While teaching hunter safety in Waupaca with another instructor Oct. 1, something magical happened. A boy about 12 ran excitedly toward the parking lot of the church, where fellow instructor Chris Hazen and I were teaching a group at our tree stand safety station. “Dad, I passed!” the boy yelled as he approached his dad’s car. I caught my breath and felt my eyes getting ready for tears.

Some of us only think of police as life-or-death crimefighters or the enforcers of traffic laws, but a statewide program aimed at keeping kids on the straight and narrow brings cops and kids together to enjoy archery, fishing and bowling while teaching youngsters that the men and women in blue are really pretty cool. The Cops and Kids Foundation, launched in Sussex by retired Pewaukee Police Officer Bob Kraemer in 2010, has spread its programs th

As a chubby high school kid, I was never an athlete, but when our gym class had a few weeks of archery, I was floating on air. Those kids who didn’t shoot a bow and arrow much had no clue that the three feathers on one end of the arrow were crucial to good arrow flight. Some of our gym class arrows had two feathers and occasionally just one.

Think of your favorite, mouth-watering fish fry. What species comes to mind? Beer-battered walleye? Pan-fried perch or maybe crappies or bluegills? Perhaps you prefer a delicious ocean fish, like grouper or red snapper? Chances are, you probably aren’t thinking of catfish. Unless it’s a Wisconsin fish fry with the big, ugly flathead catfish as the star attraction. Most channel catfish are tasty, but they definitely have a fishy taste.

A little book called “Zen Bow, Zen Arrow” by John Stevens tells the story of Japanese master archer Awa Kenzo, arguably the greatest bow shot in his country during the early 1900s. Kenzo used the bow to not only supply his family food and provide protection, but also to teach a martial arts form and even as a device leading to spirituality and enlightenment. “With each shot, see your nature,” Kenzo taught his many disciples.

Area bowhunters will have several opportunities to hone their shooting skills in a wooded setting next month as two archery clubs host 3-D archery competitions. If bowhunting isn’t your thing, you can still shoot in the clubs’ field archery contests. Clintonville Bow Hunters recently rebuilt 17 of its 28 wood-framed field targets, according to club president Jim Schoenike.