From First Deer Hunt to Mentor: A Field to Fork Story

After Keith Doyle experienced his first hunt through the National Deer Association’s (NDA) Field to Fork program, he quickly realized he wanted to become a mentor. He now returns each year to pass on the knowledge, encouragement, and welcoming experience that meant so much to him, ensuring that the tradition of hunting can continue.

In this mentor story from NDA, produced by Kevin Erdvig, Doyle shares how he became an active hunter after decades of holding interest but not stepping in the field.

“The thing that kept me from going out was I had no idea what to do,” said Doyle. “So, I watched all the YouTube videos and read all the articles and read all the books … couldn’t figure it out from there. So, I was lucky enough that somehow I stumbled across the Field to Fork events.”

Kip Adams (left) and Keith Doyle (right) share a special moment as mentor and mentee in the hunting blind after Doyle shoots his first whitetail doe during his first NDA Field to Fork event.

Kip Adams, Chief Conservation Officer of NDA, was a mentor to Doyle through the Field to Fork event Doyle attended in Pennsylvania. Together, they were able to get Doyle his first whitetail deer, a mature doe.

“We obviously did very good. You should be super proud of yourself for–granted you said this is your first deer–but preparing to come here. You practiced with the bow and crossbow, so you are very proficient with it, you learned about deer biology, learned about deer movement patterns, learned about land management.” said Adams to Doyle after their successful hunt.

“Being mentored by Kip, felt like, there wasn’t a question that I could ask him that he wouldn’t be able to help me with,” said Doyle.

After that experience, Doyle became an active hunter and flipped roles from mentee to mentor to help other new hunters and his family learn how to hunt. The group atmosphere and camaraderie within NDA’s Field to Fork event was appealing to him. He still considers himself a new hunter, but doesn’t see that as a hinderance to his ability to mentor. His ability to relate to new hunters and learn from them is actually a bonus.

“As soon as I heard that they needed mentors for other events, that’s kind of when it clicked. I wanted to give back,” Doyle stated.

This story shows how powerful one good mentorship experience can be not just for one hunter, but for communities as a whole. There are many great existing mentors out there and there are plenty of people who don’t consider themselves mentors but are overflowing with potential. All they need to do is get connected.

NSSF’s +ONE initiative seeks to build community through shooting sports and hunting by empowering people to become mentors and get involved in learn-to-hunt and learn-to-shoot programs. The NDA is an official +ONE® Partner and offers its Field to Fork program to grow hunter numbers, instill a desire among experienced hunters to serve as mentors, diversify participation, and increasing acceptance of hunting among the general public.

The National Deer Association provides reliable, science-based information for hunters, empowering them to be more informed, successful and engaged stewards of deer and wildlife. It unites hunters, state and federal wildlife agencies, the hunting industry, elected officials, and non-hunters to ensure the welfare and sustainability of wild deer and their habitat.

For more information, please visit www.fieldtofork.com.

Film by Kevin Erdvig. Produced in partnership with the Pennsylvanie Game Commission and NSSF®-The Firearm Industry Trade Association® in support of the +ONE® initiative, which challenges hunters and target shooters to become mentors.