Hunting with my kids
Posted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 5:55 pm
I was finally able to take my daughter (8 years old) hunting with me yesterday and I must say she's a little trooper. The night before she gathered up all her stuff and put it in my pack and made a list for me so I would be sure not to forget anything. Including the dogs. 
When I got to her room she was setting on the side of the bed pulling her jeans on. She looked at me smiled and said "I heard you coming down the hall". I remember my first "real" hunt. I didn't sleep much that first night myself. Well we got loaded and headed down the road. We rigged a half hearted rig and she wanted to turn on it. (she knows the "ins and outs" of bear hunting) I told her it was most likely old and we would turn on it if we didn't get a hotter rig by the time we got to the end of the road. We went about a mile and had a big bear cross the road right infront of us. She looked at me and I could see the smile on her face as she said "That's hot enough ain't it dad". I jumped out and the dogs were trying to lift the box off the truck. They left out screaming and my daughter was running back and forth along the truck trying to get stuff to me. They took the bear about 200 yards and it bayed up. It was still early and in the woods it was dark so I grabbed a flash light and we started in. We picked our way threw some really thick stuff only to get within 100 yards or so before he blew out and left. We walked over 3 miles and only once did she say her legs hurt and she wanted to stop. I encouraged her alittle and told her that "her bear was just over the next ridge" and with that she was up moving and sometimes running. We walked out a bald ridge and my daughter stopped. I looked back and she was staring out over the vast expance of mountains. Over the years of looking at them they are second nature to me and I sometimes take them for granted. I said "pretty aren't they?" She replied "they are daddy". It was at this point I relized I was missing the point of this hunt. I wanted to get her her first bear but, really it was about spending time with my daughter and her wanting to spend time with me. I slipped off my pack and we sat in a sunny spot and ate our breakfast and listened to the dogs run. We sat there some time soking it all in before she broke the silence and said "daddy I love you". I couldn't help it. I'm a big ole grown man but, I started crying and could hardly choke out the words I love you too baby. I had bearly dried my eyes when she jumped up and said excitedly "daddy they have it treed". I said "no honey they have bayed it can you hear that squealy bark" and explained how HER female didn't bark treed but, would bay on the ground great and that's why we still had her. She wanted to go to them but, there was no way to get there from where we were... safely. We walked back out to the truck and took another road that would put us just below them. I spent so much time cutting trees out of the road it took us about 2 hours to get there and they had left and heading on down the mountain. After 7 hours the dogs started playing out and coming back in. It was getting real hot. After we rounded up all the dogs my daughter slipped off to sleep and I drove home so thankful that I had a child that loves what I love doing.
On friday I took my son ( 3 years old) to try and rig a track. I wasn't going to turn my dogs out but, just get my son and dogs "outta the house" for a while. We drove and he talked, and talked, and talked some more. He asked questions and we would get out at every rig and look for tracks and he would pet all the dogs (and hug them) and tell them how good they were. I ran into some friends and they said they had some hogs in a field (yeah right it was the worst crap I ever walked threw) and needed fresh dogs and asked me to turn in on them. I said ok but, they would have to do most of the work. I turned out and right away saw I was in a mess. I threw my son on my shoulders and waded into this crap. It was a field of some sorts with weeds high as my head. The dogs jumped a hog (one boy shot and missed it) but, it was so thick the dogs sounded like they were cold trailing it, it took them so long work threw it. My son (still on my shoulders) would say "daddy go that way their over there" then twist my hat sideways (blinding me) towards where he wanted me to go. After 3 hours with him on my shoulders (put him down twice once for him to pee and once to cross a creek) and clawing threw that crap I gave up. He started to cry, begging not to go home. I guess I wouldn't want to leave either if I had a mule to hall me around. We caught all the dogs and went to the store to eat and he wasn't going to leave until we got all the dogs a hot dog. The ladies at the store thought he was so cute argueing with me that they gave him 5 hot dogs. He personally fed each and every one their hot dog while those ladies watched him threw the window. I am so glad I have children like I do. I guess I don't have much of an option....it's in there blood.
When I got to her room she was setting on the side of the bed pulling her jeans on. She looked at me smiled and said "I heard you coming down the hall". I remember my first "real" hunt. I didn't sleep much that first night myself. Well we got loaded and headed down the road. We rigged a half hearted rig and she wanted to turn on it. (she knows the "ins and outs" of bear hunting) I told her it was most likely old and we would turn on it if we didn't get a hotter rig by the time we got to the end of the road. We went about a mile and had a big bear cross the road right infront of us. She looked at me and I could see the smile on her face as she said "That's hot enough ain't it dad". I jumped out and the dogs were trying to lift the box off the truck. They left out screaming and my daughter was running back and forth along the truck trying to get stuff to me. They took the bear about 200 yards and it bayed up. It was still early and in the woods it was dark so I grabbed a flash light and we started in. We picked our way threw some really thick stuff only to get within 100 yards or so before he blew out and left. We walked over 3 miles and only once did she say her legs hurt and she wanted to stop. I encouraged her alittle and told her that "her bear was just over the next ridge" and with that she was up moving and sometimes running. We walked out a bald ridge and my daughter stopped. I looked back and she was staring out over the vast expance of mountains. Over the years of looking at them they are second nature to me and I sometimes take them for granted. I said "pretty aren't they?" She replied "they are daddy". It was at this point I relized I was missing the point of this hunt. I wanted to get her her first bear but, really it was about spending time with my daughter and her wanting to spend time with me. I slipped off my pack and we sat in a sunny spot and ate our breakfast and listened to the dogs run. We sat there some time soking it all in before she broke the silence and said "daddy I love you". I couldn't help it. I'm a big ole grown man but, I started crying and could hardly choke out the words I love you too baby. I had bearly dried my eyes when she jumped up and said excitedly "daddy they have it treed". I said "no honey they have bayed it can you hear that squealy bark" and explained how HER female didn't bark treed but, would bay on the ground great and that's why we still had her. She wanted to go to them but, there was no way to get there from where we were... safely. We walked back out to the truck and took another road that would put us just below them. I spent so much time cutting trees out of the road it took us about 2 hours to get there and they had left and heading on down the mountain. After 7 hours the dogs started playing out and coming back in. It was getting real hot. After we rounded up all the dogs my daughter slipped off to sleep and I drove home so thankful that I had a child that loves what I love doing. On friday I took my son ( 3 years old) to try and rig a track. I wasn't going to turn my dogs out but, just get my son and dogs "outta the house" for a while. We drove and he talked, and talked, and talked some more. He asked questions and we would get out at every rig and look for tracks and he would pet all the dogs (and hug them) and tell them how good they were. I ran into some friends and they said they had some hogs in a field (yeah right it was the worst crap I ever walked threw) and needed fresh dogs and asked me to turn in on them. I said ok but, they would have to do most of the work. I turned out and right away saw I was in a mess. I threw my son on my shoulders and waded into this crap. It was a field of some sorts with weeds high as my head. The dogs jumped a hog (one boy shot and missed it) but, it was so thick the dogs sounded like they were cold trailing it, it took them so long work threw it. My son (still on my shoulders) would say "daddy go that way their over there" then twist my hat sideways (blinding me) towards where he wanted me to go. After 3 hours with him on my shoulders (put him down twice once for him to pee and once to cross a creek) and clawing threw that crap I gave up. He started to cry, begging not to go home. I guess I wouldn't want to leave either if I had a mule to hall me around. We caught all the dogs and went to the store to eat and he wasn't going to leave until we got all the dogs a hot dog. The ladies at the store thought he was so cute argueing with me that they gave him 5 hot dogs. He personally fed each and every one their hot dog while those ladies watched him threw the window. I am so glad I have children like I do. I guess I don't have much of an option....it's in there blood.
