My friends Story

[MrWiggely]

I was raised in a family which was taught to respect teh wilderness and the many pleasures it had to offer. My brothers and I were taught at a very early age, the ways of our distant relatives, the native americans, and how they depended on nature to survive. We were taught that you only take what you need and no more. In this way you were preserving natures fruit for future use. We were taught that the act of taking one of natures creations was very powerful, and that this power was never to be abused.

Growing up we didn't have a lot of money, and times were often tight to say the least. My father introduced all us boys to hunting as a way to feed the family. As a necessity, not a sport. He also taught us that the animals we were hunting deserved our respect, that if we shoot an animal, we had better intend to eat it. This point was drilled home by dad to the point where he would give us 5 shells each, and count them when we came home. If we had less than 5 shells, we had better be bringing something to put on the table.

My two older brothers couldn't get enough of the woods. They would spend every afternoon in the woods scouting, and making maps of the area. Marking places where they had sited big deer, or found rubs and scrapes. They would put up deer blinds and pace their trails out so they could go up in the dark and know exactly how many steps it would take to get there. They would go out in late winter and early spring looking for sheds and any new trails to tell them where the deer had been in late season, and when the snow was deep. In my eyes my brothers were crazy, but hind sight tells me they did everything they could to get the job done come deer season. My brothers didn't sleep a wink the night before deer season because they were riddled with anticipation of the next days hunt, and of the big buck they had seen here or there.

I myself never felt that feeling of excitement. I couldn't understand the big deal about target practice, or countless hours scouting in the woods, or the thought of standing around for hours in the freezing cold weather. Luckily my brothers understood the excitement perfectly well, and because they did, I ate very well all winter.........

this may be continued....

[rockefeller66]

Re: My friends Story

That is how I was raised, respect nature, leave it better then you found it, and respect nature some more. Obey all the laws and enjoy the wildlife. Now I have taken a few deer with my bow and taken some pheasants with my gun and some turkeys too and I am only 19 but to the point where I could care less if I take another animal, I just really enjoy getting out and being around the wildlife or wathcing the dogs track and flush a pheasant or watch a mature tom be fooled into the call. But what I like the most is getting new kids out like my sister, this year was her first year bowhunting and she didn't hunt too much but she did really enjoy it when she could get out and last year she got to watch me take two turkeys. This year was also her first time out carrying a gun while pheasant hunting and I was right there when she shot her first bird!!!!! It was one of the best experiences of my life, honestly!!!!! This year I am bound and determined to get her her first turkey and I want to get it on video, just for the memory!!! That is was hunting is to me, enjoying wildlife, relaxing, making memories, getting new kids out, and respecting nature!