
As a parent, I saw early on the importance of introducing my son to nature and the outdoors. I didn't take him to the woods for the reasons of wanting him to be as involved in it as I am. I wanted to have the same understanding and importance of it. When I was younger, my dad and I would work on stuff. I would complain about helping him, with something along the lines of "I will just pay someone to do it"; He would then follow up with the statement "At least you will know if you are being screwed."
Fast forward 20 years, this came ringing to me one day as I was working on the bathroom with him in my house. As I watched my son play in between him handing us tools he thought we needed, I soon realized that this was about much more than fixing things around the house. I have struggled so hard the last year to explain why I take my son with me when I hunt and fish besides " I just do."
I soon concluded that subconsciously it was because of that statement "At least you know you are being screwed." It all became clear like a dense fog lifting on a cold November morning. I wanted him to understand the importance of his food and conservation. Removed from the outdoors you become unaware of what it takes to keep this model of conservation moving.
On the outside looking in, it appears like most hunters and outdoorsmen are in for the kill. Yet, there is so much more to impact with that. Each year outdoorsmen ( and women) contribute upwards of a billion dollars back into conservation, whether from licenses or taxes like the Pittman Robertson. That number makes sense to us out there in the arena. Yet for those looking in those numbers may be staggering.
How do you explain the importance of conservation without trying to help fix the damage done? The task becomes a lot harder, especially when the first question out of children's mouths is, why? The reason why is, " At least you know if you are being screwed."
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