Mentoring Guide
ATA staff know selecting equipment, locating hunting sites, and learning how to bowhunt can intimidate newcomers. Mentors help beginners learn safe, responsible bowhunting skills and tactics, which builds their confidence to pursue hunting independently. Therefore, ATA staff are creating a guide to help bowhunters mentor beginners.
The ATA will partner with the Quality Deer Management Association, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, and the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife to use the QDMA’s Field-to-Fork program as a basic curriculum for newcomers. ATA staff will modify the program to make it easier for mentors to use.
Staff are also gathering other mentoring programs for the ATA’s resource website, which debuts in February. The documents provide best practices for mentors, and encourage ATA members to partner with community groups to recruit bowhunters.
Josh Gold, ATA’s senior manager of R3 and state relations, said mentor guides help members and partners increase bowhunting participation. “It aligns directly with the ATA’s mission to ‘increase participation’ and its vision ‘to increase the recruitment and retention of new, current and once-active archers and bowhunters,’” Gold said. “Connecting our members to local efforts provides a better infrastructure for new participants. If we can provide a positive and educational experience for someone who wants to hunt, we can increase their chances of participating throughout their life. Just as important, they’ll likely spread their newfound interest in hunting with friends and family. We can all play a part, and it starts with taking someone afield.”
If you have questions or want more information, please contact Jennifer Mazur, ATA’s senior director of outreach and education, at (866) 266-2776, ext. 110; or jennifermazur@archerytrade.org.