The Chelsea Standard
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Outdoors a great place for kids
Rick Taylor, Taylor made adventures
PUBLISHED: January 8, 2009
Growing up, my mom would tell me not to come back inside the house until dinnertime. Over the years, from conversations I've had with other adults, I've come to the conclusion they heard the same phrase uttered by their parents.
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Unfortunately, today we live in a different world due to child predators and other like-minded criminals. It's safer for us to keep our children inside and pacified playing video games, watching cartoons or playing on the computer, isn't it? I can't believe I can't even let my son go online without worrying about some miscreant trying to harm my child in one way or another.
Today, we can't just send our kids outside like our parents did, but we can become more involved and take an active role in their outdoor adventures. The challenge for most adults nowadays is working harder than ever in a struggling economy and finding our time more valuable and pressed than ever.
I remember time used to stand still for me as a child. On the other hand, my parents were free to do whatever they pleased after work, as well. If my dad chose to sit on the recliner after a hard day's work, then fine. I sometimes think the worst inventions have been cell phones, traveling sports teams and the advent of e-mail. We can't escape from the technology surrounding us.
I firmly believe we're a more tense society today because we're not allowed to slow down. Look around and it's easy to see examples of this tension in our everyday life. Whoever thought there'd be a day when road rage became a familiar term in society?
Although there are more negative issues for all of us to deal with in today's society, I refuse to be imprisoned by it. I want my son Ricky to enjoy all the things life has to offer, including the natural world that surrounds us all.
The purpose of this column is to promote an outdoor lifestyle for everyone, especially our youth.
From the time Ricky was a toddler, he's been in the woods with me. He's learned how to fish, identify different tracks on the ground, hunt with me and truly appreciate the outdoors. I can remember telling him to look at the beautiful clouds in the sky or look at the sunset, among other things.
I'm so grateful I spent the time to take Ricky outdoors, because he reminds me of nature's beauty from time to time. Just yesterday, he pointed out the sunset and mentioned how beautiful it was. I hope he'll pass that on to his children someday.
Don't get me wrong, Ricky loves his video games and asks me for a new game every chance he gets. I keep saying no for the most part, but give in from time to time. I hope I'm not alone in this dilemma.
In the fall of 2006, Ricky and I were in a tree blind hunting deer during the archery season. At that time, it was still relatively warm out and the deer were pretty active in the hay and soybean fields. Prior to going out on this evening, Ricky grabbed my deer grunt call, as he always did, and blew through it. He had a talent for making the grunt call sound like a freight train, which was something I never knew was possible.
Anyway, I felt Ricky was ready to try grunting in a buck with the call on this evening. Just in case, I had the video camera with me. Before sunset, I told Ricky to attempt a grunt call. He was pretty excited. I turned on the video camera and told him to start grunting. I was surprised at how good he sounded. Ricky grunted in quick succession three or four times with medium volume. He'd wait about 20 seconds and try it again. He learned from me not to blow too hard when in the field.
Suddenly we caught movement off to our right and a 6-point buck came out of the woods looking for a fight. I was so thankful I brought along the video camera. We had proof that a 5-year-old boy could grunt in a buck. Well, Ricky continued to grunt and the buck came closer and closer. Believe it or not, we were simply happy to let the buck walk away after a while. Ricky had more fun that autumn afternoon than any computer game could ever offer.
People ask me why I like to hunt and why I sometimes bring my son along with me. My answer is always the same. We're either watching the sunrise or sunset every time we go out. It's also awesome to have Ricky cuddled up next to me the whole time.
If you're thinking of taking your child out hunting or fishing, but are afraid, I have some advice to help you overcome the boredom most kids experience at one time or another.
Bring snacks.
Healthy snacks are always good to have along — it helps the time go by faster.
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