Introduce Someone To Hunting This Fall!

A picture of a 12 year old boy, with his hair still ruffled from the night before, squatting proudly behind his first gobbler is displayed in the corner of my bedroom. That boy was me, and the person who took that picture was a family friend; he cared enough about me and about passing on the hunting heritage that he dressed me in camouflage and took me afield. Growing up in the suburbs of Dallas with non-hunting parents, I may have never experienced the thrill of the hunt and beauty of the woods if it weren’t for the efforts of this generous friend.

The benefits of introducing someone to hunting are many. The greatest, to me, is the enjoyment of watching and listening as the birds, frogs, squirrels, rabbits, deer, and hogs come alive in response to the sunrise or nestle down for the night as the sun sets. The thrill and excitement as the targeted game presents itself and the shooting skills of the hunter are tested remain unrivalled. Life lessons such as patience, self control, and obedience to rules are easily taught and learned through hunting. Assuming a kill, one learns how to extract roasts, steaks, and sausage from the legs, ribs, or backs of wild animals. Lessons in land management and the importance of population control are learned first hand. Additionally, someone who has experienced ethical hunting will likely go from feelings of indifference (which can easily be swayed to opposition) to feelings of support for the activity. Even if they do not become an avid hunter, creating a supporter of hunting is vitally important to the future of hunting in our state and nation. As a hunter, the enjoyment of sharing in the excitement of someone’s first harvest is second only to your own.

I recently had the opportunity to introduce someone to hunting. This time it was a college buddy of mine who grew up in a non-hunting family in Houston. I took him to the shooting range where I taught him about proper gun handling and safety, followed by a little target practice. The next day, I had the thrill of taking him on his first feral hog hunt. At 31 years old, he was still so excited that he barely slept the night before; I, too, was almost giddy as I remembered back to my first hunts. If you are a hunter, please take a youth or adult who has never hunted before into the woods with you this fall. If you would like to take someone hunting, but don’t know any non-hunters, call me and I will line you up with an eager Texas A&M student . If you own land but aren’t a hunter, ask a trusted hunter to invite a new recruit to hunt on your property. If you have never been hunting and would like to experience it first hand, ask a fellow Harvey WMA member to take you. I promise you won’t regret it!