Many youngsters have been introduced to hunting through the Pennsylvania Game Commission's Mentored Youth Hunting Program, launched in 2006.

I'm all for the program, but I'm starting to think that our "mentors" should go through some sort of screening process. While it's important that we recruit new hunters, what we teach them is much more important.In 2006, the PGC's Executive Director Carl G. Roe said that the program should "nurture" the youngsters' interest in hunting "without compromising safety afield." Roe also said that the program's aim was to "promote a better understanding and interest in hunting and wildlife conservation that will help assure hunting's future."I've witnessed the Mentored Youth Hunting Program at its best, and at its worst. Two years ago, during rifle season, I was up in a tree stand when I watched a youngster walk through a marked property line and continue towards me. He was wearing the required blaze orange and carrying a rifle. When I asked him his age, and then, who was with him, he stated that his father was "posted" at a spot up ahead.I told him that the spot he'd mentioned was at least 300 yards from where we stood, and said that he was supposed to be no further than arm's length from the mentor while holding a firearm. He said they were communicating by texting.What did that young man learn while being mentored by his father? Ignore "No Trespassing" signs, and don't follow the rules.Then a week ago, I watched in disbelief as two adults and a mentored youth - after clearly spotting me in my blaze orange in a tree stand - continued toward me and put their backs on my property line as they launched a deer drive. They coordinated their start using cell phones, and headed noisily ahead, yelling like coon hounds.What did that youngster learn? If you see someone in blaze orange in a tree, don't respect that person's space. After all, this is all about you, who cares if you're interfering with someone else's enjoyment of the outdoors and their own property? And in order to be a deer hunter, you must bay like a dog.In that case, the mentored youth has learned nothing about deer, deer habitat, wildlife or respect for others.Many mentors do it right.My friend Bo Rogers, Minersville, brought his son Hunter periodically to my small farm. During the visits, we walked around teaching him about deer sign, and how to pick a spot for a tree stand. We put up a two-person stand, and explained about safety harnesses. Hunter helped trim and drag brush for shooting lanes, and he also began to be proud to point out deer trails and old rubs. Each time, as they were leaving, Hunter would say, "thank you.""The mentor program has been a true blessing for our family, because I felt that the earlier I could get Hunter hooked on the outdoors, the better," Bo Rogers said. "I felt that teaching him the proper way to do things was of the utmost importance; teaching him things such as gun safety, proper stand placement, proper shot placement, respecting the land and the people that own it as well.""Each time before we go hunting, we always discuss safety," he added. "Hunter has been getting his mentor license since the age of 3, but he did not fire a shot at an animal until the age of 6 when he shot at his first squirrel with his .22 but missed.""Last year, at the age of 7, my son took his first deer with a crossbow which he shot at a distance of 23 yards, and this season he was able to harvest his first buck with the rifle," Bo said. "These have been some of my proudest moments as a father."They were proud moments for me too. That's why I can say that I've also experienced the mentoring program at its best - at its precious best.