Mentor Reflections
I (Mike Brown of La Crosse) often reflect on how lucky I am that a chain of events led to me to living what would become a more fulfilled life as a retired person.
In 2011, I was scouting in the northern section of the Meadow Valley State Wildlife Area in central Wisconsin. There was a truck parked near a bridge and there was a magnetic sign with ?Kids and Mentors Outdoors (KAMO)? on it. Outdoor Youth mentoring on the Mississippi River had been a topic at a recent Friends of the Upper Mississippi meeting in La Crosse, so I made a note to try to contact the group.
A few days later, I used Google to get contact information on the KAMO group. The truck with the magnetic sign had been a relic, but the owner was the spry and enthusiastic outdoor writer, Mark Walters, founder of the Kids and Mentors Outdoors group and more recently, the Necedah Outdoor Adventure Club (NOAC). After talking with Mark and inviting myself to some of the group?s meetings and seeing the level of passion and caring, I decided to try a ?launch? of a new chapter in La Crosse.
An initial meeting was held in a USFWS building with both U.S.F.W.S. staff and a Mississippi Valley Conservancy Outreach person present. Mark Walters was present. There was a good turn out made up of just the right people, some of who not only helped get the group started, but are still with the group 15 years later. We don?t push our people – they contribute what/ when they want and what is right for their current situation. Sometimes our people drop off the radar during a particularly busy time for them, and that’s the way it should be.
In January, 2012, the Coulee Chapter of KAMO was formally launched in La Crosse. In the beginning, there were few answers to our questions – funding? Original kids? What to do? Members of older chapters assured us that things would come together.
Fast forward 15 years to the present and Coulee has maintained a group of a dozen members, who, along with non-member volunteers who come in when needed, have spent around 30,000 hours outdoors with La Crosse area kids and their families. Some mentors have left the area, passed away, and become committed to other interests. Others have retired during that time and have become more involved, brought their friends in, to balance out our losses.
Coulee is often ?hook and bullet?. Fishing and hunting. Running Learn to Hunt opportunities for turkey, duck, and deer was one of my prime reasons for starting the chapter. Incorporating ?silent sports? activities is important too – Bio Blitz, 3P – (pedal, paddle, picnic), fossil hunting, photography, wildlife viewing, migratory bird watching, pontoon rides, dragonfly/ damselfly education days. The Coulee mentors have been going on some adventures without the kids along, and this has been a source of bonding and enjoyment.
As for the ?how lucky I am? referred to earlier, it is often evident – I am leading a purpose filled life, partially due to KAMO. A great group for someone who wants to contribute to their community in ways that are fun for them. The ?wow? people I never would have met if it weren?t for this. The people – the mentors, the kids, and their parents, are like a family and are among the finest people I have ever met. And yes, getting ready for outings forces me to get out there ahead of time and do things I might not otherwise do.
Our youth member demographic ranges from ?traditional? two parent families to kids living with one parent or even their grandparents. These kids are often aged from 9 – 15. They have been respectful and well behaved. Rarely do we have behavioral problems with youth, even with some kids we have been warned in advance can be less than well behaved. Getting them outside is a large part of this magic.
This past weekend, April 11th and 12th, 2026,three Coulee mentors took three kids out turkey hunting. These kids were our firearms safety students several years ago, have since been on the range a number of times and have all harvested multiple deer. This was the Wisconsin Youth Turkey Hunt, available to kids 15 and younger. Two 15 year olds, and one 14 year old – all boys.
We used two properties, both private, in Monroe and Jackson Counties.
One of the boys got a Tom near Sparta right off the bat on Saturday. The other two mentors returned to their Jackson County spot Sunday and one of the boys harvested a Jake. The Jack kid is 15 and currently holds the Coulee record for the most deer harvested during our hunts – 7.The mentors were Randy Hines, Emy Monroe, and Mike Brown. The landowner, Mike?s brother, Tim, was excited that the group used his 40 acres and was enthusiastic about our visit. A few days later, Tim sent a picture of 5 Toms strutting in a string between his field and the road.
I am ?basking in the glow? of this outing and many others from the past.
Wisconsin?s Learn to Hunt program has been around since the 90?s but many people still have never heard of it. A hosting organization (such as KAMO, Kicking Bear, or the Izaak Walton League) hold a special hunt for novices. These novices can be any age and are out to answer the question – Do I like hunting? Who will show me how? Where will I get the necessary equipment? Where would I go? Learn to Hunts are often listed on the Wisconsin.wi.gov site – the D.N.R.’s go to site for everything.
The hosting organization contacts the D.N.R. Shooting Sports Coordinator, currently, Emily Iehl, to apply for such a hunt at least six weeks in advance of their planned hunt. It can be held outside the regular season (for safety reasons), no prior hunter education is required, no license is even needed. The hosting organization arranges a location, provides all the equipment, and a mentor for each novice. Upon approval, the state coordinator provides harvest tags to the group. A certified Wisconsin D.N.R. hunter education teacher leads a 4 hour class prior to the hunt consisting of range practice and education about the species they are hunting – it can be any game – squirrels, pheasants, ducks, turkeys, deer.
The KAMO group holds a Learn to Hunt Deer during the Wisconsin Antlerless Deer Hunt each December. It is held at the MacKenzie Environmental Center near Poynette. Up to 25 novices are paired with KAMO?s seasoned mentors. They stay in dorms at the facility, take over the cafeteria, and have bingo night for the kids on Saturday. The harvest success rate is often over 50%. The late Joe Stecker Kochanski, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Parks Manager/ KAMO Mentor, was instrumental in starting this annual hunt, which is still going strong 14 years after he left us too soon.
Looking for places to camp? hike? fish? hunt? Shoot?, launch a boat? The D,N.R. has a set of mapping tools that are the product of a lot of time and effort that were developed with you in mind. They can be viewed at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov
They are web mapping apps. Public land access, fishing finder, shooting ranges, game bird hunting, Turkey Hunting Access Program, boat access, places to fish off shore.
Looking for places for your group to hunt deer? Check out Wisconsin’s Deer Management Assistance Program.