h20fowler
12-11-2006, 11:34 AM
This weekend we had nice enough weather that I was able to take my 4 year old son on something I have been promising him for a while, A trip to a bean field to hunt for some geese.
We arrived at our destination about an hour and a half before sunset. Just enough time to set the decoys, get in a couple minutes of playing, and hopefully see some birds work. The hour of actual sit still hunt time is about all he can stand. After that, it's time to play again.
About 30 minutes in we have just finished up the decoy spread. He has played, cops and robbers, hide and seek, and used the trailer as a fort. Every time we walked in to get some decoys he jumped out from behind one and would yell "Boo". It was a pretty busy time for all three of us. We then decide it's time to make our "hide" and we get in our blinds. I get him all bundled in and covered in his own blind (he WILL NOT sit with me), positioned right between my friend Eric and I and back a couple feet. We get in and get ready, the birds should be here any minute if we are lucky.
Sure enough, within 10 minutes here comes the first flight. They walk the line just like they should. We call the shot at about 10 yards and 3 of the 10 birds fall. I said "G, did you see that!?" "No, he replied" I turn around and G is still down in his blind, doors closed. I asked him why he didn't sit up and watch. His reply, "you never told me to get up." I forgot that he may not know our "lingo" and explain to him that we will tell him to sit up next time. He wasn't to concerned because he got to see the birds fly over and could now see the 3 dead birds and that was cool enough for him. We get back in the blinds and get ready for the next flight.
About another 10 - 15 go buy and G has serenaded us with an assorted mixture of songs. I tell him we have geese on us and he says he sees them . Well they fly over and give us a look, but don't stop. Then anther group, same thing, then another group.... and this one is on us. Down they come sinking like we were reeling them in with a fishing pole. I tell him to get ready. I say go Garrett... nothing.. no noise, no movement. We sit up and drop 3 more. That makes limit. But no Garrett watching us.
I open his blind, and I find him doing the same thing I have done in my blind numerous times.... Napping. Go out to get the birds... and what do we find... BANDS.
We pick up the decoys and let him catch up on some sleep. Afterward I wake him up to move him to the truck and he says daddy "Did I miss the birds?" I told him "No buddy, you didn't miss a thing."
Sharing the field with him brings me so much joy and inner peace. He loves it as much as I do. Harvesting a couple birds with him there is even better. He gets to experience the total package of the hunt. We didn't celebrate the harvesting of this hunt as much as we normally would. I just couldn't let him know he missed out on an experience most of us don't get to see very often.
Here are a few pics.
First look into the blind
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l125/j_anschutz/2006hunt/DSC00584.jpg
A place I have found myself
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l125/j_anschutz/2006hunt/DSC00585.jpg
Part of the pile
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l125/j_anschutz/2006hunt/DSC00588.jpg
The pile at home
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l125/j_anschutz/2006hunt/DSC00591.jpg
We arrived at our destination about an hour and a half before sunset. Just enough time to set the decoys, get in a couple minutes of playing, and hopefully see some birds work. The hour of actual sit still hunt time is about all he can stand. After that, it's time to play again.
About 30 minutes in we have just finished up the decoy spread. He has played, cops and robbers, hide and seek, and used the trailer as a fort. Every time we walked in to get some decoys he jumped out from behind one and would yell "Boo". It was a pretty busy time for all three of us. We then decide it's time to make our "hide" and we get in our blinds. I get him all bundled in and covered in his own blind (he WILL NOT sit with me), positioned right between my friend Eric and I and back a couple feet. We get in and get ready, the birds should be here any minute if we are lucky.
Sure enough, within 10 minutes here comes the first flight. They walk the line just like they should. We call the shot at about 10 yards and 3 of the 10 birds fall. I said "G, did you see that!?" "No, he replied" I turn around and G is still down in his blind, doors closed. I asked him why he didn't sit up and watch. His reply, "you never told me to get up." I forgot that he may not know our "lingo" and explain to him that we will tell him to sit up next time. He wasn't to concerned because he got to see the birds fly over and could now see the 3 dead birds and that was cool enough for him. We get back in the blinds and get ready for the next flight.
About another 10 - 15 go buy and G has serenaded us with an assorted mixture of songs. I tell him we have geese on us and he says he sees them . Well they fly over and give us a look, but don't stop. Then anther group, same thing, then another group.... and this one is on us. Down they come sinking like we were reeling them in with a fishing pole. I tell him to get ready. I say go Garrett... nothing.. no noise, no movement. We sit up and drop 3 more. That makes limit. But no Garrett watching us.
I open his blind, and I find him doing the same thing I have done in my blind numerous times.... Napping. Go out to get the birds... and what do we find... BANDS.
We pick up the decoys and let him catch up on some sleep. Afterward I wake him up to move him to the truck and he says daddy "Did I miss the birds?" I told him "No buddy, you didn't miss a thing."
Sharing the field with him brings me so much joy and inner peace. He loves it as much as I do. Harvesting a couple birds with him there is even better. He gets to experience the total package of the hunt. We didn't celebrate the harvesting of this hunt as much as we normally would. I just couldn't let him know he missed out on an experience most of us don't get to see very often.
Here are a few pics.
First look into the blind
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l125/j_anschutz/2006hunt/DSC00584.jpg
A place I have found myself
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l125/j_anschutz/2006hunt/DSC00585.jpg
Part of the pile
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l125/j_anschutz/2006hunt/DSC00588.jpg
The pile at home
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l125/j_anschutz/2006hunt/DSC00591.jpg