Apr 9, 2010

Sharing the Passion

As I stated in my blog welcome that one of my goals with this blog is to share my love and passion for the outdoors and I am proud to announce I've brought two new members into my outdoor passions.  A few weeks back I was doing a little practicing with my fly fishing gear in the company pond and one of my coworkers stopped to watch and started asking questions.  Well it didn't take long before I had him convinced to give this a try.  I handed him my fly rod and with a little instruction I had him casting out the fly and retrieving it along just as one of those cooperative little bluegills decided to make it interesting by hitting the fly.  So what started out as conversation ended up with my coworker catching his first fish on a fly rod.  Now that I had him hooked...get it?... I gave him some information on a upcoming free beginner fly fishing class that our local fly shop was having and suggested he stop by and check it out.  Well he did and ended up leaving the shop fully outfitted and ready to go.  So for the past week or so we've been out at the company pond practicing and getting ready for opening day which is on April 17th.  He is learning fast and enjoying himself and that is what sharing this passion is all about.

My second lucky victim just happens to be my daughter. My daughter already fishes, loves to camp and spend time in the outdoors and has even joined us on some of my hunts, but she decided that she wanted to actually try hunting herself.  So we spent the past month working on the home study Conservation Education Firearms Safety course which is required for her to get her license.  She then attended the 8 hour field day portion of the class where she participated in some field exercises designed to stress firearms handling and safety as well as the shooting portion of the class which allows for hands on experience shooting both a shotgun and .22 rifle.  Now my daughter has shot both of these many times before so shooting, safety and firearms handling isn't new to her.  I am also a certified instructor so she has been drilled in Firearms safety and gun handling from a very early age, but the actual part of hunting will be new to her and she is so excited, well except for the getting up early part.  She completed all the requirements of the course and received her Hunter Safety card in the mail last week so she can now purchase here license and permits.  Her first hunting trip will be on April 17th which is a special youth only hunter training day designed for youth hunters to participate in turkey hunting while being mentored by a licensed adult, which will be me and my hunting partner.  The youth hunting days are a fabulous idea and offer a great opportunity for youth hunters to get out and get experience before the pressure and crowds of an open season kick in.  So in preparation for this day we will be discussing the techniques of turkey hunting, shot placement, safety and patterning her shotgun so she becomes aware of her effective range and the capabilities of her firearm.  We've also done a little scouting and the turkey's have cooperated by being where I expected them and doing what I expect. 

She got a good look at one real nice long beard the other evening and even took some pictures of him and now my daughter has claimed him for herself.  I'm sure she thinks this will be as simple as picking out a pair of shoes, but she will soon see.  I know I can't wait for that morning as I look forward to sitting side by side with my daughter all snuggled up against a tree waiting for the sun to rise and the sound of the first gobble of the morning to rattle our bones.  I think I am more excited then she is.

Welcome to the Passion, now go share yours with someone.

Some links of interest.

National Wild Turkey Foundation
International Hunter Education Association
CT DEP Fish and Wildlife

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