DWR’s Hunting Mentor Program Helped Cut Tyler Clark’s Learning Curve in Half

Tyler Clark had never been hunting before when he connected with the Hunting Mentor Program through the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR). “When I was a kid, I shot BB guns and I’d gone skeet shooting, but hunting wasn’t a part of the tradition of our family or anything like that. It just wasn’t something that we engaged in,” Clark said.

But Clark, who is from the Hampton Roads area, and his wife are both in the health-care field and they started to pay more attention to where their food was coming from. “We started with getting a cow each year,” he said. “Then, I thought maybe I could harvest animals from the wild. As you start looking into it, as somebody who’s never hunted before, you don’t even know where to start. Not only do I have to get a firearm—that’s its own learning curve—but then I have to become a woodsman and understand the regulations side of things and figure out where you can go and where you can’t go.”

Clark connected with a hunting mentor through DWR’s program and harvested a spike buck at the end of the last deer season. “We’ve been using the venison for the whole family, and the kids love it. It’s flavorful and good,” Clark said. “I definitely cut my learning curve in half by being part of the mentor program. I probably would have eventually figured something out, but it would have taken a lot longer. It’s nice to have somebody be a sounding board and tell you, ‘This is what you need to do.’ The most beneficial thing is having somebody who can walk you through the process and then go out and actually be in the woods with you. So much of it is not the actual hunting piece, which is just sitting there waiting for an animal to come by. But it’s all the other groundwork that gets laid prior to the season—spending time in the woods, interacting with that environment, and understanding the ecosystem.”

Clark also reached out to other hunters for advice and guidance, as well as taking advantage of some of DWR’s educational workshops and classes. “I really enjoyed learning about how supportive the community is and how giving of their time people are. I’ve noticed that even in the DWR classes that get provided, whether it’s a processing class or shooting class, there’s such a community aspect to the hunting world, which was something I hadn’t been a part of before,” he said. “There are hobbies you get into that can be standoffish to newcomers, but that’s not what I’ve experienced at all. People are so friendly and helpful, which is been one of the coolest parts about the experience.”

Clark plans to continue hunting to help provide sustainable and healthy food for his family. He’s hoping to expand his hunting to public land in the future, and he plans to participate in some of the DWR hunting workshops to continue adding to his skill set. He credits the DWR Hunting Mentor Program for his success and his “It’s an awesome program; I can’t recommend it enough. If you want to get into hunting, this is the way to do it. It’s nice that Virginia has a set of resources for this,” he said. “I came into hunting from a food quality standpoint, but as I’ve engaged with it, I’ve enjoyed learning how you can be a steward for the environment and nature and how much Virginia has to offer.”

Interested in getting involved in the DWR Hunting Mentor Program as either a mentor or a novice hunter? Applications for novice hunters opened on June 2, and mentors can apply year-round. If you’re interested in learning more about hunting and how hunting is an essential part of wildlife conservation in Virginia, or if you’re a hunter eager to help new hunters learn, we urge you to give the Hunting Mentor Program a try. We at DWR want to encourage success for new hunters by helping pair them with hunters who can assist them in gaining the skills and knowledge needed to not only have a successful day in the field, but also to understand hunting and its role in wildlife conservation. Learn more!