Take a kid hunting

The number of hunters is declining and it could be our own fault. Each generation hunts less than the one preceding it. Recalling my own experience, I learned to hunt because someone chose to teach me. My father never owned a gun, but I had a friend get me started. My son later became a hunter because I showed him how. (While there are more women involved in hunting today than ever before, I believe mothers are less likely than fathers to get their children interested in hunting.) Hunting is an excellent family- and friend-based activity that teaches children about nature and the environment.

Everyone has the right to find out what their children are being taught in school about hunting, and if it is anti-hunting propaganda, parents should know about it. If you are an ethical, responsible hunter, you have nothing to hide and should talk to young people about it with an open, positive attitude. Then, armed with the facts, they can choose for themselves.

Hunting isn't something kids learn about from books. If a parent, relative or friend isn't there to teach or encourage them, they simply won't hunt. Follow-through and persistence are also important. As surveys show, failure to succeed is a leading reason fledgling hunters give up the sport.

In the final analysis, taking kids hunting is the only way the sport is likely to be perpetuated by future generations.

Copyright Hearst Magazines Nov 1997
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