My boys have been going with me since they were 2 and 3. We started by going to a shooting house with a heater and enough snacks to last a week if needed. They loved going and I loved taking them more than they enjoyed going. We have so many great memories in the stand together that I’m sure I have forgotten more than I remember. We started with deer hunting, because as someone said earlier, it’s just easier. We have grown into hunting doves, ducks, squirrels, rabbits, etc. but the overwhelming majority of our hunting is definitely deer. They both love it and I enjoy taking them with me. I can honestly say, I probably pushed them a little too early to kill a deer and I’m not afraid to tell you that it’s because I wanted to brag on them. Sure they were ready to shoot one, but most of that had to do with my desire to see them kill one. I’ve learned a lot of life lessons since then and I pray that they don’t become burned out on hunting due to me starting them too early. I can tell you that there is no greater joy for me than spending time in the woods with them. I believe the lessons we’ve learned there will help mold them into being men of character that many of the men here are. There’s a lot of life lessons that can be taught when you have a captive audience for 3,4,5 hours at a time.

I very much have been looking forward to bow hunting this year but after several hunts last week, I quickly realized I missed hunting with my boys. So yesterday afternoon I went and hung a second loc-on right next to mine and we grabbed their crossbow and I took my youngest (10). I would venture that most dads here probably feel the way that Matt and Ben and Tyler and James have all mentioned...it’s more about the time spent with your child than the actual game pursued. It gives us uninterrupted time to just talk and be a father and son, (or daughter...my little girl also enjoys going) the way the good Lord intended it to be. And I wish I’d had a grandfather like paw-paw Fred to teach me woodsmanship. I had a great dad that spent the time to teach me a lot of things, but I’m sure it would have been fun to be walking through the woods and hearing the stories Fred could tell us.

And one day, I hope they get on a deer hunting forum and talk about how much they miss their dad and going hunting with him...because God knows I’ll miss those times when we’re no longer able to go together. I don’t figure I’ll have much drive to go very often without them so I’ll soak up every chance I get to spend with them until then and pray that the lessons they have learned in the woods transfers to other areas of their lives.