DE PERE, Wis. — It’s a problem that many of us face, regardless of generation.
"Right now, us darn millennials just love to be on our phones and be on the internet all day but you miss so much," said Wild Wisconsin co-founder David Voet.
Since he was a young boy, Voet spent many hours outdoors chasing fish and game. Now, through his Wild Wisconsin guide service, he’s helped many first-time adventurers experience the thrill of the hunt.
"Seeing their reaction, it’s just so hard to put into words," said Voet. "It’s so fun to watch and then you see them get hooked, like that. The next thing you know, they’re just doing it on their own."
In January, Voet’s family friend and fellow outdoor enthusiast John Feller of Kaukauna passed away. However, Feller’s love of hunting and fishing lives on, through a memorial set up by his wife Giovanna. The memorial teamed up with Wild Wisconsin to offer five outdoor adventures to kids, and get them excited about the outdoors.
Ali Sanders of De Pere applied for and won an ‘'outdoors scholarship.’' She had previously tagged along with her father on waterfowl hunts in the past — this time it was all about her adventure and her dad was along for the ride.
"She was going to be taking hunters safety and wanted to get into waterfowl hunting," said Sam Sanders. "He (Voet) thought the spring turkey hunt would be a perfect way to take her first animal."
For Voet and the Wild Wisconsin crew, it ended up being a big undertaking.
"That was an endeavor for sure," said Voet. "I think we spent north of 25 hours in the woods."
Somewhere north of that 25th hour, Ali got her turkey, a moment she said she’ll never forget.
"It was really nice. It was a huge celebration," said Ali Sanders.
Ali and her father plan to deep fry the turkey. Beyond the dinner and pictures, they took something else from the experience.
"We enjoyed the time together, let’s say that," said Sam Sanders. "At first we were bummed we didn’t get one the very first time and then we got to go again. We looked at it as more time to bond and spend together, right?"
Ali, who just finished eigth grade, replied with a simple, "Yeah."
Voet, who spent many hours in the field with the Sanders duo, doesn’t mind the extra effort his team put forth for this hunt.
"It’s rewarding. I almost feel selfish doing it because I get more out of it than I think they do, but it’s been a blast.," said Voet. "We’re going to keep this going for as long as we can."
Sam and Ali plan on keeping it going this fall as well. The memorial also gave Ali a bag full of decoys and a pair of hip waders.
"We'll start with geese in September and then as soon as duck season opens, we’ll hit that hard in October," said Sam Sanders.
When John Feller died, he didn’t want people to buy him flowers. He wanted the funds to go towards hunts like this, so he could help future generations enjoy the outdoors, as he once did.