Growing up Huntin’

My passion for the outdoors began at a very young age. When i was a baby my dad would have me in a baby carrier on his back and would take me fishing on the river behind our house. Around 4 years old he began taking me waterfowl hunting. I don’t remember much of those early hunts as i was very young. However by the time my younger brother began coming with us my passion for hunting was in full swing! We were still too young to shoot but we were great at spotting birds and had many arguments over who had the “golden eye”. We had many amazing goose and duck hunts that were a family ordeal, nothing quite brings a family together like spending time in the outdoors! At 12 years old my parents made a deal with me, if i kept my grades up they would let me take off of school to turkey hunt. I kept up with my end of the deal, and they kept up with theirs. We found our spot in the woods and shortly after shooting hours 6 gobblers came up over the hill gobbling like crazy! My little 12 year old heart was pounding through my chest and i was shaking from adrenaline. My dad told me to pick one and focus on it and slowly squeeze when i was ready. I did as he said and dropped my very first kill. It wasn’t a trophy in most people’s books, but i have never been more proud. It is a hunt that even 16 years later i remember as if it were yesterday. Fast forward to present day, many hunting and fishing trips later. I am now a wife and mother of a 4 year old daughter. My husband is an avid outdoorsman as well, we have been making sure our daughter was raised to know the ways of the great outdoors. She loves ice fishing, camping, hiking through the woods, and fishing of any kind! This fall we decided she is ready to come hunting. We live on a pond and took her goose hunting for her first hunt. We limited out and she is hooked. Whenever geese are on the pond she comes running to tell us. We moved to Iowa and know it is the land of big bucks, though i grew up a bird hunter we knew we had to chase these Iowa bucks! This spring we got bow’s and spent the summer practicing! When October rolled around we hit the woods with our daughter in tow! She has a great eye for tracks and animals just like her mom! We have been seeing deer, but have yet to fill our tags. However the moments spent in the woods whether you leave with a harvest or not are simply irreplaceable experiences. I love the lesson of patience it teaches not only my daughter but myself as well. These memories and memories to come will last a lifetime!