When LIttle Girls Learn to Hunt
by Wanda Garner
“My first vehicle is going to be a 4-wheel drive pickup so I can haul my 4-wheeler to the woods and pull my bass boat to the lake,” I heard my 10-year-old daughter Sara say. Hesitating for just a second, she added, “And it’s gonna be yellow.” Laughing, I replied, “You’re gonna really intimidate the boys when you get older.” Heck, I thought to myself, she probably intimidates them now!
My daughter is not your typical 10-year-old girl. To most folks she’s probably even a little weird! However, if Sara were a boy, she’d be tagged “typical”. She loves the outdoors, loves to hunt and fish, and doesn’t mind doing the dirtiest of chores. She’s a good shot with her gun and will someday be just as good with her bow. 
At the age of 10 she’s already harvested three deer and can out-fish any “boy”. Ask her where the deer’s kill zone is. She’ll tell you and then probably draw you a diagram. Ask her about deer anatomy. She loves to help field dress the deer we’ve harvested. No doubt, she’ll tell you about how she and her daddy dissect the deer’s stomach to see what it ate last.
Some folks may worry that Sara is not girlie enough and that she won’t grow up to be normal. In today’s world, what is normal? Is normal sitting in front of the TV or computer hour after hour? Maybe normal is chatting on the phone for hours and giggling with her girlfriends about the cutest boy in school. Maybe for some, normal is taking drugs or stealing. Normal for Sara Kate is begging to go hunting or 
asking permission to practice shooting her bow. Normal for Sara is taking her favorite spinning reel to the river and wading out waist deep in the current in hopes of catching a beautiful smallmouth bass and giving it all she's got to reel it in successfully.
Sara did tell me she had a dilemma recently. Arriving home from school, she announced, “I have two boys that want to be my boyfriend.” As any mother would advise her 5th grader, I stated matter of factly, “Go with the richest one.” "But Mom,” she argued, “The other one likes to hunt.” It appears my daughter at least has her priorities straight!
I have no doubt that Sara will make some man a fine wife someday. She’ll also be a great mother, spending time outdoors with her children and teaching them about nature, conservation, and the wildlife which inhabits our woodlands. 
If need be, she can provide food for her family, never hesitating to clean her own game. Plus, she’ll know how to prepare the wild game that she brings home.
She is learning patience while sitting in the woods waiting for her deer or turkey to appear. She is learning diligence, striving hard to be a good hunter. She is learning honesty and obedience, knowing that she must always follow the rules which have been laid out for us by the Game and Fish Commission to help protect our wildlife from extinction. She's learning respect for the environment and the creatures she pursue. In addition, she’s learning that the world is full of wonderful opportunities and adventures waiting just for her. She won't need to get high to enjoy life. And probably more than anything, she’s learning who she is and who she wants to be.
I recently heard Sara’s father ask her what she wanted for Christmas. Her response was simply, “A new gun, new bow, and lots of new camo.” Merry Christmas, Sara!