Covington, GA– What is a mentor? A mentor is someone who helps guide another individual. In the case of Academics Afield, Georgia R3 Initiatives’ collegiate hunting communities, mentors guide novice hunters through the challenges and triumphs of multiple hunting adventures.

Thanks to the support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, GWF recently hired Cody Ellis as the coordinator for Academics Afield at the University of Georgia. In this role, he identifies students interested in learning how to hunt, selects capable mentors, and organizes trainings and time in the field. Academics Afield Coordinators host multiple events a semester to introduce students to a variety of different types of hunts. With each event, they start by discussing the role of hunting in wildlife conservation, continue with species biology, hunting techniques and hopefully finish with a harvest. Cody has already hosted a waterfowl hunt this spring semester and is planning a shotgun tournament alongside the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources Young Alumni Committee for April.

Cody wanted to become the Academics Afield coordinator to share hunting with other people who didn’t grow up with the activity like he did. He grew up participating with family and friends and truly values time spent exploring outdoors. When he’s mentoring, Cody gets just as excited as a new hunter does when they harvest their first animal. He is in his third year at UGA studying Wildlife Sciences and has career aspirations in wildlife damage management. Cody is attentive, open-minded, capable and GWF is excited to have him leading Academics Afield at UGA.

The Georgia R3 Initiative is a cooperative effort between  Georgia Wildlife FederationGeorgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources DivisionNational Wild Turkey FederationNational Deer Association, and Safari Club International

Georgia R3 Initiative: https://gwf.org/r3/
Photo: https://gwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/cody800.jpg
Press Release (.pdf): https://gwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/CodyEllis.pdf

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About Georgia Wildlife Federation
Georgia Wildlife Federation was founded as a sportsman’s organization in 1936 and is Georgia’s oldest conservation organization. Today, members include hunters, anglers, bird watchers, hikers, educators, and all Georgians who are interested in preserving our natural resources and outdoor heritage.

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