Don't Hate Young Hunters

We just ended our annual youth hunt here in Michigan.  There is a neat site that invites photo submissions of the youngsters with their deer and posts them on the internets and social media.  Just yesterday I saw a posting from the moderators of the site asking people to please refrain from posting disparaging comments about the young hunters.  

I think I am getting older, because a lot of stuff I’ve seen lately has literally made me want to cry.  To sit right down where ever I am, put my face in my hands and cry.  It’s no way to treat a youngster participating in a perfectly legal activity.  In fact, let me tell you why you should welcome the youth hunt.  Because these kids are learning skills that will make them excellent adults, partners, spouses, friends, citizens, and employees. 

Safety

There is nothing more dangerous on the planet than a loaded firearm.  They are learning that hunting is a privilege and involves something that is potentially very dangerous and that safety comes first in everything.  They understand that if they abuse the privilege they lose it.  You probably won’t see these kids flying down your neighborhood street in their car cause they’ve been hunting and they understand that sometimes activities involve dangerous things and there are consequences for their actions.  The best hunters are safe hunters. 

Preparation 

Their mentors have been teaching them how important it is to prepare, from planting the food plots to setting the stands and checking the cameras.  They are practicing with their weapon of choice and spending time in the field scouting and learning their quarries tendencies and behaviors.  They are prepping their hunting gear and planning ahead to avoid conflicts with school and other obligations. 

Execution 

While on stand they are learning to play the wind and stay quiet.  They are learning to be patient while they wait for the game and the perfect, ethical shot opportunity.  They are applying what they know about the animal and how it behaves.  They are learning that success happens when preparation meets opportunity. 

Humility 

They are learning to overcome obstacles.  The weather conditions, the wind, no shot opportunity, animals that are not there or using the area, smart animals, the whitetails sixth sense, a misfire or just simply a missed shot.  They will be humbled and they will have to deal with it, learning that if they want to succeed sometimes they will just have to persevere and get back on the horse even though it just bucked you off. 

These young people are developing a sense of place in God’s natural world and learning about where food actually comes from.  They’ll learn about conservation when they pass on a smaller buck or doe and management when they opt to take an older deer or a doe to balance the herd.

 

They’re learning all of these things and more and are being shaped into some of our finest human beings.  People that you would want your daughter or son to date or marry, people that you want involved in your community, people you would want in your life as a trusted and devoted friend, and people that you’d want working with and for your business.  

So please don’t disparage the development of some of our finest.