We live in a country that grants us the privilege of pursuing fish and game for the betterment of ourselves and those we provide for. Not many societies across the globe offer freedom at the level we enjoy here in the United States. Our rights to take a personally owned firearm out onto public lands in pursuit of public resources, is a concept foreign to most of our planet’s population. For this, and many other reasons, I am thankful to be an American living in this special country.
This holiday season, with families coming together so close to the election there is likely to be some tension. Hopefully, you can find ways to navigate around any negativity. Spending time in the outdoors is one way I believe you alleviate opportunity for conflict. It’s hard to be upset when you are walking a trail in a park or identifying birds in a backyard.
Many years ago, I was out of state for thanksgiving with extended family. In the afternoon, after the meal had been eaten, I seemed to be the only adult alarmed at the lack of interaction amongst the children, who instead of playing together were all buried in their phone or tablet. I decided to create an opportunity for the children to do something more constructive.
We headed to a local park. Snow covered the ground, so animal sign was apparent and plentiful. I began introducing the kids to tracking. We started following tracks in the snow as I explained what the animals were likely doing in their travels. Pointing out where they dug for food and where they laid down in a bed. None of the kids were on their phones and all of them were engaged with the natural world around them. The lesson I took away from this experience was kids will open up to the outside world when someone with enthusiasm guides them to it.
This past year has returned myself and my daughters to rural America. After a couple of years living in the city, we’re now out on a 40-acre farm. We have a farmer who plants soybeans on a large portion of our land, but we also have some woods, a couple of acres of brushy grasslands, and about a 3-acre lake. At our fingertips is more opportunity to participate in nature than we’ve ever had. It’s a dream come true and I’m incredibly thankful for it.
The dream isn’t the land, though. It’s the activity that happens on the land. The proverbial doors leading to this outdoor playground are there, but if my children and guests will walk through them has been the question. My youngest daughter, Annabel, certainly has and is growing more and more into a well-rounded outdoorswoman. She walks laps around the property with our dogs. She randomly grabs a fishing pole and sits on the dock. Here kayak is down by the lake ready for her to cruise around at any time. But the biggest surprise for me this year was when Annabel said she wanted to deer hunt.
My initial reaction was of concern. One of the qualities that make this kid so special is her infectious kindness. She has a gigantic heart, and killing a deer isn’t easy. In fact, I find it’s becoming harder and harder each year. I attribute this growing difficulty to an ever-deepening understanding how hard life is for all living creatures, from the smallest insect to the largest man. Simply staying alive is a struggle each day for most species beyond our own, and I take no pride in ending the life of any creature. Putting food in our bellies is the original struggle and unfortunately for deer they are a solution to that problem for many predators, humans included.
Annabel has been eating deer meat her whole life. It started long before she even knew it, so while she has deep compassion for animals, she understands the life cycle. The fact she decided it was time to participate in the natural order came from within. I never pushed her to hunt. The door was always open, and she knew it, but it was up to her to walk through it. When she put the crosshairs of her scope on a buck and pulled the trigger, she did something I didn’t know if she was capable of or not.
Proud is an understatement. I feel a sense of completion. Perhaps no different than a bird feels the first time its chick plucks a worm from the soil. Although my daughter will likely never find herself at a place in life where hunting is a necessity for survival, she has proven she could do it if she had to. For this, I’m thankful.
See you down the trail….
Brandon Butler
bbutler@driftwoodoutdoors.com
For more Driftwood Outdoors, check out the podcast HERE or anywhere podcasts are streamed.
