TWRA welcomes young hunters this weekend, as the Young Sportsman Deer Hunt offers kids and parents the chance to bond in nature.
Public Relations Regional Coordinator Barry Cross said ages six to 16 participate in the two-day hunt. Cross said age 10 is most prominent, having earned their hunting education certification.
“If you’ve never been hunting and you’ve never sat in the woods and watched the sun come up, you’re really missing out,” Cross said. “I think being able to share that as a father and son or as a mother and son or a mother and daughter, it’s a great experience.”
Cross said it is important for young people to experience the outdoors. Cross said hunting provides an outlet for young people to harvest food and bond with family outside. Cross said the outdoors is important in the modern age of the internet.
“Everybody wants to be entertained all the time,” Cross said “The outdoors to me is one of those areas I think kids miss when they spend too much time on a phone. There’s a lot to see a lot to experience, but if you keep your head buried in a phone, you miss things.”
Cross said parents should dress in florescent pink or yellow and accompany children, ready to take control of any weapon at all times. Cross said children and teens can use bows or muzzle loaders, but most use fire arms.
“It’s a great opportunity for parents to teach their kids firearm safety,” Cross said. “Its a great opportunity for them to share something that they can have in common for years to come.”
