Ray Sasser
Dallas Morning News

Austin program helping young hunters grow

.......... I relearned some valuable deer hunting lessons from Jon-Michael Greaney last weekend. Jon-Michael is 10, and it had been awhile since I'd hunted with a 10-year-old. You tend to forget the little things that make deer hunting difficult for young hunters.

Simple things like how deer blinds are designed so the windows are the optimum height for an adult to sit in a chair and rest a rifle on the window ledge. Most deer blinds are not built for hunters less than 5 feet tall.

When it came time for Jon-Michael to shoot a whitetail, he had to get on his knees in the comfortable office chair just so he could achieve the proper angle to look through the rifle scope and center the crosshairs on the doe's shoulder.

The deer was feeding about 90 yards from the blind, and she kept moving around. Jon-Michael, who is well-schooled in firearms safety, would take the safety off when the deer was feeding broadside. Because of the awkward position, however, it took him awhile to get the shot lined up to his satisfaction.

In the meantime, the doe would turn so she was facing away or facing toward the blind, and the young hunter would put the rifle safety back on. This happened at least four times until the doe made a fatal mistake and stayed in a broadside position too long.

Jon-Michael squeezed off the shot and the doe fell where she was standing. It was pretty cool, and the youngster was pleased with his shot. It wasn't his first deer. Jon-Michael lives in Austin. His father is T.J. Greaney, founder of the Kids Outdoor Zone Youth Hunting, Fishing and Adventure Clubs.

The KOZ is a Christian-based organization run through Greaney's church, Fellowship Southwest. It happened by chance. Greaney's neighbor was killed in a car accident, leaving a young son without a male mentor. Greaney took up on the task, often inviting the boy on hunting and fishing trips with his family.

Greaney then took an entire Sunday school class of kids on an outing and was pleased with the response, both from the kids and from their parents.

"Single parents, in particular, were very appreciative," he said. "The boys were sponges, soaking up everything they learned about the outdoors. A lot of kids want an outdoor experience, but so many urban parents don't know how to do these things."

Greaney started the KOZ program with baby steps two years ago and recently had his first board meeting. The mission statement is "No Kid Left Inside." Since the Web site (www.countrylinemagazine .com) came online earlier this year, the response has been overwhelming.

"We've had requests for this program from all over the country," Greaney said. "I'm organizing a KOZ template into a three-ring binder – an instruction book for others who want to start a similar program."

Greaney's vision is 1,000 KOZ programs spread across the country. As with any youth program, the key to success lies in quality adult leaders.

"The adults get as much out of KOZ as the kids get," he said. "Anytime you can get a kid outside is good, but they tend to revert to comfortable, old habits if there's no regular follow-up."

Greaney has monthly meetings, outings nearly every month and two summer camps per year. The kids pay a food and transportation fee to participate in outings, but there are fundraising activities to help those who need financial assistance. He's available to speak at churches about KOZ. Contact him at 512-292-1113.

To readd this article in full go to:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/outdoors/
stories/113008dnsposasser.3a2d697.html

 

By Mike Leggett
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

From first doe to final trip, special moments
happen while hunting

The article started off with the first days of the week where Leggett took and old friend on what might have been his last deer hunt at the age of 77. Later in the week he met with the KOZ boys for a hunt where he guided one of our newest KOZ members, Mitch.

................ Friday I traveled to Paluxy to Ernest Cannon's J-Bar-F Ranch, the site of a special hunt for kids through the Kids Outdoor Zone program. Based in Austin, T.J. Greaney's Kids Outdoor Zone is church- and volunteer-based, with the appropriate motto "No kid left inside."

I recruited several friends — Ray Sasser, Clent LaGrone and Jimmy Davis — to help guide the kids, people I knew could be patient and friendly and pass along a positive message about hunting, the outdoors and adults. The kids arrived late Friday afternoon, just in time to sight-in rifles and to get acquainted before chili and guacamole and bedtime.

Two youngsters killed does Saturday morning, though my guy and I did not. Mitch Dunkin is 11 and lives in Decatur. His mother drove him down to Stephenville to meet the group, and though he'd hunted some before, he'd never killed a deer. After that first hunt, though, he wasn't depressed, just excited to be there.

"We saw a bunch of bucks and a couple of does, but they were too far away," I heard him telling his buddies over brunch. We rode during the middle of the day and looked at bucks chasing does and ducks landing on ponds. Mitch and I, along with Greaney, who served as mentor and chaperone because it was Mitch's first hunt, traveled to a blind I call Windy Hill for the afternoon hunt.

Not long after we arrived, a small group of deer, including two does and a pretty nice buck, worked their way out of the brush into the clearing in front of us. We had been talking and visualizing this moment for a long time, but Mitch was amazingly patient. We set up the rifle in the window, talked about the sight picture and the target and after several long minutes of waiting, he pulled the trigger on the deer. The doe ran a short distance and fell in tall grass.

"That was awesome," Mitch whispered. "That was my first deer. ... I want to make a rug out of the skin. ... Thanks for letting me use your gun."

We sat quietly for maybe half an hour, long enough for another group of post-rut deer to arrive. Does, bucks and fawns were moving through the area and finally, after several minutes of looking for just the right deer, I got the youngster focused on one very mature doe. Seated on two pillows to get him high enough to shoot comfortably, Mitch found her in the scope. He described her and what she was doing just as I asked and then I told him to shoot.

The doe fell in her tracks.

Greaney was congratulating Mitch and giving me that "isn't this great" look as we waited for the sun to go down. Mitch was talking about telling his mother about the hunt, how getting two does would help the management plan on the ranch and how now he'd taken two deer in one afternoon, just kid stuff, truth that leaks out when kids aren't editing around adults, but that is most telling in terms of what they're thinking.

Finally, he stopped and turned blue eyes to me and said: "I'm glad you were my guide."

My heart stopped for a moment, then fluttered back to life on wings of pure joy. I'd been full circle in a few short days and been a part of the beginning and the end of lives in hunting. For that, I'm very thankful.

The Kids Outdoor Zone program, based in Austin, provides summer camps, and hunting and fishing opportunities for kids . Information can be found online at www.kidsoutdoorzone.com or by calling T.J. Greaney at 292-1113.

To read this article in full go to: http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/
outdoors/11/27/1127legcol.html

 

Summer Hunting and Fishing Camps Any Grownup Would Envy
TJ Greaney

It seems the fast paced lifestyles of most families today don’t always lend credit to what can be learned by watching a mockingbird in a mesquite tree or a red ant scurrying about on a dusty trail. The moments of quiet without television or traffic, schedules and telephones are not usually a priority in our urban settings. Summer camp can be a place kids learn to slow down and appreciate the land, water and wildlife.

I remember summer camp and lots of the things I learned there. We swam, canoed, made wooden crafts, shot 22 rifles and did archery. I remember the campfire chats and the tricks we played on the other campers. Camp was one of the highlights of my summers growing up.

Today kids have summer camp options I never dreamed of. There is space camp, rock ‘n’ roll camp, chess camp, baseball camp, survival camp, cowboy camp, cheerleader camp, soccer camp and more. These are all great camps and amazing experiences for kids to have, but there are also outdoor camps and hunting and fishing camps that would make even the most avid hunter or fisherman wish to be a kid again, even if for just one summer session.

These outdoor hunting and fishing experience camps are perfect for the kid with outdoor deficit disorder (I made that term up years ago when my kids stayed inside too long). Ages for these camps range from 9 to 17 and can be boys only, co-educational or even a girls only extreme outdoor hunting and fishing camp. Yes, girls hunting and fishing culminating in the harvest of an animal -- awesome.

All the camps are about skills training, safety, fun and comradery. They take those with little or no outdoor skills and teach them the basic skills and what they need to be successful when hunting and fishing. Most of the camps will provide a hunter’s education certificate to those who complete the camp and are of age to receive the certificate. These certificates are required for most hunters in most states before they can legally hunt. What a great way for them to earn theirs!

Instruction at the camps include archery, marksmanship, camp setup, basic survival skills, tracking game, game skinning and firearm safety. Different camps have different curriculums and different sessions offer different events or special training. Some camps include harvesting an animal while others don’t. Most all of the camps include freshwater fishing and skills training and there are summer session camps on the coast that specialize in saltwater fishing techniques and habitat.

Life-changing moments are echoed many times over at the hunting and fishing camps. Many of the kids are repeat campers. They sit around the campfires and lay in their bunks for hours reliving the daily activities moment by moment. The experiences are not soon forgotten as they return to the world of television and video games, traffic and noise. Because of these camps maybe, just maybe, the kids stop a little more often and notice a spider in a bush or a deer grazing on the side of the road. They smell the air before a rain and hear a bird singing outside their window in the morning. Hopefully the camps instill moments of quiet respect and daydreams of outdoor adventures to come. For more information on these camps and activities visit www.kidsoutdoorzone.com.

T.J. Greaney is an outdoor writer: tj@countrylinemagazine.com.

 

On The Trail
by Kendal Hemphill

The Five Orienteers

When TJ Greaney decided to start a summer hunting camp for boys, he asked me to teach orienteering, which is navigating with a map and compass. I tried to get him to let me teach something the boys would be able to understand a little easier, like quantum physics or investment banking or neurosurgery, but he already had someone lined up for the simple stuff.

TJ designed the camp specifically for boys who don’t get many opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors, or don’t have a dad or other man around to teach them about essential stuff like hunting, fishing, and exaggerating. The first camp session ended up with five fairly bright, energetic, enthusiastic boys, and after a week with TJ I fully expect all of them to be experts at spending long hours in the woods without actually accomplishing anything.

TJ is the host of the Outdoor Zone radio program on Clear Channel 1300 in Austin, and publishes Countryline Magazine. He is one of the most dedicated outdoor communicators I know, and is always looking for a way to get kids involved in hunting and fishing. His motto is “No child left inside.” I’ve known TJ for almost ten years, and every time I see him he’s smiling, but I’ve learned to overlook petty faults like that.

Travis Gray, one of the camp guides and a darn fine guitar picker, helped me set up an orienteering course at the camp. We drew a simple map of a clearing, marking in a road and a fence, and then hung markers in trees around the edges of the open area, so they would be hard to find until you were pretty close to them. We marked the spots on the map to indicate where the markers were, and drew in an indicator to show which way north was on the map. Nothing to it.
Back at the camp I sat the boys down and explained how a compass works. These fellows were all about ten to twelve years old, so they had a little trouble getting the hang of the rotating dial, since it wasn’t attached to a video game. But I kept explaining, and after about fifteen minutes I had them thoroughly confused.
Then I explained to them that the easiest way to navigate with a compass is to first orient your map with the world. To do that you find the ‘north’ indicator on the map and line up your compass with it, and then rotate the map and compass until the red compass needle points north. Of course, you also have to allow for declination.

Declination is the difference between true north and magnetic north. A compass needle points to magnetic north, which is a spot in Canada about 1000 miles south of the North Pole. And you thought Canada was useless.
If you’re in Florida the declination is zero, since true north and magnetic north are lined up from there. In Texas the declination is about ten degrees east, which means the compass needle points ten degrees to the right, or east, of true north. So you have to turn the map until the needle points to ten degrees, and you’re square. So far so good.

Then, without moving your map, you line up the edge of your compass along your route. Sometimes you need a ruler or other straight object to reach from your starting point to your destination, and then you place the compass against that, so it’s lined up just right. Then, holding your map and compass still, you turn the dial on the compass until the red needle is inside the red markers on the dial. Your heading is now the number on the dial that’s lined up with the indicator line on the compass. The indicator line points straight at your destination. It even has an arrow to tell you to go that way. Simple.

Once the boys had that figured out we went out to our compass course. I gave them each a map and told them to orient it and find the markers, indicated by the dots on the map. At first they started walking off in random directions, and some of them would probably have ended up in Louisiana, or maybe Canada, if we hadn’t stopped them. But once we went through the procedure again they did pretty well. There was one boy who should definitely stay on well-marked trails for the rest of his life, preferably with a guide, but the rest found the markers OK.

I also explained to them that, if you don’t have a compass, you can find north at night by looking for the North Star. And you can find true south during the daytime with a watch, as long as it’s set to regular time, instead of daylight savings time. Holding a watch flat, you aim the hour hand at the sun. True south lies halfway between the hour hand and the 12 on the dial.
Once we were done I was confident that all the boys could navigate with a map and compass anywhere in the world, as long as they followed my Number One Rule: To keep from losing your compass, attach it to something heavy, such as the Washington Monument, or the Alamo.

As Buckaroo Banzai said – No matter where you go, there you are . . .

Kendal Hemphill is an outdoor humor columnist who guided Edmond Hillary on his successful summit of Mt. Everest. Write to him at PO Box 1600, Mason, Tx 76856 or jeep@verizon.net

 

'No Kid Left Inside' a great idea
Chester Moore, Jr.
The Orange Leader

When I saw that slogan on a flyer for hunting and fishing camps to be put on this summer by outdoors journalist/personality TJ Greaney, I paused for a second.

I have seen dozens of promotional materials for kid’s camps out there but none have ever had such a catchy slogan that spoke volumes about the concept behind it.

Nowadays, there are lots of camps for fishing and hunting but after talking with Greaney, I learned that this one really is offering something different.

“There are lots of great camps out there that are doing some amazing work with kids and the outdoors. But something that is lacking is a way to keep promoting the kids interest in the outdoors. For a lot of these kids that come from the inner city or single parent homes living with a mother for example, they may not get another chance to go hunting or fishing,” Greaney said.

That’s where mentoring comes in.

“We’re going to provide ongoing mentoring for these kids to keep giving them access to the outdoors and to keep that excitement they get at hunting or fishing camp alive over the years,” Greaney said.

The hunting camp will focus on the role of hunting in wildlife conservation, outdoor survival skills, camping and a guided hunt for feral hogs.

“We want to give the kids the practical knowledge to be outdoor participants and to let them know that hunting has a direct and positive role on wildlife conservation,” Greaney said.

The fishing camp will fishing skills, kayaking, water safety and ecology and offer plenty of time to cast for reds, specks and flounder.

“There is a lot more to fishing than just throwing out a line. We want to teach the kids how to not only be good fishermen but to also be good stewards of our coastal resources,” Greaney said.

The outdoors for many people, myself included, is a sanctuary from the fast-paced society we live in. I have often said that stepping into the woods or being on the water for sunrise is an instant blood pressure reducer. It‚s truly a great stress relief and at the same time exciting.

In my personal life the outdoors was a big part of the reason I never got involved with drugs and alcohol. Instead of seeking excitement in the form of chemicals, I was more interested in chasing whitetails in the river bottoms in Newton County and redfish on Lake Sabine.

Talking with thousands of hunters and fishermen over the years, I have heard the same kind of stories.

Legendary musician/bowhunter Ted Nugent told me the first time I met him about jamming with Jimi Hendrix backstage.

“He offered me LSD and I refused. He then went on to make fun of me for hunting and shooting a bow,” Nugent said.

“A few months later, he died of an overdose and I‚m still alive. Jimi took drugs and Jim‚s dead. Ted went hunting and Ted’s still Ted.”

Fishing and hunting are not just sports, they are a lifestyle and part of that involves having a clear head, strong sense of awareness and a vested interest in clean waters and maximum wildlife habitat.

“Investing in getting and keeping kids outdoors is an investment in their future as well as the future of wildlife habitat and clean waters since sportsmen are the ones who foot the bill for conservation. Keeping kids involved in the outdoors is important on many levels,” Greaney said.

For more information, call 512-292-1113 or call tj@countrylinemagazine.com.

(To contact Chester Moore, e-mail saltwater@fishgame.com. You can hear him on the radio Fridays from 6-7 p.m. on Newstalk AM 560 KLVI or online at www.klvi.com.)

"No Kid Left Inside"©

KOZ Mission Statement:

The Kids Outdoor Zone is a youth hunting,  fishing and outdoor adventure ministry designed to teach boys Christian based values through cutting edge outdoor programs. We believe the key to this programs success is mentorship.

Our mission is to teach boys how to become true men of God. We believe that men are designed in a specific way and through the experience of outdoor adventure and relationships with Christian men who reflect God’s light, boys can learn many of the life lessons that they may not receive in today’s fractured homes.

Our objective is to train up men in churches and other collective organization on how to role model and disciple the boys that are in their church or neighborhoods.

We also have specific programs that offer opportunities for women to speak into the lives of girls through similar outdoor exercises.