The Importance of Mentorship

"It re-invigorated my interest in hunting,” said Hughes. The game inspired her to look up learn to hunt courses on the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s website, which led her to an introduction to deer hunting course with Cliff Cadet, New York City NWTF Chapter president last month. 

“It [the course] kind of kickstarted everything,” Hughes said. “I met some of the members here and did some more research about getting a license, which doesn't seem as hard as I originally thought.” 

This past weekend, she attended the Introduction to Turkey Hunting and Calling Class. She took notes, asked questions about biology, hunting gear and calling and had conversations with current members about their experiences to better understand the hunting experience and the process.  

Initially, Hughes was interested in hunting deer, but after participating in the turkey hunting course, she’s starting to see the appeal of hunting turkey. 

“Not to sound mean, but wild turkey hunting sounded lame to me at first,” she said, laughing. “It's because growing up in Cape Cod, there were turkeys everywhere, and I thought ‘Really? They're challenging to hunt?’” 

At the introduction course, she saw how Cadet and Devian Ramos talked about turkeys with passion and excitement. She learned that there is a whole art behind hunting a wild turkey. She never realized there were so many elements that go into scouting and calling birds, and she became fascinated by how hunters communicate with the turkeys, active in the process rather than passively sitting and waiting.  

Having Cadet act as her mentor has been inspiring and important for Hughes’ journey.  

“I like the idea of having a mentor, just because I’d rather go with someone who has experience and can give me tips and can tell me if I’m doing something wrong, rather than going out there on my own and wandering around and learning from mistakes,” she said. 

Just starting out, Hughes was worried she would feel disconnected.  

“When I came here for my first intro course, it was my first time being in any kind of rod and gun club, so I was a little nervous I wouldn’t feel comfortable. But so far, everyone's been extremely friendly and welcoming.” 

Cadet is excited to teach and mentor someone so passionate and curious to learn, especially because his experience with a hunting mentor was so important to him. Just five years ago, he posted on his Instagram asking if anyone knew a deer hunting mentor.  

“My mentor reached out when he was in Westchester for turkey season and asked if I would like to try with that,” Cadet said. “We went out, and I was able to tag a bird on my first day. I have been hooked on turkey hunting since.” 

Hughes is excited to see how her journey continues and is already looking into taking an in-person hunter’s education course to learn from an experienced and knowledgeable hunter. Then, she would love to have the opportunity to go her first mentored hunt. 

About the National Wild Turkey Federation 

Since 1973, the National Wild Turkey Federation has invested over half a billion dollars into wildlife conservation and has positively impacted over 24 million acres of critical wildlife habitat. The NWTF has also invested over $10 million into wild turkey research to guide the management of the wild turkey population and to ensure sustainable populations into perpetuity. The organization continues to deliver its mission by working across boundaries on a landscape scale through its Four Shared Values: clean and abundant water, healthy forests and wildlife habitat, resilient communities, and robust recreational opportunities. With the help of its dedicated members, partners and staff, the NWTF continues its work to provide Healthy Habitats. and Healthy Harvests. for future generations.