As your children grow up, what traditions will you build together? This is an age where digital distractions keep our kids indoors. It’s more important than ever to build strong traditions of family time and respect for the outdoors.
Why teach our children to hunt?
If you grew up hunting, you know how the skills and traditions you learned on the game trail have helped you with the challenges in your life. You also know how important it is to prepare your children for success by teaching them the same lessons. Hunting is much more than a sport: it’s traditions as old as humanity that teaches us to respect our food, our land, and our role in the environment we live in.
Love of the Outdoors
Being outdoors has all sorts of benefits for mental and physical health, and hunting is one of the best ways to truly enjoy the outdoors and understand our place in the environment. Trekking out into the wilderness, sitting silently and blending into the vegetation, watching for game—these activities all put you and your child in the middle of nature. Build the habit of spending time outdoors while they’re young. They will benefit from these habits for the rest of their lives.
Responsibility
Hunters must handle their firearm safely, treat game with respect by taking clean and humane shots, and dress and care for game carefully to prevent waste. As well, they must always conduct themselves according to the rules and regulations of state fish and game agencies. This rigor encourages children to develop personal responsibility and respect for authority. Hunting also teaches discipline, patience, endurance, and how to deal with disappointment. These are all skills that will benefit your children in the future.
Conservation
Hunters are, by the very nature of their activity, conservationists. Hunting teaches children respect. Respect for the land they hunt. Respect for the ecosystems they participate in and to take only what they need. As well, many hunters develop a keen sense of environmental responsibility that leads them to support environmental causes.
Family Bonding
Hunting requires patience and attention and it eliminates the digital distractions that dominate our children’s leisure time. Spending time outside together without distractions will strengthen the bonds between parents and children. There’s nothing like early fall mornings, trekking through fresh snow and working together to build lasting memories.
Introducing the younger generation to the joyful things in your own life is one of the greatest joys of parenthood. It’s even better when children can learn life skills and build lasting relationships along the way. At Oak Creek Whitetail Ranch, we regularly host families as they pass down skills to the next generation and we hope to see your family here as well!
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