Deer hunting mentor helps young girl harvest first deer

Arizona Outdoorsman / AZOD

By Babe Winkelman

More youth hunters need mentors like Bob Westlund.

An avid hunter and conservationist from Cross Lake, Minn., Westlund

was recently honored with one of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association¹s

most prestigious awards: the 2002 Ethical Hunter of the Year.

But this is a story that transcends awards and personal accolades.

It¹s a story that warms the heart and teaches us what¹s truly important in

life. It¹s a story that¹s impossible to forget.

Like many of us, Mr. Westlund has a passion for sport hunting, deer

hunting in particular. He passed on that legacy to his sons, and has

mentored countless others as a decades-long hunter safety instructor.

A person of deep faith, Bob believes that one of his highest callings

is giving back. And God¹s Country, he says, is the perfect place to do just

that. ³I like to see young people enjoy the outdoors like I do,² said Bob,

who is as modest a man as you¹ll ever meet. ³I like to pass on what I¹ve

learned over the years, and I¹ve had many opportunities to do that. I don¹t

see as many young kids hunting as I once did, and I don¹t see as many deer

camps, either. That¹s a concern of mine. We need to change that.²

Five years ago, Westlund met the Putz family, also of Cross Lake, at

their local church. They struck up a fast friendship, and he took a quick

liking to the Putz¹s oldest daughter, Erin.

³Erin expressed her interest about going deer hunting,² Westlund said.

³Her father, Larry, liked the outdoors, but he never really was involved in

hunting as much as I was. So Erin and I decided we¹d hunt the deer opener.²

That was in November of 2001. Erin had successfully completed her

hunter safety training, and she felt she was ready for the hunt. But Bob

wasn¹t so sure. The instructor in him sensed, intuitively, that Erin needed

more training.

³I just didn¹t feel she was ready,² said Bob. ³She was a young girl

and I didn¹t want her to get hurt. We both sat in the deer stand together,

but I wouldn¹t let her shoot. She¹s a smart, smart girl, and she was very

receptive to what I was teaching her. We saw at least 30 deer that opening

morning. It was a wonderful day.²

Her interest piqued, Erin set out to hone her shooting skills and

learn more about deer hunting. Bob purchased her a new rifle, a .243. ³We

shot a lot last summer,² Bob said. ³I really wanted her to be ready, to get

comfortable with the rifle in her hands. I even got one of my friends to

take her out, too.²

In April of 2002, the Putz family got some sobering news. Erin¹s

father, Larry, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of stomach cancer; his

prognosis wasn¹t good.

³When I think about that period, I¹m just glad Erin had someone like

Bob around to help her through it,² said Erin¹s mom, Genie. ³God sent him to

us.²

Despite a heavy heart, Erin, 15, wanted to hunt whitetails again

with Bob. This time she was ready. ³The outdoors is a magical place,² she

said. ³It gives me peace. And hunting with Bob is just the best.²

Bob built a special deer stand on his lake cabin property, which

overlooks a picturesque lake. And before the November sun rose last opening

day and ushered in a blanket of blue sky and nary a breath of wind, Bob and

Erin settled in.

³It was a perfect day,² said Bob. ³In more ways than one.²

Not long past 7 a.m., Erin spotted a deer -- a yearling doe -- in an

opening between two patches of woods. ³I didn¹t see the deer until Erin

pointed it out,² said Bob. ³I must be getting old.²

Bob gave Erin the okay; she steadied her rifle and squeezed the

trigger. The deer dropped in place, a clean harvest. ³She was very calm when

she saw the deer,² said Bob. ³She knew what she was doing. Last year¹s

experienced paid off.²

Erin and Bob paced off the distance to the deer -- 180 yards. Erin

was thrilled. ³I was so happy I just starting jumping up and down,² she

said. ³But I let Bob clean the deer. Maybe next year.²

Later that morning, Bob transported the yearling doe over to the

Putz¹s. Erin and her father poised for pictures with her first deer. ³I¹m so

glad I have those pictures with my father,² said Erin. ³It was a special day

for us.²

Erin¹s father, sadly, passed away on March 23. He was 37.

³I think she (Erin) is doing okay, given the circumstances,² said Bob.

³But it¹s still pretty new. They were very close. I¹m just going to be there

for her and her family as much as they need me.²

Said Erin: ³He (Bob) adopted me into his family and into the field.

That¹s why I call him Grandpa. That¹s what he is, my Grandpa.²

In February, Erin, along with her two sisters, wrote a letter to the

MDHA on Bob¹s behalf, nominating him for the ethical hunter of the year

award. I think it was Erin¹s way of giving back. In it she wrote, ³Bob is a

wonderful man. He loves the environment and wants others to take care of it,

too. He has become a very special Grandpa to us. He is the Grandpa we don¹t

have. We love you Grandpa. I hope you win.²

Babe Winkelman is a nationally known outdoorsman. Watch his award-winning

"Good Fishing" television show on Fox Sports Network, The Outdoor Channel,

WGN-TV, and the USA Network. Visit www.winkelman.com for air times where you

live.