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.

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