Dreams Do Come True
I have been hunting all of my life. My earliest memories are fishing next to my mom and helping the family process game. By the time I could walk well enough to keep up, I was fully immersed in the outdoor lifestyle. Where I am now isn't all that far from where I was then.
The art of play helped me become an outdoorsman. When still too young to hunt, I played hunting with my friends. Imagine four little boys with our Hotwheels set in a semi-circle under the afternoon sun. Reenacting how we watched our parents set up camp in all seriousness. With our firewood gathered, food secured, and water in our canteens, it was time to set off into the woods to hunt deer. The field behind my house served as the woods where we would blaze trails through the saplings, blackberry bushes, and scotch broom. We would stop to drink water, eat snacks and talk about all the deer signs we had seen. Learning the art of the hunter's tale, long before we could hold a rifle or bow.
My secondary exposure happened because I am the youngest (many years) and had great older brothers. At 5 years old, I was sitting in the duck blind on days when your breath would freeze to your mustache. I didn't have a mustache then, but I was working on growing one. I made it to the blind on my eldest brother's back and would be bundled away in the extra coat and gloves brought to keep me warm. My job was to count the birds and track who was getting close to their limit. I was very good. I was 5, but you couldn't have found a happier kid.
They also took me out pheasant and quail hunting as long as I could keep up. I have many memories of walking cornfields or fences and hedgerows behind my brother. The sun was dropping towards the horizon and silhouetting my brother and the dog—the old lab charging into the corn and the crow of a rooter pheasant taking flight, followed by the boom of shotguns and the welcomed command of, "fetch!" The smell of fresh dirt and spent shells still trigger the happiest memories of my childhood.
Time spent outside with my family, the knowledge gained through watching and awaiting my turn, set a foundation for me to build upon as a hunter and outdoorsman. I learned to respect the animals and be an ethical hunter before picking up a gun. I learned that my dog is a partner and companion in some of life's most extraordinary adventures. Most of all, I learned to be a good human being. That is why I say I've been hunting all of my life with pride.
