I've been involved in helping troubled youth for many years. One of the tools I've used to help them has been introducing them to the sport of archery and the outdoors.

This is how I met Ben Ring. He was a neighbor of mine and was about 12 years old at the time.

I knew, in a round about way, that Ben was having a lot of trouble at school. On a couple of occasions, I saw a police car in front of Ben's house. One day I asked him why the police were there and he told me it was because he got in trouble at school again.

We began to talk about hunting and Ben's face lit up like a light bulb! I told him that if he would like to come along with me sometime, he was more than welcome. As time went on, Ben became a regular hunting companion.

One day his mother called me and shared her concern about Ben's grades in school. She asked me if she could use the hunting as a "lever" to try and get Ben to improve his grades. I agreed to help by letting Ben know that he needed to improve his grades in order for his parents to allow him to continue hunting with me. There was an almost immediate turnaround with Ben's attitude towards school.

We went to an archery shop and purchased a bow and accessories with money Ben had earned working part time after school. I began teaching him the proper way to tune and shoot a bow. That year Ben successfully completed his Hunter Safety Course which gave him the right to purchase an archery license. He also regained his self esteem and as a result, he got involved in the extracurricular sports of wrestling and power lifting.

Ben's first hunt would take place on a cold, snowy day in Wisconsin. Everything he had practiced for was about to unfold right in front of him. We had set up two tree stands side by side, downwind from where several runs joined in a bottleneck heading to a feeding area. A weather front had moved in so the conditions were perfect. Ben and I got into our stands early that afternoon and light snow continued to cover the trails.

It didn't take long before the first doe came into view. Shortly thereafter, two more followed her down the trail. Ben nervously reached for his bow and waited for the deer to come into range. Between Ben breathing so hard and shaking uncontrollably, I knew I had to try and keep him calmed down. I told him that, just like we practiced, a deer was just like a target and to focus on the largest of the three animals. I told him to pick a spot behind the shoulder and concentrate on that area.

As the deer passed by I told him when to draw his bow. I remember him shaking so badly that I thought his arrow was going to bounce right off his rest! As he came to full draw, it seemed like everything we practiced was about to pay off. Ben was now holding steady. I grunted to stop the deer. Ben released the arrow, and the shot was true. As the deer ran off, I could see the look of disbelief and excitement on Ben's face. I shook his hand and told him he had made a great shot. He was grinning from ear to ear and told me that being the hunter was a lot more exciting than just watching.

This was one of the more thrilling hunts I've ever been on. And just think-two years previous to this hunt, the only thing Ben had to look forward to was detention at school.

Ben and I hunted together throughout his high school years. His love for the outdoors and hunting helped bring his grades up from D's and F's to B's and C's and an occasional A. His determination in the sport of power lifting allowed him to break the teenage state records in his Junior year and then he went on to break his own record during his Senior year.

I know through my own past experience, that being a mentor to a young person can help enhance the quality of their life and also that of their family to come.

Hosted by Onalaska Web