Living
Al Brown | Tracking the Seasons
Hunters and mentors
Red birds are singing; sugary sweet sap is flowing like water from tapped maple trees; male turkeys, puffed-up like glistening, black balloons are strutting their stuff for coy lady birds; and rivulets of water, the residue from winter's snows, are beginning to irrigate the bottom lands.
From young girls and boys to pretty women and aging men, there is a special twinkle in their eyes these days as their heartbeat quickens to keep pace with the lengthening of each new day.
Spring is finally here!
With it comes the long-awaited spring turkey hunting season and a new set of laws created to introduce more people to Wisconsin's tradition of hunting. Known as Wisconsin's Mentored Hunting Program, it went into effect Sept. 1, 2009.
Under the new law, anyone age 10 or older, born on or after Jan. 1, 1973, can obtain a hunting license and hunt without the need to first take and pass a hunter education course - provided they, and a qualified mentor, comply with all of the following requirements.
Rules that apply to the hunter
• Must be at least 10 years old.
• Must have the appropriate valid hunting license, permits and tags.
• May only hunt while within arm's reach of a "mentor" - regardless of the hunter's age or mentor's age.
• Must follow all other hunting laws, seasons and bag limits.
• Kids 10 and 11 years old may only hunt under these mentorship rules, even if they have already completed hunter education.
Rules that apply to the mentor
• Must be at least 18 years old.
• If born on or after Jan. 1, 1973, must be a hunter education course graduate, or have completed basic training with the U.S. armed forces.
• Must be the hunter's parent or guardian, or have the permission of the hunter's parent or guardian before acting as a mentor for a person under age 18.
• Must have a current year's hunting license. (Type of hunting license does not matter for the mentor, unless they will also be attempting to harvest game, in which case they must have the appropriate valid hunting license, permits and tags for the species they are hunting.)
• Only allowed to serve as a mentor for one hunter at a time if the hunter is either of the following: age 10 or 11, or was born on or after Jan. 1, 1973, and has not yet taken and passed a hunter education course.
Rules that apply to both the hunter and mentor
• Only one firearm, bow or crossbow (if eligible for a crossbow permit) can be possessed jointly between the hunter and the mentor.
• There is no limit on the number or times or years an adult or a youth may participate as a mentored hunter.
• The special reduced license fees for 10- and 11-year-old hunters are now available for both residents and nonresidents.
• The two-day Youth Spring Turkey Hunt will be held April 10-11.
• Wednesday, April 14, marks the start of the regular spring turkey hunting season, which is broken down into six five-day hunts, each running Wednesday through Sunday.
To learn more about the new mentoring law, pick up the brochure available where licenses are sold, visit the DNR Web site, dnr.wi.gov, or call (888) 936-7463.
- A taste of hunting
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- Absent snowfall meant thin harvest in 2011
- Wolves getting expanded role in wildlife picture
- New rules allow opportunity to appreciate wild game
- How new concealed carry law affects hunters
- Now's the time to hone weapon of choice
- Overlapping seasons create color conundrum
- Hunting calendar is upon us
- Weary anglers getting their chance
- Passing down knowledge of the hunt
- Appreciating the gifts of Mother Nature
- Ticks replace mosquitoes as concern
- Tag, you're it: hunting seasons approaching
- Fundraiser gives bird hunters a taste of what's ahead
- Rock River's banks a hotbed for local fishermen
- Fishing a great Father's Day opportunity
- With the stroke of a pen
- Grape jelly fills the belly
- Getting out on the water pays off
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