A Family Tradition
The Mentored Youth Hunting Program has existed in Pennsylvania since 2006.
Its intention is clear: Introduce kids to the sport of hunting through adult supervision in a safe environment.
“Hunting is a tradition in Pennsylvania,” Pennsylvania Game Commission publicist Travis Lau said. “It has a lot of history as a family activity.
“The mentor program oftentimes enables long-time hunters to give their children or grandchildren an early taste of the sport. Some kids decide they want to continue with it, some don't.”
Critics of the program say that guns are placed in the hands of children and that they face potential trauma from killing a live animal.
Mike Levere of Lancaster Township took his 8-year-old son, Wyatt, on a hunt this year and watched him harvest a deer.
“We always went out, driving around, walking around, spotting deer,” Levere said. “He (Wyatt) was used to seeing them, So when we saw one while we were hunting, he wasn't freaked about it.
“It was more stressful for me, handing him the rifle, watching him use the scope, because now he's aiming at a moving target. It's a little different from taking target practice.”
Levere said he was proud of his son, “the way he used the scope” as he killed the deer with a shot to the lung.
“He was a little timid about getting up close to it to have his picture taken,” Levere admitted. “That was strange for him, I'm sure. But he experienced a successful hunt and told his friends about it in school.”
Youths 11-and-under can only hunt with a mentor 21 years or older. A mentor cannot take more than one child at a time and the mentor must carry the firearm, at all times while the two are in motion.
Only when the youth is stationary can he or she be handed the firearm. And the mentor must be within arm's length of that firearm the entire time.
“Hunting is deeply woven in the cultural fabric that is Pennsylvania, and it is important that we recruit new hunters to carry on the tradition,” former Game
Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe said in a statement.Since Pennsylvania introduced the mentoring program 11 years ago, 30 other states have copied the model in introducing similar programs.Dan Burke, 71, of Butler Township took his 11-year-old grandson, Drake, on a mentored hunt this year. Drake harvested a 9-point buck.“This is the second one I've taken out hunting with me,” Burke said of his grandchildren. “My grandson Max is 16 now and he loves hunting. I think this program had a lot to do with that.“Kids have a lot of choices today. The mentor program gives them a chance to experience one of them. They may choose not to continue with it, but at least they'll know what it's all about.”Burke lauded the fact that the mentoring rules are strict.“The child is highly supervised,” he said. “The parents are ultimately responsible for the child. Some kids are ready for this at a much younger age than others. The parent makes that call.
“Gun safety is No. 1 when you're in the woods. Kids learn that at a young age through this program and I think that's great.”Hunter Leslie, 12, of Jefferson Township bagged a 10-point buck while hunting with his father, Ryan.Hunter has been hunting through the mentor program since age 7.“He's probably gotten 11 deer or so,” his mother, Brandy Leslie, said. “We have a 7-year-old, Easton, who is going out for the first time.“I think it's a wonderful program. The boys get to experience hunting and learn from their father. The program is very safe and highly beneficial.”Burke echoes the satisfaction of bonding time.“Some kids are more mature than others, and that needs to be taken into account,” he said. “But the time in the woods with my grandchildren? It's precious to me, I know that.”
