This rifle season will be a bit different for me as I have volunteered to be a mentor to a new hunter.

This means that I will introduce deer hunting to a cousin who never has hunted before and accompany him in the woodlands with hands on guidance. I have relatives that live in the city and work in an urban environment, but still have an interest in country life.

What could be more country than participating in the first day of Buck Season! He and his wife discovered the wonderful use of venison in their diet and I reasoned with him that he could participate in his own Farm to Table experiment by harvesting his own venison.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission encourages hunters to participate in the Youth and Adult Mentored hunting programs which introduce new hunters to the sport. The reasoning is to place inexperienced hunters under the guidance of veteran hunters for safety and tutelage.

One firearm is allowed with each team of hunters and must be under the control of the mentor until your hunting stand is reached. The mentored hunter must follow all of the rules of hunting and must have obtained the Mentored License. The key to this hunt is that the experienced hunter talks the new hunter through the hunting process and controls the firearm safety procedures.

I discussed the hunt with my cousin John and he agreed that if I took Jason with me, that he would be much calmer and more assured. I would provide a deer rifle that I thought would be effective and not too intimidating to fire. I chose a Remington 700 short action 7mm-08 as the perfect choice.

The rifle does not kick back with a heavy recoil, works smoothly in cycling cartridges and has a very clear Leupold scope view. This is one of my favorite deer rifles and it has been used effectively on many hunts. The safety remains on during loading and unloading cartridges and it is not heavy nor cumbersome to hold and carry.

We will use either a pop-up ground blind or hunt with our silhouettes blocked by some huge oaks as or background. No tree stands or ladder stands for my new hunter as I want him with his feet firmly planted on the ground.

Mentors have a responsibility to get their neophyte hunters in and out of the woods safely. A good safe experience is much more important than harvesting a deer. Running deer are not considered and directions on good shots and best targets with safe backgrounds are enforced. Once a shot is taken, there is no calling it back!

Favorite pastime

One of my favorite hunting pastimes is waiting for the first report of a rifle in the distance, letting me know that deer season is now on! In all of my years of hunting, I can only remember one time when I was the hunter that took the first shot in my area.

It resulted in a dandy 9-point buck that I have mounted on the wall in my man cave. There have been a few better since, then but none that have that first shot distinction.

If we are fortunate to harvest a deer, Jason asked me if he could do whatever it takes to finish the process of getting the deer home. He wants to tag his deer legally; field dress the deer and drag it to the truck for a ride to the processor.

He won’t be getting any argument from me for most of his duties, but I will make sure that he does it correctly and without too much difficulty. His father and I laughed when he insisted on these tasks … go for it, boy!

Buck season

The buck season is a two-week period that ends on Dec. 10 with both bucks and does with the proper license in season. In western PA, the bucks must have three points on an antler, excluding the brow tine. That means in most cases the buck has to be a 7 point or more.

Any antlerless deer is eligible to harvest regardless of sex of the animal. Many times, a buck may drop his antlers later in the season and appear to be a large doe.

All hunters are required to wear fluorescent orange on their head and chest areas at all times while hunting during this Regular Rifle Season.

Remember that Hunters Sharing the Harvest program is accepting donated deer for their food program. Many local deer processors participate in this useful and beneficial program to help feed the hungry.

Until we meet again, be safe and be helpful!

Jay Hewitt is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle