Mentors: do you have one and are you one?

There are many things pulling at our attention these days, especially for the younger generation. Now more than ever we need mentors in the hunting world to step up. There are so many kids out there today that will never be taken to the woods. While growing up, I was always in the woods. I had nothing but a dog and a shot gun. I can remember many days where I would squirrel hunt my Bluetick Lucy during the day then turn around and coon hunt her at night. When I got into coon hunting, I was lucky to have some adults who went with me, but never had any who really taught me how to be a Houndsmen. A lot of what I knew was self taught. I was absolutely obsessed with coon hunting. If I wasn’t in the woods then I was on Coondawgs.com reading stories other people would share about their hunts. As I got older, some people really poured into me and taught me a lot that I am forever grateful for. When I was in college, Chris Walters reached out to me on facebook. I posted a picture of my dog and people jumped all over me because he was in great hunting shape and they said he was too skinny. I went hunting with him one night and a great friendship was formed. That was 10 years ago and our friendship is still going strong. I’m sure at times I have gotten on his nerves with all my questions, but I have learned so much from him. Then when I was in my early 20s (I’m 28 now) I took a job at a church in Stringer, MS. I only knew one family and my wife and I were pretty nervous about moving. Well God placed another hunting mentor in my life. Along came Mr. Dan Brady. He was a wealth of knowledge for me to draw from. I don’t think he knows what he means to me and all that I have learned from him. We have spent many nights in the woods talking more than just coon dogs and I am forever grateful for his friendship and guidance in the sport we both love. The thing about these friends and mentors is it goes beyond hunting. I can think of many nights where Mr Dan and I hunted together, but hunting was never talked about. We were able to help unload each other’s burdens. He was a safe place for me to bring problems to and offer a listening ear and advice. The same with Chris. There have been many days where I needed help and he was the first one I called. These kind of relationships started because of our love for tree dogs.

Every chance I get I try to introduce someone new to hunting with hounds. I have had the opportunity to mentor a few guys. One guy that comes to my mind is Robby Toney. He is a guy that I went to high school with but we were not really good friends. After high school we reconnected over coon dogs and he has become one of my best friends. I have been able to share some of my knowledge with him and watch him really grow in this sport. I have got to see him win some hunts and am so proud of the man and friend that he is.

This sport is quickly changing. Many years ago you could go to your local coon hunters association and see 30+ dogs there. These days you probably don’t have a local coon hunters association. If you do have one, I bet the numbers are not like they use to be. It’s our job to recruit the next generation and teach them about hunting with hounds. The coon hunting I grew up with and the ones my sons will grow up in are different. Im excited to get them in the sport. I remember when I was in high school and brought a young boy squirrel hunting. I had a little fiest named copper. He was a natural squirrel dog and was able to get this boy his first squirrel. Seeing the joy on his face was unforgettable. In high school there was a group of my friends that went on their first coon hunts with me. Take someone hunting with you that you can invest in. Give them all the gifts this sport has to offer. Allow them to learn important life lessons like responsibility, how to handle disappointment, and preparedness in a fun way. What are we doing to make sure true Houndsmen don’t become a thing of the past?