For those of you who were excited as Jeff – after the recent passing of Hunter Heritage Legislation – and were chomping at the bit to get your kids out hunting this year, unfortunately, you’re going to have to wait one more year.  However, a recent press release from the DNR did give us some more insight into the new law and what it entails.

In a nutshell, the Natural Resources Commission has an entire year to develop the new Hunter Heritage Program, which will provide “hunting opportunities for youths under the age of 10 by allowing them to hunt in conjunction with the mentored youth hunting program”.  Basically, children ten and under can hunt, as long as they’re accompanied by an adult mentor.  And even more important than that is the fact that these children will also be allowed to purchase a youth hunting license, which entitles them to hunt deer, turkey, small game, trap fur-bearers and fish for all species.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Whenever she’s asked, I’ve never tried to hide it from her – I’ve always been very up front and honest about where her food comes from.  I didn’t lie to her when she asked about the cute, little, dead bunny on the cover of the NRA American Hunter magazine, and I’ve always been  honest with her when it comes to the origination of her food – whether it’s chicken nuggets from McDonald’s, or cheese inside her quesadilla, I’ve always been open, direct and straight-forward.

On the other side of that, I’ve always been very open with her about hunting, too.  She knows that we kill deer and turkeys, and that they then become food.  I’ve never tried to shelter her from anything just because it involves a dead animal, and we’ve never sugar coated the hunting experience when discussing it with her either; we just really want her to be aware of the entire hunting process, and how it ultimately provides food for the table.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Some of you may have been wondering where I’ve been.  Well, to be honest, after working on a computer all day – and especially because of how crazy work has been lately – just the thought of getting on the computer when I got home made me nauseous.  But since work was a little bit easier today, I figured I would at least update all of you about a few things that have or will be happening at the SimplyOutdoors camp.

A First Time Turkey Hunt: Last Saturday, Jeff took a young hunter, Sydney, and her Dad, Alex, on their first turkey hunt.   Though they didn’t manage to get Sydney a bird – they may try again soon, though – they did manage to show the daughter/dad combo a few things about turkey hunting and had a great time.  Barry Cooper, one of our field staffers, did the calling for the day, and even his professional calling couldn’t quite seal the deal.  I guess that’s hunting for you, though.

Always check your tags!: In my last post, I recapped Jeff’s turkey season up to that point.  The next day though, Jeff called me to let me know that he had misplaced his license and couldn’t find it; and that, when he went to the local box store to get a replacement license, they informed him that the system was showing that he had bought a license for the late season hunt and not for the earlier season he had already participated him.

Popularity: 1% [?]

It was probably the toughest decision she’s had to make in her short two-year-old life – would it be the Spongebob or the Tinkerbell fishing pole?  I questioned her quite a few times, both in and out of the store, because I wanted her to be sure, and without wavering one bit, she picked the SpongeBob pole again and again.  I was quite shocked, since I thought she’d go with the Tinkerbell pole hands-down, but she had made her decision and there was no turning back.  And since mommy was heading to the store anyway, I asked her to pick up the pole in preparation for an evening trip to Papa and Grandma’s pond.

Popularity: 1% [?]

I’m on vacation this week, but, like clockwork, I’m up every morning at 7am.  Now, since I’m such an outdoor guy, you’d think I’d be up this early in order to chase after some outdoor creatures, or to try and pull in a large fish……….not this week.  This week I’m up at 7, because a certain two-year old species calls my name from her bed, and is in dire need of a cereal bar……or a Pop Tart…..or a banana……..or all three.

I’d love to say that we’ve done all sorts of outdoor-type things since we’ve been home, but the weather has been – for lack of a better term – crappy; it’s rained at least a little every single day.  Today, though, the weather forecast is looking a little better – mid to high 5o’s, and partly cloudy – so we’ll be heading outside this afternoon for some “real man” outdoor adventures:  drawing with sidewalk chalk, driving the radio-controlled truck, riding bikes, and playing with bubbles.

Popularity: 1% [?]