Sometimes life gets in the way of the important stuff. Going to work, getting chores done around the house, getting the bills paid, and all those other obligations need to get done, but the really important stuff is connecting with your family.
One of the best ways to do that is to take them hunting. I’ve been trying to get the boys out to hunt for deer for years now, and we’ve gotten a few chances here and there. But it’s never enough. I had to get a grown-up job a little over a year ago, and I’m still building up my vacation time, so I can’t take a day off during the week to take them hunting. Besides, they’re both in school sports, and they can’t miss either school or practice without consequences.
But the state 4-H program offers a deer hunt for a few kids each year. Steve Mack has been organizing it for about 9 years, and it’s a fantastic opportunity for kids who want to learn to hunt.
The ranch where the hunt takes place has limited space, but there was just enough room for me to go along. I got to be there with Logan when he shot his first-ever deer. It’s a doe whitetail hunt, because the landowner needs to thin out his whitetail population, but that’s OK. A 14-year-old is often just happy harvesting a critter of any kind, so it doesn’t have to be a Boone & Crockett monster buck.
And since I was along for the ride, with my camera, I actually got a picture of Logan getting ready to take that first deer, with the deer he got in the photo. If I’d been hunting, too, I probably wouldn’t have been able to take that picture.
Make sure your kid applies for the 4-H deer hunt next year. You’ll enjoy it as much as your kid does.
