What truly makes the perfect hunting partner? It’s a question some hunters go their whole lives without ever knowing.
Sure, you’ve got your hunting buddies who are regulars come elk and deer season. Hell, you might spend years, even decades, sharing a duck blind with the same guys, but what I am talking about is a true hunting partner. Somebody you aspire to make better every time out, and someone who in turn also pushes you to be your best. For me, that perfect hunting partner is my son.
Ever since he was five years old, all he’s ever wanted to do was go hunting with me. Some of my fondest memories revolve around hunting and our shared pursuits. From patiently waiting while he harvested his first deer, to watching him pull up on his first wild turkey, shooting his first duck, or dropping his first Canada goose, the look of pure joy and thrill in his eyes, and the overwhelming amount of pride felt by me are something that you can’t put a price on.
It’s those little moments that others might take for granted, like getting out in the hills chasing a covey of chucker, or walking in a freshly cut cornfield in pursuit of a rooster pheasant. It’s during those times that we didn’t have a care in the world, it was 100% about being in the field with my son, and if we did end up getting a bird that was just a bonus. The time spent sharing your passion for hunting with your children is like no other opportunity out there, you know that with every trip it’s going to be another memory locked away in your mind to be cherished forever.
As my son has grown to be the man he is today, we don’t always spend every hunt together, and that’s totally fine with me. As he’s developed as a sportsman, he’s picked up many things that are unique to him, even his own group of hunting partners. At the end of the day, when we get a chance to stop doing whatever it is that we have going on, we sit down and share the events of the hunt. The highs, the lows, and everything in between.
Every story has a comparison to another hunt we were on together, making it just as if we were there together. For example, when we set up for our first duck hunt of the season, we don’t have to ask each other where we think the decoys should go, we just know! It’s part of that bond that comes from spending so much time in the field together and all of those shared experiences. When you have that connection, you are constantly on the same page for just about everything.
There’s a popular saying, “People go their entire life looking for the perfect hunting partner. I raised mine”. For me, that rings absolutely true. No matter how old we get, or whatever life throws our way, we will always have that common bond.
As a new hunting season approaches, I look forward to it every day because I know we will create and share even more memories. Sure, I love getting out and hunting with new people and making new lifelong friendships. But no matter how many new people I meet, or how many new friendships I make, I will always have that one true hunting partner, my son.
What makes the perfect hunting partner in your opinion? Let us know in the comments below.