Your palms are sweating. Your arms are trying their best to hold still. You can hear your own heart beating louder and louder. The nerves fight to take over, but you wrestle them down and try to focus. It all comes down to this moment that feels so big. The sun rising and setting has kept the time, as the hours rolled by. You’ve learned how to hunt, but now you’re learning to be a hunter. This is new, and you’re trying your best to commit these actions to memory. One day this will be easy. You take your aim. You hit your mark.
You got your first deer.
Climbing down from the stand you can feel your whole body buzzing. Your teeth chatter like you’re freezing but your face is hot. The adrenaline spins your vision back and forth from the deer to the bow in your hands.
First the deer.
Then the bow.
Then the deer once more.
Finally the spinning stops. The world slows back down, and your eyes land on the person who was next to you the whole time. Finally you look at Dad, or Mom, or your brother, or sister, or grandpa. Finally you see their face, and all the pride filling their eyes. You get the hug and the “good job,” knowing that they meant it.
You may not remember how big that deer was, or your means of taking. You may not remember the exact year, or place. You may not remember how long you sat in the woods waiting for your chance. You may not remember the first time you went hunting.
But one thing stays clear as the years go by: the face of the person who took you.
The ODWC recognizes the lasting value of mentorship in a young hunter’s life. Life skills gained in the outdoors are irreplaceable, and establish the continuation of Oklahoma’s great outdoor heritage. Every avid hunter remembers their first time successfully harvesting.
The Sturges family was generous enough to share with us their son Lake’s big day. In the video, you can hear Lake struggle to catch his breath, and filled with excitement say, “Oh my gosh, my first deer. Mom is gonna be happy!”
Brent Sturges commented regarding his children's outdoor development: “My wife and I both grew up with hunting and fishing our entire life. We have four children, Hunter (24), River (23), Brook (11), and Lake (8). People talk about eating free range and organic all the time. Wildlife management, with hunting and fishing from our state, brings those very things to our table. All of our children have their Oklahoma lifetime hunting and fishing license. Each of the family members take pride in bringing food to the table; they are proud that they are feeding one another. Our two youngest were each born in Haiti, so the understanding and appreciation of food is at an even greater level in our home. Fresh meat from the Oklahoma fields or the waterways is delicious! The outdoor wildlife experience is an immediate part of our family life together. So many memories, fun stories shared over meal times, and knowing each other on a more intimate level with quiet time spent chatting side-by-side up in a tree stand, on the side of a bank, or in a boat, is a very important part of our family time.”
The impacts of mentorship are felt beyond the learning phase. Lessons are put into play when the students eventually head out into the field on their own, establishing themselves as an independent hunter.
Addison Polk has been hunting with her dad since the age of four. Her father, Chaz Polk, says that she was always wanting to help and learn.
Learn she did.
According to her dad, Addison was determined to score a mature buck on her own last season, and on a hunt with her close friend, all her hard work paid off.
This season is unlike any other. Our world may feel like it’s getting smaller, as our opportunities to spend quality time with those that we love are limited. This fall, we encourage hunters to build relationships and take the opportunity to mentor the next generation. In a time when the distractions are closed, remember that the outdoors are Always Open.