Page 9 - Outdoor Oklahoma July/Aug 2021

2020 CREATIVE WRITING COMPETITION

“HUNTING WITH MY FAMILY”

EDITOR’S NOTE: Each year, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and Oklaho-
ma Station Chapter Safari Club International join to sponsor a creative writing competition for
Oklahoma middle and high school students. A boy and a girl from two age divisions are selected
winners. Students were required to write essays using the theme “Hunting: Sharing the Heritage”
or “Archery: What I Like About Archery in the Schools and Bowhunting.” Winners in the age
15-17 category receive a guided antelope hunt in the Texas Panhandle, and winners in the 11-14
age category receive a hunting trip with Rack Attack Outfitters (or similar) and a scholarship to
the Outdoor Texas Camp. In this issue, Outdoor Oklahoma honors junior category female winner
Taryn McCaa, 14, from Elmore City Pernell Middle School.

HUNTING WITH teach me what to do, but it was fun. Eventually I

MY FAMILY did it all by myself. We would always eat the squir-
rels in dumplings, which my nanny would make.
By Taryn McCaa Now, we continue to squirrel hunt every year and

Were you excited when you eat those squirrel dumplings together, but it’s not
shot your first deer? Was your the same since Poppie passed away.
heart beating a million times I hunt deer in Oklahoma every year during
a minute? youth days, muzzleloader, and regular deer sea-
When I killed my first deer, I was so happy. I had son. I absolutely love hunting, even if I used to fall
just killed a buck, and I was only 9 years old! He was asleep every morning when I was little, and dad
about 30 yards away, and I dropped him on the first had to wake me up when a deer came by our stand!

shot! I was jumping up and down with excitement Now, I can’t wait until I get married, have kids
and trying to run over to him, I realized that he only of my own, and take them hunting! I also pray all
had one horn. He had broken off the other, and he the time that they will be able to go hunting with
would have been a nice little 8-point, but he was an their “pop” like I got to hunt with my poppie! My
amazing 5-point in my eyes! poppie showed me so much about hunting and
Hunting is one of the most exciting hobbies that I life, taught me more than I could imagine, and
have in my life. It has taught me respect for wildlife helped grow the love I have for hunting!
and the outdoors. Finally, I love hunting, and will continue to
When I was 6, I started squirrel hunting with my enjoy it for the rest of my life. I hope that my leg-

poppie in Alabama over Christmas vacation. When acy and knowledge for hunting is passed on for
packing the truck to leave, I would never let my dad generations through my children and grandchil-
forget to pack my pink .22 rifle. When we got there, dren. From hunting squirrels in Alabama to kill-
after everyone said “Hi,” I would ask when we could ing my first deer, hunting is a hobby that makes
go squirrel hunting. I loved it! We would go with me appreciate the wildlife and its surroundings.
Poppie, Dad, Brother, my uncle, and two friends, I’m excited to take my own kids one day. I under-
Paul and Landon! stand the importance of hunting in my life and my

After, we hunted, we would always go up to the family’s lives. I want to keep that heritage alive for
house and skin them on the back porch. Dad had to years to come.

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