Mom

There's been a lot of talk in recent years about the decline of hunting and fishing traditions in the American family. Academics have identified it, anti-hunters have rejoiced in it and families have lived it. Pro-hunting interests have sought to change it. But one thing most everyone agrees on: Lots of kids are growing up in a single-parent home, often headed by a mom who has little time for and little experience in teaching her children to hunt or fish. As someone who grew up in one of those homes, I'm more than a little reluctant to offer any advice to those moms. They've got enough to do without me ragging on them to get their kids into hunting and fishing. And they've got plenty of guilt without me helping them feel like they need one more thing to worry about.
So, if you're a single mom and you just don't need any more on your plate, stop reading right here and know that I appreciate all that you're trying to do and I wish you all the best. If, by chance, you're a single mom who wants her son or daughter to learn to hunt or fish, maybe I can help a little bit. Actually, maybe my mom can help. After all, she was the one who actually did it. She was the widow with a 12-year old son, a woman with only a tenuous link to the outdoors who managed to pass on the tradition of hunting and fishing in our family. Here are a few things she did:

Start where you are. My mom had no experience, and little interest, in the outdoors before my dad came into her life. For the 16 years of their life together, she dutifully accompanied him on the camping and fishing forays. She mostly opted out of hunting. When it became clear that her little son was aflame with a love of wild things and wild places, she probably thought, "Oh no, not another one!" But when she became the head of our house, she loved me enough to nurture that flame. She didn't know everything, but she knew enough to get started.

Get some help. My mom knew she couldn't do it all. That's where Luke came in. He was my Dad's best friend, and he and his family gathered me up and took me hunting and fishing. He taught me to work really hard. He taught me to fish. He taught me to hunt elk and ducks and chukars and sage grouse. More importantly, he taught me to be ethical and honest when I did. He didn't try to be my dad; he didn't try to be my buddy. He had a firm hand and wasn't interested in excuses. He was the real deal. He was a mentor before any of us had ever heard that word.
Create opportunity. My mom was a master of incentive. "If you get those leaves raked up off the lawn, I'll take you and the dog up the river to hunt ducks." It was amazing how fast I could rake those leaves with the right stimulus. "When you get done mowing, we'll go fishing." She had absolutely no interest in fishing, and when we got there, she'd sit in the car and read a book, but she wanted to get me on the water. It worked.

Be prepared. It wasn't always easy. Actually, I suspect that it was seldom easy. My mom had to spend some money that we probably didn't have to buy fishing gear and shotgun shells. She had to live with the possibility that I might fall in the river and drown or shoot myself in the foot. She had smelly bobcat pelts in her garage and skunk juice on my jeans. But she persevered. She gave me enough freedom to stretch and grow, but not so much that I didn't bump up against the limits.
For all her trouble, I'm not really sure what she received in return. She certainly got a son who loves hunting and fishing and the wild places of Wyoming. What difference that makes to her at 90 years old, I couldn't begin to tell. She's dying now, a strong and valiant spirit trapped in a body that is gradually shutting down. But perhaps her passing is eased by the knowledge that she leaves behind a strong and close-knit family, a tribe of kindred spirits who love Wyoming and its wild things and wild places. Her gift to us was that love of each other and a passion for the land that we call home. What greater gift could she have given us?

Thanks, Mom.

Walt Gasson
Executive Director, Wyoming Wildlife Federation