LCPF’s Devin Ryan of Russell joined Metro Area Chapter members Bruce Michelsen of Apple Valley and President Dave Scherf of Edina as mentors for one of the small groups guiding Twin Cities high school students George Bierman and Adam Fink on their very first hunt.

Michelsen and Scherf each brought their trained pointer dogs as Blue, a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, and Maggie, a Deutsch Drahtaar, led the line hunt where they encountered plenty of mice in the brush, but few pheasants. As a result, no shots were fired on the hunt.

Scherf said the experience comes with the territory in hunting wild birds.

“They’ve hunted game farm birds, but they have no concept of what it’s like to walk just like we did all morning and not necessarily even get a shot at a bird,” said Scherf. “But, this is what real pheasant hunting is. It’s tough going, and you have to work at it. Maybe you get a shot, maybe you don’t.”

Not all of the groups were unsuccessful in their pursuit of pheasants, as Conner Kruse, a sophomore at Pierz High School, powered through the deep snow to bag a couple of birds.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Kruse. “The snow made it kind of hard to walk around and you got tired after awhile, but it was a lot of fun. I got to shoot my gun a couple of times, and got a pheasant or two.”

Birds or no birds, Scherf enjoyed the experience of showing off the vast landscape of southwest Minnesota to kids who are new to the area. He hopes that the introduction to the sport will lead to a lifetime of participation.

“It’s just a treat. It’s a way of giving back to the community. It’s a way of giving back to people and seeing the next generation. I’m excited about that,” said Scherf. “We need that in order for the sport to continue. The majority of guys in our sport are my age, they’re 60-70 years old. We need younger people to take this on.”

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