Growing up in a hunting and fishing family, I found there was always something to look forward to. Going hunting was a given and anticipated by my brother and me, and we enjoyed every minute of it.
At home we harbored a beagle and a Brittney, and hunting those dogs provided plenty of action and fun. Every chance Dad could squeeze the time during the fall, he would be hunting. We were constantly on the go, either hunting for pheasants and small game on the farms close to home, or going to camp and hunting for turkeys.
As young hunters, my brother and I were impressionable. We had fun and learned a lot while having a great time.
Dad and most of those we hunted with back then are gone now, yet the memories of those good times linger, and I’m grateful for that.
While my brother and I are separated by distance, we still look forward to sharing time hunting together. We’ll have some laughs, work at taking some game, and eat well. Combined, that’s what makes our time together enjoyable.
The outdoor field sports still remain a big part of our lives, but things continue to change. Today, youngsters and their parents have so many activities that they can easily become hard pressed to hunt like we did when growing up. I hate to admit it, but it’s just a fact of life these days.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
It’s refreshing to see how the PA Game Commission has been willing to expand hunting opportunities for youngsters and even adults. From small game to big game, there is a lot to look forward to.
At first some bemoaned the so-called facts about how the kids would get the jump on the adults when it came to hunting opportunities. Others spouted off about how unsafe the woods would be when the kids had their special day(s).
Now with a number of youth hunts being conducted statewide, the only embarrassment has been that the so-called “facts” have been proven untrue.
Today youngsters holding a mentored youth or junior hunting license have the opportunity to be included in a number of mentored and special youth hunts. But don’t take my word for it, see pages 8 and 9 of the 2019-2020 PA Hunting & Trapping Digest.
Youngsters today are being pushed and pulled in too many directions. A friend of mine who has two kids in junior high school shared their after school schedule with me. I simply marveled that they knew who was going where and at what time. God bless them.
Yes, kids need to be kept active, but they also need time to learn about the natural world.
Recreational hunting provides the opportunity to teach today’s youth a number of important life lessons. Including one-on-one time spent afield offers quality time that can’t be equated in dollars and cents.
Looking back, I can understand why it brought a smile to my dad’s face when our bird dog pointed at a pheasant and either my brother or I walked in to flush the bird. Gentle coaching came from the background. “Take it easy, watch and look for the eye of the bird,” Dad would say.
Then there was a rush of feathers exploding into the air and a string of shot crumpling the bird from the air. At times words were not spoken, but it was the smile on my dad’s face that said it all.
Time in the field teaches a number of important life lessons: respect for nature, others’ property, and even the respect for one’s self and the game taken from the field, just to name a few. No, it’s not all about the kill, but about the respect of life and the sportsmen’s role in the conservation of our natural resources.
In the case of my brother and myself, our mentoring was not provided within the confines of a classroom setting, but rather in the outdoors.
Yes, lessons were part of the experience, and patience was a hallmark of every outing. Afterwards when returning home, our firearms were safely stored, and the dogs were cared for. As mom prepared supper, the game that returned home with us was cared for. You might call it discipline and self-respect; we simply learned it as part of the hunt.
Those of us who hunt and fish could easily write a book chocked full of stories depicting the days when we were learning how to fish and hunt. Yet it is sad that there are those who find it difficult to squeeze the outdoor lifestyle into their schedules.
It won’t be long until forests will show a transformation of color, a sign that the fall hunting seasons will soon be at hand. With that in mind, now is a great time to begin taking a youngster, or in my case, my son-in-law and grandsons afield.
Trips to the rifle range or going to camp to scout for wildlife provide great starting points, and they build on every experience while working toward a new season of outdoor adventure. And remember to take a kid or someone new to hunting to share the experience and adventure, it’s an investment in time that you’ll never forget.
Charlie Burchfield is an active member and past president of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association, an active member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association, Outdoor Writers Assoc. of America and the Mason-Dixon Outdoor Writers. Gateway Outdoors email is GWOutdoors@comcast.net.
