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Occasionally I look through some old hunting
photos and I always find fond
memories, but
I have noticed a little jump
in my heart
whenever I come across one where
a youngster
is at the center of that great
day spent
afield!
There is considerable emphasis
on, Taking
a Kid Hunting, and the Kentuckiana
Chapter
SCI has certainly showed leadership
with
our Chapters Youth and Apprentice
Hunter
Programs. But beyond this I have
seen little
written on how we get "our
future"
from the couch to the campfire.
Through our
Chapter youth hunts and educational
programs
our committee has learned much
from these
wonderful youngsters.
Brooke Pearson With Her Fallow Buck Taken
at White Oak Elk Ranch
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In this "Many valuable lessons"
series I will attempt to share
experiences,
thoughts, and suggestions relative
to introducing
new and young hunters to our
sport.
First I must qualify the obvious;
"no
two kids are alike", consequently
I'll
mostly deal with general observations.
Further
I can assure you that any information
shared
is relative to "many"
and in no
way intended to be identifiable
with any
one person or instance. If I
relate a good
thing and you as a reader can
identify with
it, then great! If something
I comment on
has is a negative connotation
and you can
relate, then; welcome aboard
there are many
of us out there "living
our way through
this life"!
Having said that I can be fairly
specific
and encompassing with my first
observation;
Youngsters aspire to be like
us and to meet
our approval! They can thus induce
considerable
internal pressure on themselves.
A missed
shot, a wounded animal, a "blown"
opportunity, not getting a shot,
being unlucky,
are all real threats pressing
on tender hearts
and minds. These and many others
have the
potential to create self fulfilling
prophecies.
To circumvent or offset some
of these pitfalls
we might consider the true nature
of our
"sport". Is it a contest?
How do
we score or win? Or, should we
be more specific
in describing our time afield
as an experience,
an adventure, a day participating
in nature
and the cycles of life. We know
that the
answers are complex and that
often there
is an element of contest. For
myself I find
the contest mostly between my
aspirations
and my physical and metal being.
If we attempt to introduce someone
to hunting
without the basic information
of mindset,
without establishing realistic
goals, or
outlining parameters and relating
to our
own beginning experiences, are
we merely
dragging this idolizing youngster
to the
pier and inviting him or her
to "jump
in and show us what they've got"
or
worse yet tossing them in and
hoping they
will swim?
Likewise if we invite or encourage
our neophyte
to tag along with us on an outing
where is
our focus and what are our goals?
Do we temper
these things to the circumstance?
In short,
a "long" cold day spent
following
a long legged adult through the
woods might
"proof a rare one"
but will certainly
create a dubious future for the
majority.
These are but a few of the tough
questions
and the tip of the iceberg that
might sink
our hopes of sailing into our
future with
a young hunting friend. Over
the next few
months I hope to include numerous
tips, and
positive steps we can take in
our planning
and our efforts to bring these
tenderfeet
to our fire!
Note: The Kentuckiana Chapter
SCI Youth and
Hunter Education and Development
Committee
held our 3rd annual Youth Hunt
at White Oak
Elk Ranch in October. An article
with the
details of the event is scheduled
for the
Winter issue of Kentuckiana Hunter.
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