Teaching our kids to get into the outdoors
The last few years we have
outdoors. Broken marriages and
seen a decline in the number of
lives filled with work and other
hunting licenses sold throughforms of entertainment have reout just about every state in the
placed hunting and fishing. ElecUnion. The “old guys” are gettronics has replaced the outdoors!
ting, well, older and giving up
Find a way to get your child or a
the sport out of necessity. Unfriend’s child into the outdoors.
fortunately, the younger generTake them fishing or hunting. Down
by Butch Thurmond
Marsh & Bayou Outfitters
ation isn’t taking their place.
the road, you will be glad you did,
and I can almost promise that the
Maybe there is just too much
child will be glad too.
for them to do these days. You
Louisiana offers hunting days exclusively
don’t have to give that much thought, as kids
for youths. Adults can and in most cases,
peck away on their cell phones sending text
have to accompany them; but they have an
after text until I think their fingers would get
opportunity to hunt during those days and
raw, or they’re playing endless games on the
avoid hunting on more crowded days.
computer.
But it is up to us to encourage them into
Taking a Hunter Education Course is a
the great outdoors. Parents, of course, are
great way for kids to learn safety and hunting
the main reason kids aren’t getting into the
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December 2015 www.marshandbayou.com
skills. To get a hunting license, Louisiana law
requires that everyone born on or after September 1, 1969 take and pass the course.
Yep, you might be 40 years old, but you need
to take that course! Exceptions are for kids
16 or under who are hunting with a person 18
or older who has a valid hunting license or
proof of passing the course. Please go to
http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/hunting/huntereducation for clarification and information.
It is up to us to involve not only kids, but
adults as well in fishing and hunting. If we
don’t keep those numbers up and keep people involved, then the tree huggers and nonhunters will eventually win out and pass even
more and more restrictions against hunting
and gun ownership rights.