When I was younger, there wasn’t a youth day in Massachusetts, or at least none that I can remember. My mom and dad always took me with them out into the woods with them and eventually, when I was big enough and educated enough it was my turn. Pheasants were the first thing I ever hunted with a gun of my very own, and I can tell you that it was one of the most exciting and frustrating experiences of my life. What I didn’t realize until recently, it was probably more exciting and just as frustrating for my parents – the ones teaching me and watching me pull the trigger. The last year I have had a lot of ups and downs on the water and in the woods. Trying to overcome so many hurdles both physically and mentally with my bow (a story for another time), breaking my 11 year drought on harvesting a deer, chasing the same damn turkeys for 2 weeks with no success, spending time on several different charters experiencing fishing in a way I never thought I could; perhaps the biggest part of all of this was stepping up, and out of my comfort zone. And the “why” behind it? Sharing the joy.
Last winter I decided to take my step daughter out on the ice. My fiance and I love to ice fish together and it was something we wanted to share with her. She not only loved it, she crushed it! After enjoying watching her so much, I decided I wanted to set a goal to get some more people out on the water so I hit up the ol’ Facebook and started advertising. In February I had 6 kids under the age of 10 who came with their parents to learn how to ice fish. We talked about ice safety, what equipment you need, they learned about types of bait, different ways to ice fish, how to set tips, how to set the hook, how to safety release the fish, and we cooked hotdogs and venison on the ice – because let’s be real what’s a day on the ice without a hot meal? When I tell you that it was one of the most rewarding days of my life, it’s no joke. After that day, I decided that maybe part of what I need to do to grow within my passions is to also share them. Not just share stories and experiences; share the knowledge and plant the seeds that I hope will grow into new members of the hunting and fishing communities.
Fast forward from February to April. Now it was time for youth turkey day. The Saturday before opening day here in Massachusetts, kids age 12-17 are able to youth hunt. I partnered with a local guide service and volunteered to take out a kid. This is how I met Jeff and his son Jayce (16) from Attleboro, MA who drove over 2 hours to get up at 3: 30 in the morning and let me help try to put them on a turkey. We shot the gun the day before and talked about safety, calling, what sorts of things they could expect in the morning, and just anything else turkey related you can think of. As excited as we all were about the hunt, I was just as happy to have a young man and his father excited just to learn. I felt so – useful. Not because I have any sort of special knowledge to share, I am still always learning myself, but because I was able to share experiences with this father and son on the first day of my favorite hunting season. They were excited, and so was I. I was determined, I wanted them to share what I grew up sharing with my parents.
After a long morning sit where birds didn’t want to cooperate, we headed to another spot. Again nothing. Looking back, I honestly don’t know why but I just had a feeling. You know,you have a lot of spots you could go to, but sometimes you just get a gut feeling of where to hunt that day. So we shifted gears, got back in the car and headed out to a 3rd spot. Since it was daylight now, we had to sneak through the woods, and this time if we were going to set up, we were going to have to go quick and would have no cover from a blind. We snuck to the top of the ridge in the woods and stopped to call to see if there were any turkeys in the field. Well we did, and when I clucked on the diaphragm call, a gobble erupted from the field. It all felt like a whirlwind, set up Jayce against a tree far up the path from the field where I hoped the bird wouldn’t see us, but close enough to the field to get him to come in close enough for a shot. I had Jeff go into the woods and told him to sit silent and just wait and let’s see what happens. As the kid was getting settled with his gun, I peaked and looked down the ridge to see the turkey crossing the stone wall into the woods about 150 yards away and I sat behind him and told him to get ready. We got one more gobble before silence which I knew meant he was going to come in and Jayce might get a shot, I whispered one more time to be ready, here he comes. When not one, but TWO jakes poked their heads up the hill, I could hear my heart in my ears. I sat like a statue waiting for it, and when Jayce pulled the trigger, one of the turkeys dropped.
Moving onto September and youth deer day, I had another chance to take a kid and his father out. I had posted online in August, desperately in search of a youth hunter, and connected with a man named Eddy on Facebook. We hit it off after chatting on the phone and he and his son Fabian (13) decided they were going to make the long drive, again over 2 hours, and come hunt with me. I promised I would do my best to put one in front of them. We shot the gun the day before and talked about safety, where we would be hunting, what I had been seeing, and our gameplan. We had a morning in the rain, where we got soaked, but even so we had deer blowing at us in the dark and then two big tom turkeys who flew down to give us a show.
After drying out and getting some grub we headed back into the woods at a different spot about 12 pm. Around 3:30, after Fabian had treated himself to a nap which always hits differently in the woods, we had our first encounter. A large doe who was looking to come feed in the field. She winded us, blew at us and trotted away. About an hour later she came back and was in the thicket, but she would not come out because she knew something was still there. A little while later,I heard Eddy tell his son to get ready. There was a deer coming from a different direction and it was a buck. Keep in mind this is the first deer site of the season and although I wasn’t the one holding the gun I was SHAKING like a leaf on a tree. Fabian got a shot at the buck but the young man learned that buck fever is real, and his adrenaline got the best of him. The best part was when he told his dad and I he thought we were exaggerating about the adrenaline while he was trying to stop shaking, and watching him experience this all for the first time with his father. I was taken back to the first time I had ever shot at a deer in the woods, also with my dad.
Again, I would not call myself an expert by any means. But I have been in the woods and on the water since I was very young, and have had lots of experiences – some successful but more unsuccessful. What different people might take away from me sharing those experiences is great, but the more I learn to do on my own the larger array of knowledge I will have to share with others. Putting myself in these situations with people who want to try hunting and fishing but might not know where to start or might not have a place to hunt or fish, that part is easy to share. I had someone ask me why i would take a kid to one of my spots and let them shoot one of my deer and my response was something along the lines of “there are plenty of deer and plenty of places to hunt, but there aren’t enough people who want to do it” and I truly believe that.
Hunting and fishing are not always the most popular extracurricular activities and our communities seem to be getting smaller. If we don’t share our knowledge and our experiences with the next generation, who will continue? Who will there be to teach the generation after them? We MUST get more kids in the woods, and teach them how to ethically and safely hunt. This extends beyond children, as I have since connected with a lot of “green” hunters who don’t necessarily have anywhere to start and don’t have anyone to help them get started or even answer their questions. Watching all of these kids experience the woods and the water the way I do meant more to me than anything else. It was better than any harvest I have ever made on my own, and I have decided that this is part of the hunter and angler that I want to be.
If you have kids or even adults in your life that show interest in what you love to do SHARE THE JOY. Answer their questions, show them your photos, and offer to take them. Some will say no, some will say yes but plans fall through, but eventually you will be the mentor on a hunt that changes it all for you. A huge shout out to the parents who have let me help teach your kids, it’s really something that has brought to me a brand new outlook on the world of teaching.
If you want to teach or mentor and don’t know where to start, because I didn’t, simply put yourself out there. Find the shy people at your club who you know are new, and ask them if they want some help learning or if they have any questions. Look around at the range, and see who might want to learn. Look into special organizations like ADC (if you don’t know, CLICK THE LINK) who are dedicated to education, conservation, and preservation and get involved! No, some might not take you up on that offer but if you can find just one person to share with and teach, you might just get the chance to experience their first harvest with them. You might get to share the joy. You might even change their life; or if you’re like me, they might change yours.
Wild Woman 