Youth writing competition winner

2007 Winning Youth Essays

Youth writing competition winners announced

            The results of the annual youth writing contest focused on Oklahoma’s hunting heritage were recently announced by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and the Oklahoma Station Chapter of Safari Club International.
            “This year, contestants got to choose between two different topics — ‘Hunting: Sharing the Heritage’ or ‘What I like about Archery in the Schools and Bowhunting’ — and we got some great entries,” said Colin Berg, education supervisor for the Wildlife Department. “As is the case with this contest every year, Oklahoma youth showed a solid connection with the heritage of hunting in Oklahoma. The sport of hunting is in good hands for the future.”
             Winners in the ages 11-14 category were Joshua Mouser of McLoud and Hannah Stevens of Overbrook. Winners in the ages 15-17 category were Zack Ellison of Coweta and Elissa Stiles of Collinsville.
            "The younger winners receive a scholarship to the YO Ranch Apprentice Hunter Program in Texas,” Berg said. "Our senior age category winners will receive an all-expenses-paid antelope hunt in New Mexico.”
            The scholarship to the YO Ranch Apprentice Hunter Program and expenses for the antelope hunts are covered by the Oklahoma Station Chapter of Safari Club International with funds raised at the Chapter’s annual banquet.
            The youth writing competition is designed to promote America’s hunting heritage among Oklahoma’s youth. It provides them an opportunity to express the importance of hunting in their lives and to affirm their commitment to carrying on the hunting tradition. Students use the essays or short stories to relive memorable hunts, to explain why hunting is important to them and to recognize mentors who have influenced them to grow as hunters.
            “I wish to thank all the young people who took the time and effort to participate in this essay contest,” said Sam Munhollon, past president and education representative for the Oklahoma Station Chapter of SCI. “One of our greatest challenges are finding ways to encourage young people to get away from the sedentary activities and get into the woods to explore and appreciate nature. The contest provides a great forum for inciting students to gain insight from more than just the classroom. These contest winners will, by being published in local newspapers and the ‘Safari Trails’ newsletter, become eligible to participate in the Norm Strung Outdoor Writers Association National Youth Essay Contest. Winners of that contest are awarded cash prizes and scholarships. I am very proud of our Oklahoma students. In the 14 years since the inception of this essay contest, Oklahoma essay contest winners have placed each year in the finals of the Norm Strung Outdoor writers Association National Youth Essay Contest.”
            The Wildlife Department and the Oklahoma Station Chapter of Safari Club International will submit the winning essays to the National Youth Writing Contest held annually by the Outdoor Writers Association of America.

-30-

Age 11-14 Male
Joshua Mouser, McLoud
McLoud Jr. High

Hunting: Sharing the Heritage: What I Like About Bow Hunting

My name is Joshua Mouser and I’m fourteen years old. I love to hunt. It is one of my very favorite things to do, I love everything about it. I love sitting and watching all of the animals and spending time with my dad. My favorite thing is when you see a deer and your heart starts to beat faster, you start shaking, and you can not hold your gun or bow still. I have harvested seven deer and five turkeys.

My most memorable hunt was when I went on my first hunt. It was the first day of turkey season and I was eight years old and it was a Sunday morning. The turkeys were gobbling and they were coming in when it started lightning and thundering. It started to rain and the wind picked up. Whoosh! The wind blew our blind off of us. Then it started to hail. Our truck was across the field, so my dad and I took off running. When we reached the truck we were beat by hail and sopping wet. My dad and I decided we would not skip church to go hunting ever again.

Just recently I went bow hunting for the first time. My dad and I sat there until it started to get late. We had not seen anything. My dad started to lower his bow out of the tree and two deer ran out in front of us. I shakily pulled my bow and shot, twang! I hit a limb. The deer ran away.

Hunting is a special and very fun experience to share with your dad, grandpa, or other close family member. I love to sit in the stand and watch and listen to all the animals with my dad. Not many things are as fun as that. I can not wait until I get to go hunting with my dad again. Everyone should get the chance to go hunting.

So get your dad, get your camouflage on, grab your gun and get out in the woods and go hunting. Also, remember to take your hunter safety course. Hunting is one of the best experiences you will ever have.

Cutline: Joshua Mouser of McLoud submitted a winning essay in the Youth Writing Competition sponsored by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and the Oklahoma Station Chapter Safari Club International. Martin will receive a scholarship for the Apprentice Hunter Program during the summer of 2008 at the YO Ranch, Mountain Home, TX.

Age 11-14 Female
Hannah Stevens, Overbrook
Greenville Elementary

Hunting: Sharing the Heritage: What I Like About Bow Hunting

I heard it coming closer, closer, until it was right under me. I still could not see it, but I knew it was a deer. Then I saw it! I was just about to shoot when –

“Hannah time to get up,” Dad whispered through the open door in my room. I groaned as I tried to drag myself out of bed. When I sat up a few minutes later, the clock beside my bed read 5:30 A.M. We needed to quicken our pace if we were going to get in the tree stand in time. When I got dressed and met my dad outside the door, it was getting lighter by the second. We did our usual routine of checking to make sure we had our bows, arrows, and watches; then we decided which stand I was going to hunt in.

“Well,” I said, “I guess I’m going to hunt in the baboon stand.” We named it that because before the stand existed, there was a blind made out of logs to hide our feet and branches to cover our movements. On one of the logs, there was a knot that looked exactly like a baboon.

“Okay, I will go to the one on the north end the,” Dad stated. “I’ll be back a little later then and good luck!” he exclaimed over his shoulder.

As I made my way through the field, I marveled at how beautiful everything was. The leaves were all different colors, and the way the light shined, it made them look even more spectacular. When I went hunting with my dad a few years earlier, I created a game that I played to pass the time. Since we were in a ground blind, I grabbed a piece of grass and peeled it in my fingers. Because I was so young then, I did not open my eyes and witness the beauty of nature.

Once I was all settled in the tree and stopped worrying about stepping on fallen leaves or twigs, I commenced to really look around. The sun was coming up and still no sign of a deer. When the sun hit the clouds, it was like fire seeing the purple, pink, and orange colors. The woods were alive with birds signing and hopping from branch to branch. The squirrels were talking to each other while they were leaping and playing. I got so caught up in watching the squirrels and birds, I didn’t see the bobcat that approached me from behind. When I first heard him, he was almost directly under the stand. I was surprised that he did not notice me before I heard him. I like to examine all animals so I paid close attention to details of the bobcat. He had pointed ears with ebony edges and his muscular body was charcoal and light brown black spots. The puzzled animal could not really tell what I was, but as soon as he got downwind and smelled me, he dash off. Then I really paid attention and turned in to everything around me.

Sometimes I listen too hard and think that a squirrel or an armadillo is a deer, but this time there really was one. Breathing heavily, I positioned my binoculars to my eyes and noticed the most enchanting buck I had ever seen. He had heavy bases that were far apart and he looked like he had lengthy main beams, but the tines were not very long. He came walling up under the oak tree and then started to eat acorns. When he was not looking at me, I got my bow ready with shaking hands, but I never got a chance to shoot because as I raised my bow, he noticed me and snorted while he ran off.

It was still pretty early, so I tried to tell myself to calm down, and that he didn’t run very far so he might come back. I waited for a little while longer, then out of nowhere a doe and her fawn appeared through the dense trees. They were both small, so I decided not to shoot them. They were so graceful and a pleasure to watch! They were light brown, and when they heard a twig snap, they shot their heads up like rockets. After a while they got full and gracefully made their way through the woods.

When Dad got back, he asked me the usual questions: “Did you see anything?” “I saw a big buck and a doe and her fawn. I didn’t get a shot at the buck, because he ran off before I could even get the arrow on the string,” I explained. He assured me that if he didn’t run very far, then he will probably come back. “Did you see anything?” I asked. “No, I didn’t see a deer, but I did see a raccoon and some squirrels,” he said.

I don’t know what I would do without bowhunting; this memory along with many others, is what I cherish about the sport. I love being out in the woods, and the meat that you harvest. I really think that more people should take up bowhunting. It provides you time to think, and you get to perceive the beauty of nature- if you have your eyes open.

Cutline: Hannah Stevens of Overbrook submitted a winning essay in the Youth Writing Competition sponsored by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and the Oklahoma Station Chapter Safari Club International. Martin will receive a scholarship for the Apprentice Hunter Program during the summer of 2008 at the YO Ranch, Mountain Home, TX.

Age 15-17 Female
Elissa Stiles, Collinsville
Home schooled

Hunting: Sharing the Heritage: What I Like About Bow Hunting

Orion, the hunter, stared down at me from the dark sky as I sat on my hunting stool. It was at least a couple of hours until sunrise, and I shivered slightly in the early morning breeze. As I waited for my dad to tell me I could load my gun, I wondered how many times he had done this at my age.

In woods not far from where we sat, another father once introduced his little boy to the woods and the wildlife they contained – a tradition the grownup boy would one day pass to me.

Going back even further, I imagined the times my grandpa had followed his father to go hunting, waiting for the first warming rays of light to peek through the autumn woods. As I sat, wondering how many fathers and children in my ancestry had shared the hunting experience (and wondering if, until now, any had been girls), I realized what a history this tradition had in my family.

Although I have lived most of my life in a large city, I have always been drawn to opportunities to go camping, hiking, and experience the wilderness. Moving to Oklahoma gave me the chance to spend more time in the woods, and I realized that I belonged to the great outdoors.

While I enjoy many outdoor activities, hunting is unquestionably my favorite. Perhaps it’s because of the thrill I get when I see that buck walking by or hear a gobbler responding to my call. But I think the real reason is that hunting is a heritage that can be passed down… but also shared at the same time.

My mom and dad are responsible for teaching me to love hunting and embrace the wild; but, in helping my friend in establishing an Archery in the Schools program for the other home-schoolers like us, I am introducing my parents to the amazing world of archer and bow-hunting. When my friend and I drew our families into our zeal for archery, I realized that traditions don’t have to be passed down through generations – they can be started by a child and shared by the whole family!

Everyone has the heritage of hunting in their ancestory. The tradition is started and continues with each new generation. The question is whether we will take it up and pass it on.

When my dad takes me hunting, I can almost feel the generations of fathers passing the tradition down to me. As I wait for dawn to break and feel Orion, the hunter of the skies, watching the shadowy earth below, I can almost see my grandpa and great grandpa gripping the stocks of their muzzleloaders in anticipation. It makes me resolve, if I ever have children, to hand this lasting tradition down to them.

This year, as I look around the field, I see my little sister sitting nearby. And I know that I am playing a part in helping to pass on the tradition one more time.

Cutline: Elissa Stiles of Collinsville submitted a winning essay in the Youth Writing Competition sponsored by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and the Oklahoma Station Chapter Safari Club International. Brown will receive an all expenses paid antelope hunt in New Mexico.

Age 15-17 Male
Zack Ellison, Wagoner
Coweta High School

Hunting: Sharing the Heritage: What I Like About Bow Hunting

As a Native American I would like to celebrate the Oklahoma Centennial by sharing my heritage through hunting. With the state of Oklahoma turning one hundred years old this year, I reflect on the past since my ancestors have hunted this land for generations. Oklahoma, as a wilderness, was filled with an abundance of wild animals. These animal’s furs were very valuable which made fur trapping and trading a profitable business in developing Oklahoma. I am very proud of my ancestral heritage and realize that hunting has played a very significant role in the history of Oklahoma.

When I was very young my father taught me to respect the wildlife and wilderness. Our family practices giving back to wildlife each year by planning food plots and leaving see on ice or snow covered ground. We also do not mow within six feet of the fence lines to provide additional coverage for ground nesting birds and animals. My father helped me recognize that it would take individuals like us to be stewards to continue the heritage of hunting.

One of my favorite memories of turkey hunting with my father was when I was about ten years old. We were hunting in a ground blind for the first time when dad used a raspy hen mouthpiece call to get an old tom excited. They called back and forth to each other until we knew the tome was getting close. About twenty minutes later a ten inch bearded tom strutted up to our ground blind. One shot and that tome belonged to us.

I enjoy hunting turkey, deer, quail, dove, pheasants, squirrels and rabbits. My favorite is turkey hunting. Learning to call a turkey is a skillful technique that all hunters must master. The practice, preparation, and calling can be intense. Knowing when to “yelp, cluck, purr, scratch”, or just be quiet can make all the difference in bringing home the trophy tom.

I had the opportunity to go to Kansas this year to hunt those elusive tom turkeys. We saw a few hens, several jakes, and a couple toms. I have been told, many times by my dad, to be patient and wait for the turkeys to come to me. I did not get a turkey this year but I am looking forward to next year’s hunt.

Hunting requires planning, patience, and perseverance. Each year before hunting season we would prepare for our hunt by scouting out the land, looking for tracks, gathering our equipment, and talking about our favorite hunting trips. We always had a strategy in place server weeks before the hunt. Everyone would meet at our house for any last minute details. The excitement and anticipation of the hunt is awesome.

My father taught that hunting is not a right, but a privilege that should be respected and passed along to future generations. We enjoy having family and friends come and hunt on our property. Everyone enjoys a day in the woods, which gives us an opportunity to share the heritage of hunting. The memories of my family and friends, getting together to hunt, are priceless.

One day, I will pass on the heritage of hunting to my children. As more hunters become stewards for the wildlife and wilderness in Oklahoma, the future of hunting will continue for generations.

Cutline: Zack Ellison of Wagoner submitted a winning essay in the Youth Writing Competition sponsored by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and the Oklahoma Station Chapter Safari Club International. Brown will receive an all expenses paid antelope hunt in New Mexico.