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 by Wayne Selfridge, Caribou
I've been
thinking about this article since I began writing for the Sportin' Journal. I want to give
this topic the effort it deserves, because the future
of our hunting and fishing heritage in Maine depends on our kids having a nurturing home, as well as an early introduction to the outdoor
world. Readers may think that outdoor writers make a living by hunting and fishing,
and then writing about their exploits. There are some national and state celebrities whose
working lives surround the fishing tournament circuit or endorsing products as they hunt for big game across North America. Most outdoor writers,
like yours truly and most columnists for this publication,
mirror our readership. Working men and women who try to fit in as much outdoor recreation
after their labor, and then take a moment to share their avocational expertise with you.
I am a
detective with the Presque Isle Police Department. In that capacity I see many troubled
adolescents, most of whom are a product of a bad home
life or uncaring parents. A friend who is retired educator and school administrator tells
me when we brain storm remedies to the juvenile problem
that, "There are no bad kids." That read-between-the-lines philosophy clearly places blame where it belongs; parental responsibility.
It's not the schools, churches, justice
system or other government agencies obligated to raise kids/families are. I know of no more productive way to develop our future adults
than by introducing them to the outdoors. For instance, my
son, Justin, has been hunting with me since he was five years old. He carried the BB gun
to give a game bird or rabbit the coup-de-grace when
downed, whether it needed it or not. He felt part of the hunt, being my enthusiastic
retriever as well.
Yes, I would have harvested more game and
covered more territory if I had been hunting without the little man, but being a part of his excitement, with every step an adventure, was worth the
full-game-bag sacrifice. Teaching him to cast an open-faced
spinning reel, pointing out buck rubs, and subtly teaching a sportsman ethic and a respect
for the game sought over a brookside lunch of
fresh-caught brookies breaks down the generation gap and strengthens the parent-child
bond. Rediscovering the wilderness world through the
innocent eyes of a child is humbling. At the beginning
of this article I said that I was troubled by how to best approach this topic without
jumping on an editorial soap box. I found it. A short
column, and as much as I abhor using cliches, a picture is worth .....
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| Jodie, Brooke and Katie Buckley, ages seven,
ten and ten respectively, daughters of Bob
and Tammy Buckley of Mapleton, happily exhibit their first partridges. |
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| 14 year old, Justin Selfridge, son of our
Aroostook Outdoors Columnist, with a hefty stringer of County Smallmouths. |
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|  Nine year old Tyler Langill of
Weston, son of Susan and Ken Langill, proudly shows off his prize lunker pickerel. This young angler's first!
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 Sam Gagnon, 13-year old
son of Naldo and Susan Gagnon of Presque Isle, presents a bragging rights brook trout.
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| Ben LeBlanc II, ten year old son of Ben and
Penny LeBlanc of Mapleton, displays a big bruin he harvested in The County this past fall. |
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| Ten year old, Katie Buckley,
shown here with her father, Bob Buckley, during the proud moment after Katie's bagged her first grouse. |
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© 2000 Northwoods Sporting Journal
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