Georgia Mentor Competition: Matthew Bishop

Mentor Background: Matthew Bishop: “Lived in Newnan most of my life before serving in the United States Marine Corps. I always loved the outdoors but couldn’t get out as much as I would have liked due to having no consistent place to go. I now take advantage of private and public-land opportunities when given.”

Mentee Background: Isaiah Bishop is a 6-year-old who is just getting into hunting and the outdoors. He loves going anywhere that involves the woods.

By Matthew Bishop: Every hunt I take Isaiah on, we try to learn something new. Learning could consist of identifying tracks, learning new animal sounds, using different types of calls, or teaching about habits of different species of animals. I take him whenever both our schedules allow and leave plenty of time for talking and teaching. Although we have not got a harvest together, we have watched a group of toms pass by our blind one evening, as well as a doe crossing though the field, which was very exciting to him, considering he has only heard and watched these animals on TV and never seen them in the woods.

Why Is Mentoring Is Important To Me: The best thing about mentoring someone is the joy you get when you see them learn. It’s not always about the kill but the hunt. When mentoring someone, you are not only spending time with them and doing something you love, but you are teaching them something that they can also pass down for generations.