Hunting Traditions

I grew up in a hunting family. From the time I was little, it was just something that was normal. When I was quite young, I just figured it was something that EVERYONE did. I remember many pictures of my sisters and me as little girls, holding antlers from my dad's hunting adventures... dressing up in his bright orange jackets and hats... there's even one really funny picture of three of us when we were pretty little. My dad had taken us out to look for deer, and we are all wearing little orange vests... I'm holding two sticks up to my head like antlers, and Jess and Jodie are holding sticks like guns. It's really funny! My mom even hunts, so my dad taught us from an early age that even girls can go hunting. In fact, having no brothers, we had the understanding that girls can do anything! It's been a really long time since I've gotten anything on a hunt... since before we had kids. I went last year, but didn't get anything. So I kinda figured this year would be the same. I went out with my dad on opening morning when it was still dark, and as we were hiking in the cold before the sun came up, I had many memories. Here are a few things I was thinking during this year's hunt.

1. I LOVE being out on a freezing cold mountain with my dad. There's no better place to be with him, in fact. He is in his element, and you can tell he loves to be there too. (If you know me, I hate being cold, but it's different when you are walking to the top of a mountain with your dad. It's almost worth it. And I know when it's the coldest, that the sun is about to come up and warm things a little bit!)

2. I'm not the most quiet hiker. I try. I really try hard, but just when I think "yeah... I'm sneaky" I step on a stick and I swear it's the loudest noise ever!

3. My dad amazes me. He can see a deer from miles away without binoculars. He has to give me very detailed instructions in order for me to find them WITH binoculars. I remember as a kid, riding up the canyon and he'd say "watch for deer" and within minutes he'd have some spotted. He'd try to tell us where to look, and I couldn't see them. Not wanting to disappoint, however, I would lie and say "oh yeah! I see them!" Eryn was quite disappointed in me when I told her that story.

4. There is nothing like fall in Utah's canyons. It's so pretty! Reds, yellows, oranges... even the browns are extra pretty in the fall. And seeing a forest of stark, white Quaking Aspens that have already lost their leaves is quite a sight!

5. Even when we don't get anything on the hunt, it's so fun to just be outdoors. Seeing Does and Fawns, a big bull Elk, and even a Coyote makes it worth it to be there.

6. The hike back to the truck always seems longer than the hike to where you shoot your deer. It's just L O N G!

7. It's fun driving your dad's truck on a bumpy dirt road. I don't know why... it just is.

8. ...however, driving near the edge of the roads in the canyon still makes me nervous.

9. I enjoy shooting with my camera as much as I enjoy shooting a rifle. I have to say, however, that my rifle shooting was a bit rusty. I hadn't shot in over a year, so of course, when we finally did see a buck, my first shot was a miss. Good thing he stayed there, because my second shot was a hit! (Yep, I got one this year!)

10. The most fun phone call to make is from the top of a mountain, telling your husband who is home with the kids, that you just got a deer. It was fun to hear him whoop and holler. He was pretty excited. It made me smile.

I've had friends who think that it's weird that I hunt. Like I said, it's just something I grew up with. We always loved it. It just seemed normal to me. I guess it's tradition, and I'm definitely a traditional kinda girl. Here are a few pictures to remember this fun 2009 deer hunt. We took Eryn with us on Saturday night. She thought it was fun looking at deer through the binoculars, and she was determined that she'd find them. She was not going to be a liar like her mom. Good girl! It was funny, though, watching her with my dad, trying to find a deer miles away. She did end up seeing all of them, though. I think she had fun with PapaBob and me!



Eryn looks much better in "hunter orange" than I do!


Some of the beauty... up where we were, most of the color was gone. The really pretty stuff was down further (of course I had my camera put away at that point!)

I really messed up tradition this year, however, when I failed to bring my camera on the day I actually got my deer. What?! So we had to do the "trophy" (haha) pictures back at home. That was fine with Hayden!

Thanks for taking me, Dad. You are the best! Thanks for teaching me to love the outdoors and hunting. I hope my kids love it just as much.