Like any lasting holiday tradition, hunting is a family affair
As the weather turns colder and the holidays approach, many families will come together at the dining room table or gather around the Christmas tree. But a lot of other families will spend that time huddled at their hunting cabin or perched in their tree stands. They’ll give thanks for the bounty that nature has provided and pass around turkey or venison that they harvested together with their own hands. Their most prized present will be the lifelong memory of the hunt alongside the people they love.
Hunting has always been a generational affair. It’s a traditional passed down from father to daughter, aunt to nephew, grandmother to grandson. It’s about learning the timeless virtues of patience, focus, and respect for nature. But
it’s also about sharing the experience — the electric anticipation, the thrilling chase, and
the satisfying harvest — with someone you
care about.
For instance, this past September, John Arman took his daughter Shelby out for a morning bow hunt. They were tracking a mainframe 8-point buck they had first spotted on their North Dakota property in the summer using Big & J BB2 long-range attractants. They called him “Charlie.”
Over the summer weeks, Charlie had migrated onto Arman’s neighbor’s farm. But when combine season came to the corn fields in the fall, Shelby reasoned that the buck would likely wander back. So now, on a brisk September morning, Shelby took what her father had taught her since she was young, grabbed her bow, and perched in her tree stand to wait for Charlie.
By now, Shelby is a skilled and experienced hunter with a genuine passion for the sport. But that enthusiasm doesn’t always come easily or quickly when introducing a child to hunting. That’s why Heath Wood, an outdoorsman who dedicates time to taking disabled youths on turkey and deer hunts, has some tips on how to make sure a child has fun on their first hunts and want to go back out:
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That thrill is certainly part of what Shelby experienced when she spotted Charlie. She carefully grabbed her bow, drew back, and loosed the arrow. She saw it find its mark behind Charlie’s front shoulder.
“Holy cow!” she said. “Did that just happen? I could jump out of this tree right now!”
It happened to be the same spot where John had killed his biggest deer the previous year. Father and daughter started tracking Charlie. As night began to fall, they found her arrow, the tip broken off. And moments later, she found Charlie.
Shelby got her buck and the thrill of accomplishment that only comes with a successful hunt. Meanwhile John, her father, got sometime even more precious: The satisfaction of sharing a passion with someone he loved.
For more information on hunting with the family and anything else hunting-related, check out our blog at www.bigandj.com/blog/news.
Make Lifetime Impacts While Hunting With Youth
READ MORE
What is the Best State to Hunt Whitetail Deer?
READ MORE
HUNT IT with Whit
Season 1 Episode 4
READ MORE