On Saturday, March 25, 2006, I attended the second annual Kicking Bear antler hunt in Holmen Wisconsin. With me I brought two of my daughters, Heather who is twelve, and Arianna who is seven. The original plan was to invite one friend for each girl, but none of Heather's friends could make it. Arianna had invited her friend Lilly, and since Lilly is a twin, her mother asked if it was alright if her sister Violet also came along(the twins do everything together). I said no problem and picked the girls up early Saturday morning. The shed antler hunt is an annual event sponsored by "Rattlesnake Ridge Outfitters" and organized by Matt Berg.

Matt Berg is a 28-year old native of West Salem, Wisconsin. He loves the sport of archery and bow hunting and is currently president of the Blackhawk Archers Association.

Matt loves working with kids and dedicates his weekends to teaching them archery skills. His passion for helping kids has also shown itself by his involvement with the Kicking Bear Program for the past five years.

He and his wife Kim and their 1-1/2 year-old twins (Hunter and Lilly) live in a beautiful house in the country. The house was a labor of love because Matt built it himself. He is a carpenter by trade and started his own business approximately three years ago.

Matt was instrumental in coordinating the first kids' shed antler hunt several years ago which took place at Rattlesnake Ridge Outfitters located in Holmen, Wisconsin. Since then, Matt has continued to be involved with this annual event.

Matt, (on the far right in this picture) assisted by cameraman Mike Langrehr, helped this young boy harvest his second whitetail.

- Ray

My daughters have been exposed to the outdoors and have even gone antler hunting with me(unsuccessful), but this was something entirely different for the twins. They really didn't know what this was all about. They had no idea that deer shed their antlers each year, or even what the antlers were made of. We talked about the general plan for the day during the drive and a little about whitetailed deer. For the most part, the girls were quiet on the trip out to Rattlesnake Ridge.

Following a meet and greet with Ray and event volunteers, Ray pointed out the search area and gave basic instructions. There would be a morning hunt followed by lunch. After lunch we would have a second hunt on a another piece of property. When the girls and I set off we initially traveled as a tight bunch. The girls were not quite sure what to do. As soon as we entered the woods I explained what to look for. I showed them a deer trail, droppings and tracks. It wasn't long before I was being called to every pile the girls came across! This was fun, but the girls discovered that a shed antler hunt is NOT like a Easter egg hunt. Antlers are not brightly colored and laying out in the open. They were getting a bit discouraged when they kept hearing other children yell out "I found one", but then it happened. Violet struck white gold! The left side of a small basket 8 to be more specific. We spent some time looking at the antler, placing it back on the ground, showing them what it looks like when in the grass or woods. We continued the hunt with a renewed sense of excitement. The girls wanted to go up the big hill where "other kids haven't gone yet". They also were not staying as close and ventured out on their own to explore.

The trip up and around the bluff was not productive as far as antlers go and we decided to start heading back for lunch. Along the way, the girls, who were quite a bit ahead of me on the trail, came across Ray and his brother. After a brief conversation they all headed into a small field at the base of the trial. Before I even entered the field, Arianna and Ray had found an antler! On the way back to the outfitters shop we managed to find another antler for Lilly.

Lunch was pretty much an all you can eat affair. The Kicking Bear sponsors ensured that no one walked away hungry. During the break, Ray did his best to talk to everyone and congratulate the young hunters on their finds, and prizes were awarded for the largest antlers found. Because Heather was helping me with the three seven year olds, she hadn't spent much time looking for herself and hadn't found her own antler.

After lunch we loaded up in vehicles and headed for the other antler hunting ground. Once on site, Ray asked Heather to go along with him to search a small stand of pines. Not even fifteen minutes into the round two search, Ray and Heather found her antler. We found one other antler during the second hunt bringing our total to five. By the end of the day we had walked countless deer trails and climbed two big hills (to the highest point). Not once did I hear the girls say that they were tired or bored.

When we returned to the outfitters shop there was a final get together to draw for door prizes. Every child that participated received a prize. To my knowledge, every child that participated found at least one antler as well. The ride back home was nothing like the ride there. The girls were so excited and wanted to do it again next year. I asked if they would be interested in going to the Kicking Bear camp for kids later in the summer, and was not surprised by the reply. Looks like we will all be there for that event, in fact, my group will most likely be larger!

Ray's dedication to the children and his mentor program is evident. With him, it truly is all about the kids. I know that because of this event put on by Ray and his volunteers, two little girls experienced something that they may never have experienced. In addition, I have made a commitment to the twins to take them camping with my girls over the summer. Thank you Kicking Bear for providing the opportunity for me to have a positive impact on the lives of these two young girls.