The Hubby got one!
Now for those of you from non-hunting families it is not unusual, in our family, for a 4 year-old to sit in the blinds with an extremely lenient aunt, uncle, daddy or grandparent. In fact, it's kind of a rite of passage. The adult gets some bonding time with the kiddo and the child learns to talk in a whisper and sit still--as best they can and once in a
This weekend the boys were split up; Grandpa took Porter and the Hubby took Logan, and plopped down in a blind. After several minutes they settled in and waited like pros! Porter and Grandpa saw a rafter (a flock of turkeys) of turkeys but no deer. But the Hubby and Logan, they were luckier. They had four deer walk right in front of them.
I don't come from a family quite like my Hubby's. We have hunters in the family; we eat game occasionally but I was never taken hunting as a child. When the children were very small I spoke with the Hubby about how we should explain hunting to the children. I was concerned about scaring them. How would they react to the first dead deer they saw? Should the children be witness to field dressing the animal? We decided the worst thing we could do was over-react and over-protect.
I had no questions about whether we should hunt.
- Hunting provides food for our family.
- Hunting keeps the population in check.
- Hunting provides states with much needed tourist dollars.
- Hunting is a family tradition that requires skill and patience.
I shouldn't have worried. Logan wasn't frightened by the shot being fired--and he remembered to cover his ears. The field dressing was "yucky". But overall, I don't know if I've ever seen my sons so animated as when they told me exactly how their "Daddy got a white-tail". They also told everyone at school too. Overall, it was a great first hunting experience. They'll go out again next weekend. Next weekend is about antlers. The Hubby will be much choosier about what he shoots, but my kids are ready. It'll be Myriam's turn to go hunting--the girls hunt in this family too. So I will worry again. Hopefully she will enjoy her time in the blind with Daddy; maybe she will see a turkey or even a deer. Maybe she will come home SO excited because she went huntin' with Daddy.