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Creating an Outdoorswoman
Reply With QuoteI bet that people always wonder when the best time to get started is. Heck, I’ve often wondered that myself. Although I could point to the first time I took her in the woods or on the water with me, looking back, I believe that I started much earlier.
From the time she was old enough to open her eyes, I was constantly introducing her to the outdoors and I didn’t even know it. When every other child was making noises of what a dog or cat sounded like, Abby could tell you what noise a deer made, what noise a turkey made, and the noises of many other animals in the woods. At the time, I didn’t know that I was in the early stages of creating an outdoorswoman. I was simply being myself. In the evenings, she would sit on my lap as I thumbed through a hunting or fishing magazine. She would point out a buck, or a doe, a crappie, a jig, and all sorts of other stuff that was answered when we played 1 million questions! Taking it a step further, I would always ask her to point where you shoot that deer, or this turkey, or that bear. Again, at the time I really didn’t comprehend what I was doing.
When we moved out of the city and to our current farm, it became the perfect opportunity to ensure she was in the outdoors. Oftentimes, due to my work schedule, it was me that picked her up from daycare. We would spend a few hours each night, just the two of us. Many of those evenings were spent in the woods looking at tracks, cutting firewood, and playing 2 million questions. Eventually, there comes a time when you have to take things a step further. Bow hunting has been my life since I was three years old. It was only fitting that I started her out around the same age. This bow is actually the exact same bow I started with over three decades ago!
Around this same time, you start taking them out in the woods for their first hunting adventures. You go when they want to go, and you leave when they want to leave. The purpose isn’t about killing an animal. In fact, that really is the last thing you want to do. The purpose is for them to see why you like it. The excitement and the happiness you derive from it. It is infectious after all! When you are successful, include them in the recovery aspects. Teach them about tracking, recognizing signs, using a compass, and tons of other information you don’t think they will retain! Explain the importance of WHY you selected this deer to harvest. Allow them to understand what you will be doing with it and where it will be going. Include them in the prayer process (if you do that) in order to inform the lord that this animal did not die for nothing and that you will use everything. Pray with them that the animal did not suffer, it was quick and human, and the animal is in its final resting spot. Explain what that is! This is a VERY important process.
When they start getting older, make sure they have the right equipment. They are lucky today as there are many options for youth. In my time, things were difficult. Make sure the equipment is right for them. In these photos, Abby is shooting right handed, as you will see later, she is actually left eye dominant so we switched her over.
At some point in time you have to move forward. Shooting a bow helped her understand the fundamentals of marksmanship. When you make the transition over to a firearm, the aiming aspects become a whole lot easier. Make sure to select a weapon they can handle. Explain ALL safety aspects but keep them brief. Repeat these things each time you shoot. Never tell them NO when they ask to shoot. Quiz them periodically about what you have taught.
Continue to include them in all aspects of what you are doing. On our farm, we manage it for quality animals. Explain the reasons why we are doing this. What it means, and the methods we use. Include them in the selection of crops, the planting, weeding, and all other property management aspects. Have them tag along when you set scouting cameras and pull photographs. They will gain a sense of accomplishment of capturing the animal on film just as you do.
There will come a time when you need to move forward with their training. Selecting a weapon they can handle can be the difference between good habits and forward progress, or creating bad habits due to them being afraid of recoil. Although several youth models are available, in my experience, the majority of these weapons (although they fit the youth) actually have more felt recoil due to their size and weight to caliber ratio. In my opinion, the best youth option is a modular platform such as an AR style rifle with a collapsible stock, gas operated bolt, and a buffer spring. The spring is designed to chamber another round but also reduces felt recoil. I know several young ladies that will shoot an AR platform chambered in .450 bushmaster with a heavy buffer and spring with zero issues! It is equally important to have good quality hunting and bench rests. Younger people simply cannot hold the weapons up and accurately make shots. Having quality rests helps remove the frustrations of not being able to hold steady and allows the marksman the opportunity to focus on fundamentals. I utilize the Caldwell field pod (photo below) as well as a Caldwell lead sled. The field pod accompanies us in the field.
You really need to gauge their interest levels. Do not push them too hard. The above photograph taken in 2016 was in preparation for her first youth hunt. At this point in time, she is 10 years old. She has been with me on multiple trips and has helped me recover a number of animals. I feel as though she understands the gravity of taking an animals life. Although I can take her in to the woods, and teach her everything I know, it will ultimately be her decision on whether she wants to pull the trigger. Unfortunately, due to sports conflicts, we were unable to hunt in the mornings. Although she saw deer on both of her evening hunts, the mornings were when the bucks moved. She did have the opportunity to harvest a doe but chose not to do so.
I continued to include her as much as she saw fit and she was able to help me recover this verified 7 ½ year old 8 point I killed with a bow.
As she grew in size and maturity, so too did her interests. She had started tournament archery in 2016 and she was starting to get pretty good at it. I guess finishing in the top 6 in your age group within the state will do that for you. Having been a marksmen in the Marine Corps and an instructor, I spent a large portion of my career teaching and shooting weapons. After I left service, I really had zero desire to spend time shooting tons of ammo. I began to realize however that shooting contains several great lessons for youth so I had my dad construct a rifle and pistol range on my property. Abby took up shooting with Papa’s competition 22 and also started the training aspect of long range shooting. Her grouping at 200 yards should tell you that she either has a knack for it or a good teacher!
Make things FUN. After all, that is what things are all about. From fun pistol and rifle targets that ooze colors, make noises when you hit them, spin around, or explode, to interesting bow targets. Shooting at paper all day long to see how well you can do isn’t any fun. Make things interactive. The below photo is a picture of “Reggie” the piñata! It “was” full of candy at the time of his demise.
2017 was a pivotal year. We saw many animals during the youth hunt but nothing that Abby wanted to shoot. There was a selection of large doe and a few of them had fawns. I sensed that she was having some issues but was also proud that she understood the consequence of the situation. Simply put, she knew that she held an animal’s life in her hands and SHE didn’t feel SHE was ready to take that life. She would later tell me that she didn’t feel like she was ready to do that but that she wanted to continue to go out with me! I had not lost her yet. During this time it was important for me to remember that killing a deer should NOT be the most important aspect of what we are doing. In my eyes, the most important thing was being able to spend time with my daughter while doing something that I loved to do. Heck, just having her want to be with me was enough. Some people could never take a life and I was willing to accept that. Had she made her decision? At the time I didn’t think so. I think she was stuck and contemplating life to be honest.
Up to this point she has been with me when I recovered animals but had not been with me when I harvested an animal. Sometimes, teaching moments happen without you knowing about it. The 2017 firearms season was very slow. I was actually only hunting for Doe as I had tagged two big bucks during bow season. I spent a lot of time simply watching deer. Every time she went out with me however, we were not seeing any deer. This gave me a ton of time to be able to talk about deer management, disease, being ethical, only taking quality shots, waiting for the right opportunity, and tons of other information that would later be extremely important.
On one particular evening in late December, I made note of an impending storm. It was supposed to hit just after dark and the temperatures were dropping fast. The deer had not moved during daylight hours in several days. I figured we could go out to the cabin, turn on the fire, and watch the snow storm come in. I was able to explain what I knew about the weather and the reason I thought that evening might be good. She was able to sit with me when I harvested this dandy doe. She got to see the whole process. The waiting for the deer to come closer, the need to wait for the right shot, and all the steps I took along the way. By the time we left the cabin that evening to recover this deer we had received 8 inches of snow. The below photo was recovered 11 minutes after the shot. You can already see how much snow we had received.
I feel it is important to provide all of this information leading up to 2018. You can see that we engrossed Abby in to the field at a very young age but we did not push her. We allowed her to make her own decisions and backed off when we felt like we could be pushing too hard. Up to this point we did not know if she would grow out of her apprehensions or if she would continue to bare a heavy weight on her shoulders. Time, age, and maturity would tell the tale.
Through 2018, my wife and I continued to explain the aspects of what we do. The reason behind all of it. We talked about planting crops to help nourish doe before and after they give birth, creating and providing protective cover from predators, making good water sources, and giving deer everything they need to survive on our property for 12 months out of the year. We are not trying to kill every deer that we see. We are trying to ensure they have the best life possible, reduce disease, and allow for an acceptable number of animals per acre. She knows that 65% or more of our red meat diet comes from venison. However, if we felt that we were taking too many animals or taking animals that were too young, we would adjust accordingly. In other words, we don’t need the meat to survive. Yes, we enjoy it, it is healthy, and provides a better alternative (for us) but, if there is a price to pay in the form of depleting our resources, we would gladly change.
Abby continued to shoot competitive archery, set and check cameras, help plant food plots, and learn as much as we could teach her. Knowing that she had already used her apprentice license twice, she had a choice to make. She could take hunter’s safety, or she didn’t have to. Michigan now offers an online version for people. After speaking with Abby, she agreed with me. Who wants to sit online and do something for several hours when I could go, sit in a class with experienced instructors, learn valuable life skills, and get it all taken care of. I took the liberty of including her close friend so that both of them could do it together. After it was over, I asked Abby if she wanted to hunt this year. YES was the answer I was given!
Stay tuned for Chapter 3!
