All I know to do is take as many kids hunting and fishing as you can...they will understand it from the beginning and no doublt be hooked. My kids are 5, 4, and 2...I already include them in my hunting and fishing trips...and they loved watching me butcher a deer this year...then eating the meat later. The most exciting thing is how many of these 5 years old I am running across, as my oldest starts school, that say they want to be a hunter...and their parents tell me "I have no idea where that came from - no one in our house hunts"...I will buy a small bus if I have too - because my kids can bring anybody they want to our cabin to hunt and fish - I'll do my best to teach them all - and no doubt some of these partents will get hooked along the way...I CAN'T WAIT!
To answer the original question, Animals (for the most part are furry & cute) Fish are ugly & slimy My opinion on the small tangent(hunter image) is that I try and provide the best image I can to non-hunting co-workers and aquaintences, in hopes that when the hunting subject comes up, they think of me & that I am a good respectable guy, not some bloodthirsty killer. I'd like to also share an interesting cultural observation. I get the occasional request for deer meat, which I am always willing to oblige as long as it's reasonable. Everyone expects the meat to come nicely pre-packaged as is bought in a store, & when the request is for a little bit...here you go, right out of my freezer. But on the occasions that a "whole deer" be provided, I say this is where I'll drop it off & this is how much the butcher will charge you...Oh, they never realize it costs so much, no one wants to do it themselves, and usually the request is dropped. This year I had a co-worker from Nigeria request a deer...gave him the usual butcher speech & to my surprise, he wanted the "whole deer". He wanted to cut it up himself, like he did with the animals his family ate growing up. And it certainly wasn't because the butcher fee was too much, I'd just like to throw in too.
I come from a long line of hunters, at least 4 or 5 generations, and have brought my kids up in an atmosphere of hunting. My sons and I are trying to expose their children to hunting, but it's getting more difficult with the liberal bent that permeates our schools. I live 15 minutes from Yosemite Nat'l Park and I can't tell you how many people are injured each year by the wild animals they try to befriend. Someone mentioned the movie "Bambi". It really did give people the false impression that the animals in the woods are our "friends" and that hunters are killing mommies and daddies. Like most things in life, the greatest impact on those around us is made through setting a good example. God did give us dominion over all the animals of the earth and the fishes of the sea and our greatest tool is the example we set in excercising this dominion.
