Bayou Outdoors: Kid Speak

Dedicating Our Guidance and Our Time

article by Dan Chason

In Luke 18:16, Jesus said, “Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not,” meaning allow the kids to come see me and don’t prevent it. I remember this every time I see my grandkids pull into my driveway. Someone once asked me what was the best thing about grandkids over kids and I replied, “Tail lights.” It was a joke of course as I love all eight of my grandchildren and each one of them are unique and different in their own ways. As I get older, I appreciate kids more and more and wish there was some way to help them realize how short life is and how fast time can get away from you. I remember vividly the summer months where I would strap a Zebco 33 on my bicycle handlebars and pedal off to my favorite fishing hole. All of this was a different time as kids didn’t have to worry about being abducted or hurt for the most part and being in the country, everybody knew everybody. These fishing trips never happened without a price. Chores came first and if your chores weren’t done, you didn’t go anywhere or do anything.

My dad grew up as the son of a pulp wood cutter. He spent his days logging for his daddy and told of many times leaving the woods to go fishing in the pulp wood truck. Dad passed on that legacy as during my summers in junior high and high school, we would cut wood. Now you will be surprised to know we didn’t own a fire place. We cut wood to give to church members or to use for outside fires. It was the work ethic that he was teaching. Same way with my mama. She grew up as one of 15 children and spent her life on Sunflower Plantation as the daughter of a sharecropper picking cotton. We never went to Mississippi to visit that my mama didn’t make us go pick cotton. Then there was pea season. I had an uncle who owned a commercial pea operation. I spent one summer picking peas and to this day can’t hardly stomach to eat one.

But one thing my daddy knew how to do was how to fish. He loved it. Mama said that she didn’t go with him fishing as he didn’t know when to quit and go home. His famous saying was “just let me catch one more.” But as a kid, Dad was different when we went with him. You could bet he wanted to fish longer but knew when my brother and I were worn out.
Today’s father’s combat much more than my dad ever did. There is the technological challenge of getting a kid off of an X-Box and getting them outdoors. I see that with my grandkids as I confiscate phones and electronics before we go anywhere. I know you can keep a kid occupied and quiet with one, but if you hunt with me, let’s hunt. But I’m old and don’t have a lot of patience with things that ping and bling.

Today’s fathers that I admire were present last weekend at my hunting club. Sawyer Mayhall came with his son, Tristen, for a rabbit hunt. I was amazed at the level of patience and kindness shown by this man as I know him to be a die hard hunter. We hunted with my squirrel dog one afternoon and then turned out the rabbit dogs the next morning. We were joined by a large group including nine-year-old Kyndal Sellars and her dad, Jessie. We had a great time with a big pack of beagles who were about as good as I’ve ever been around. After hunting a while, Kyndal grew tired. Jessie let her climb on the side by side with me to rest. We talked about gymnastics, her puppy and all the other things a young girl loves. This all went on as the baying of dogs was all around us. It was fun but it was fun on the level of what the kids needed. Tristen’s feet got cold so Sawyer took him back to the truck to warm up and sure enough, fast asleep he went. You could not tell it by Sawyer’s attitude as the hunt was about the right thing: letting that kid have a good time.

With the fast paced world we live in today and all of the demands we place on ourselves, getting afield is a blessed relief. Being able to share that with kids makes it that more special.

Such was the case this fall on my deer hunting trip with my grandson, Chance Crowe. It was very cold and I had located an area that was holding some decent bucks. Sure enough at first light, a young eight-point came into our lane. Now most kids would have been out the window, safety off and ready to shoot. Not Chance. “Is that one big enough, Pop?” My chest stuck out as I told him we like to shoot four and a half year old deer and explained why. That was good enough for him. Sure enough another buck came out and then another huge cull buck. Chance dropped him in his tracks and was so proud as he had contributed to our culling process at my camp. That attitude is not born, it is taught. If we teach our kids that hunting is about shooting, then they will expect to shoot every time they go afield. If we teach them to hunt, they will hunt.

Same with fishing. I have taken my grandkids fishing many times and their first question is always “Pop can we keep this one or do I need to throw him back.” Without fail these kids show their desire to please and to do what is right. All they need are two things: our guidance and mostly our time. Please take the time to take a kid hunting. You may talk about things that aren’t of high interest to you but you will leave with a brand new objectivity from a kid’s perspective and a whole new lease on life.