By Cora Parker
Growing up in the small town of Riegelwood, NC, I was raised like my brothers. I did not want to be stuck inside. I wanted to be outdoors like the other kids climbing trees and running through the woods. These are the activities that you do not see much of anymore.
I always knew when I had children that someday, I would teach them to love the outdoors as much as I do. I became a mother at the age of 21. We named him Levi Allen. He is my only child and as far as I am concerned, he is the best child that any mother can ask for! My husband Josh and I agreed, it would be our goal to instill strong work ethic and a passion for living an outdoors lifestyle.
We began to teach Levi about firearm safety when he was three years of age. Under careful supervision, he was never fearful when handling a firearm. He would listen intently as he displayed a healthy respect for guns. I am sure that there are those that would question the decision to teach him about firearms at a young age. But teaching a child about firearm safety, in my opinion is based more on a child's maturity level than his actual age. We decided to teaching Levi because he demonstrated a reverence and appreciation that most adult that were introduced to firearms later in life do not display. He does not have access and has never tried to touch a firearm without adult supervision. This all comes with proper teachings about safety.
Levi bagged his first buck (in front of dogs of course) when he was seven years old. We were so excited that his first buck was a seven pointer. Amazingly, he took him down with one shot. We have not taught him very much about still hunting other than when we go hunting for turkey. Mainly, we hunt with hounds. A few months later, turkey season rolled around. After taking his first buck, Levi was very excited to add a turkey to his hunting resume.
We set out on an early morning hunt for his turkey. Dad decided to give him a little more responsibility on this hunt and let him use his own judgement about when he should take his shot. Josh started calling in the turkey about sunrise. Only a few minutes earlier they heard a gobble off in the distance
His Dad whispered softly, "when you are ready, pull it!" That's all it took. A 12-gauge blast broke the morning silence. When the smoke cleared a big Tom was down! Levi beamed with excitement! Again, all it took was one shot. He never even flinched. He displayed the poise and confidence beyond his years. Dad stood by grinning with pride.
We choose to life an outdoor lifestyle. Through our passion for the outdoors we strive to teach our children to respect firearms, love the outdoors and to learn how to survive off of the land. People are trying every single day to infringe on these rights. We need instill our traditions on our youth to ensure that they may enjoy them for generations to come.
“Give a man a fish and he will eat for the day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime”.