It's 3 o'clock on a Monday morning, and I can't sleep. Not because I'm dreaming of rooster pheasants, but because I spent the night before -- on opening weekend of pheasant season -- watching the birth of child No. 2.
In other years I might have been up early packing a lunch for a day in the field, but now I have two children who haven't reached their second birthday. There will be other times for hunting pheasants.
Which has me thinking. When my children are able to join me, what will hunting be like? That time is only a decade or so away, but things seem to be changing rapidly.
The here and now isn't too bad. I'm happy to report my son (at 18 months) caught his first fish, a bluegill, this summer, and it wasn't at a makeshift swimming-pool-turned-trout-pond at an indoor, outdoors show. And he's accompanied me on a couple of day-trip hunts, and judging by the way he interacts with bugs and other critters, I've got a feeling he'll grow to love the outdoors.
I cherish the time I spent exploring the outdoors with my dad. When a sharp-tailed grouse was downed, I hurried to retrieve it. I learned the habitats of grouse by noting the fields that produced birds. I learned biology by cleaning grouse, and discovered what they ate by cutting open the gizzard and sifting through bugs, berries and gravel used for grinding food.
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The feet, wings and feathers became educational objects, and I investigated how the joints worked and compared them to ducks, sandhill crane and other fowl.
I vividly recall when dad's old blue Ford pickup truck would roll into the driveway after dusk, the dark sky illuminated by a tiny porch light. After a day of hunting it was almost like Christmas as I would rush out the door bare-footed to peak into the truck box to see what was in the back. From deer and ducks, to pheasants and raccoons, it was a great opportunity to inspect these critters up close and personal.
The best part was time spent with friends and family, nights on the couch at various relatives' homes, and weekend trips with my dad. All the good things I've absorbed through hunting, fishing and trapping are positive influences in my life.
I think similar experiences would be valuable for my own children. It's nothing short of amazing as I watched my son battle, of all things, a cockle burr. Trying to remove it from his glove, beyond his years, he's just witnessed part of how seeds are distributed. A simple nuance which I seldom gave a second thought.
I hope the countryside will always have enough open space for a parent and child, regardless of their wealth, to get out and learn about nature through hunting, fishing, trapping or just plain exploration.
You see what I learned contrary to some opinions can't be learned in school, and no price tag can justify the experience. My hope is my son's first deer is raised on prairies of North Dakota, and my daughter's first upland game hunt is not for chuckar.
Respect for nature and the people who care for it is a family tradition I look forward to passing on to my son and daughter. While my days in the field may be spaced out a little bit more for a couple of years, early morning feedings allow plenty of time to anticipate what lies ahead.
These thoughts bring a smile to my face, even at three in the morning.
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Leier, a biologist for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department in West Fargo, can be reached at (701) 277-0719 or at dleier@state.nd.us
