Hunt with your kids, not for them!
The local chapter of Safari Club International used to hand out bumper stickers that read “Hunting with your kids, not for them.” It is a very prophetic statement. When I was just a child I met a family whose daughter disappeared. She was away for a couple of weeks and I was able to witness firsthand the anguish this family endured as they searched for their daughter. I sympathize with anyone who has been through this. In this case, there was a somewhat happy ending when the girl returned, but I know there were problems that needed to be solved. So when I first saw the SCI decal, it hit me.
Several years have passed and my youngest son is about to embark on his first adventure to become a hunter. He and a friend from school signed up to take the hunter safety course and I can tell you that my heart was filled with pride when it was both days and he obtained his certificate. A few days later we bought his first hunting license and started making plans for our first trip to the forest as a father and his hunting equipment.
Squirrels were to be our first hunt. We have a cabin at Allegany’s and you can find all kinds of squirrels there. And we are also blessed with a lot of nut trees so finding them is pretty easy too. We arrived at the camp the night before and lit the fire in the wood stove. October in western New York is a beautiful time to be in the woods, but nights can be quite chilly. Once the blades started to light our ecofan, we were in business with a lot of hot air circulating through the eco fan. If you haven’t seen one of these yet, they are quite unique in that they produce their own electricity. I have been using one for several years. Back on the hunt.
My son has had a lot of practice shooting with his .22. I started all my children from a very young age to accustom them to firearms and to teach them to respect the weapon, as well as the intended purpose, so that when we left the cabin early that morning in October I knew I was ready. We walked about half an hour up the hill to be among some beach nut trees. We decided on one that had been dropped and was just the right height for a seat and began our wait. The first thing that appeared was a young doe. It didn’t seem to matter to him that this day he shared the forest with us. She searched for some food and then went on with her assigned rounds. Soon I saw a large black squirrel scampering around collecting its morning feast. My son saw it too and asked if he should shoot. I asked him if he was ready and he said yes. One shot later we had our first squirrel of the day. I was eager to get the animal back, but I told him to stay put and remember where the squirrel was. About five minutes later, a pretty gray squirrel appeared and met a similar fate. We waited a while when it became apparent that something was coming up the hill. At first we weren’t sure what it was, but soon several heads started moving up and down and we saw several turkeys having some breakfast as they went up the hill. It wasn’t turkey season so they were going to have a free pass, but it was certainly exciting to see them and share this moment with my young hunter. We waited until the turkeys passed and were out of sight and proceeded to collect our morning meal.
As we left the forest, I will never forget what my hunter asked for the first time who had just caught his first two squirrels. He said, “Dad, what caliber of weapon do you need to hunt moose?” I still laugh every time I think about it. Hunt with your children, not for them. I hunt, therefore I exist.