Rough weather weekends in January which keep me off the ice often have me planning out adventures for the months to come, but they also give me an opportunity to look ahead for those times I can share the outdoors not only with my kids, but the next generation of hunters and anglers who might not otherwise get the opportunity to get out there in pursuit of fish or game. While such an endeavor can seem monumental, when kept incremental or done with the help of other experienced anglers, shooters or hunters, the mentoring process can come with greater ease, especially once you’ve got a few sessions under your belt. With winter weather the norm for the next few weeks, sufficient time exists ahead of spring and summer for planning these opportunities to pass on your knowledge and helps set the stage for a successful mentorship whether it’s for one child or a classroom full.

Target rich environments

Finding students who wish to learn about the outdoors — be it fly tying and fishing, general angling, shooting, trapping or hunting — can be as easy as reaching out to your local sportsman’s group or chapter of any outdoors organization such as Pheasants Forever or Ducks Unlimited, which you might even be a member of. Many of these groups have dollars allotted to cover the costs of youth programs, and a network of members with youngsters looking to learn more about the wild world around them. With the expansion of shooting sports programs in schools, including the National Archery in Schools Program (NASP) and the USA Clay Target League (CTL) interested young individuals can also be recruited from those ranks by reaching out to a coach or organizer. Consider the size of the course and how you want to convey it along with resources to determine just how many kids you can teach.

Put it together

Focus on the facets of the outdoors that you love most or excel at and stay in that lane to convey the best course to a mentee, or a group of students learning from you. Put together a single outing, or a set of classes to work on basic skills and move up the learning curve with them. If it’s a fly tying or lure making course, start with the simple stuff and keep it that way, knowing that even the most basic patterns for flies and jigs and spinners will catch fish and help them find success in their early efforts. Across the board, from an introduction to trapping, small caliber shooting, or the basics of trap shooting, teaching the basics of the pursuits you enjoy most will help create a solid foundation they can build on and branch out from.

Take it to the field (or water)

Finally, include a practical application of those skills your mentoring course will teach. Give your students a chance to cast in an area with readily biting fish, such as bluegills, bass, crappies or stocked trout once they’ve made their own flies, jigs, spinners and spoons as part of a course. Convert those target shooting skills you’ve helped develop into a pheasant hunt, predator hunt or deer hunt in the fall after a summer at the range. Arming new hunters and anglers with knowledge is great but giving them the opportunity to apply it and find success is what will keep them coming back and instill in them a sense of connection and ownership with the resource, and ultimately, the desire to conserve and protect it and carry on the traditions surrounding it.

While it can seem like a lot of work, there are many ways to share your skills and instill an appreciation for the outdoors in the next generation of hunters and anglers. Work with like-minded mentors and organizations to find a market of interested students, share the things you know best and love most in the outdoors, and help your mentees apply their just-learned skills in their first adventures to find better success and build a life-long connection …with our outdoors.