NRA Hunters’ Leadership Forum | Passing It Down: How National Hunting and Fishing Day Strengthened My Bond with My Daughter

This past week, as my editor and I discussed possibilities for a National Hunting and Fishing Day-focused article celebrating what these traditions mean to families across America (and the world), I found myself reflecting on what these traditions have meant not just to me, but to my own family as a newly-married man—and especially to my 9-year-old stepdaughter (who will soon be my adopted daughter) and how the time we've spent outdoors over the years has not only strengthened our bond, but has also laid a foundation of shared values and experiences that I hope will serve as her guiding light into adulthood. It also made me reflect (and tear up a bit) on the tremendous impact that same outdoor education had on me when delivered by my late grandfather who passed just this year. He sure would have been proud to see the photos we took on Sept. 28 as we celebrated National Hunting and Fishing Day 2024.

Discipline, Encouragement and a Strong Sense of Tradition
When I first introduced my daughter to the great outdoors, I wasn’t sure how she would take to it. Hunting and fishing are activities I hold dear, and I had hoped she might find in them the same solace and sense of adventure that I have. And while I was nervous about the prospect of teaching a high-energy then-6-year-old girl, whose favorite activities were jumping around and high-volume singing, what I wasn’t prepared for was how quickly she embraced it—and how deeply it began to shape our relationship. Each morning spent in the duck blind or on the water together has truly been a gift, and one I’ll admit I have struggled to admit or acknowledge enough to her. Whether it’s watching the sun rise as we wait for the trumpetlike bugle of a sandhill crane, a fall favorite in our house, or the quiet, patient stillness of waiting for the bite of a great Alaskan king salmon, these moments have become the bedrock of my connection to this child that, as a young bachelor, I didn’t know I desperately wanted.

Read the full article on NRA Hunter’s Leadership Forum: https://www.nrahlf.org/articles/2024/9/30/passing-it-down-how-national-hunting-and-fishing-day-strengthened-my-bond-with-my-daughter/