Outdoors with dad: How hunting and fishing bond fathers with their children

I can still remember my father poking me in the ribs to wake me up. I had fallen asleep against a tree, again. I was 12 years old, had never been turkey hunting before and didn’t realize how quickly 4 a.m. comes around.

I didn’t get a turkey that year, and I was pretty devastated.

Everything felt like a waste of time. I woke up early for nothing. I practiced on my turkey calls for nothing. And worst of all, I sacrificed hours of precious video game time on the weekend.

It wasn’t until I was older that I realized what I really took out of that experience. Little details that went unnoticed to an adolescent are now crystal to an adult.

My dad and I woke up before anyone else was awake, we’d eaten breakfast together and then talked about all sorts of scenarios in the car on our way to the woods.

I was having so much fun with my dad, and I didn’t even know it. And in the process, I was taking away life lessons.

• It takes discipline to set yourself up for success.
• Patience is a virtue.
• Be alert to your surroundings because things can change in an instant.
• You aren’t always going to get exactly what you want.
• Stay awake or you get poked in the ribs.

In hindsight, most lessons I learned from my father were somehow connected to our experiences hunting, fishing or hiking. It made me wonder how many other people across the state were fortunate enough to bond with their fathers through the outdoors. 

I reached out to several outdoors groups on Facebook, asking for memories of such bonding, and the responses make it clear that the outdoors play a key part in the upbringing of many children. Here are a few of the replies:

"My dad took us fishing all the time. It was honestly that thing we always bugged him to do. Some of my favorite childhood memories were in those quiet moments of freedom."

– Amy Hess, Mount Wolf

"I have raised 4 children on the boat and in the woods. They learn from you (and not their peers) when they are around you all the time. They learn your values, goals, ways of being a socially productive adult."

– Stephen Peck, Erie

"I never thought it would stick, but my daughter Amanda always wanted to go hunting and fishing with me when she was just a toddler. She will be 21 years old this August and she has been the absolute best hunting/fishing partner I could ask for. We have made some of the greatest memories just being together in the outdoors."

– Wayne Maus, Hollidaysburg

"It’s nothing more than good quality time with your children and lessons you learn that can be used not only for hunting and etc. but in life also."

– Justin Shaw, Elderton

"My dad passed away in 2016, but I feel like we are always hunting together in spirit. I still hear his laughter and excitement and know he is happy to see me using his firearms. Without my dad's encouragement and generosity, I would not have those wonderful memories to cherish."

– Marie Girio Brummett, Williamsport

"Hunting and being outdoors has always been the number one way my father and I connected. It’s not just a hobby or leisurely activity for us, it’s a way of life. Just sitting in the woods with my dad, even if we’re in complete silence, I feel a closeness that other children may have never felt from their father."

– Jason Schrecongost, NuMine

"Hunting has always been a holiday in our household. I had hunted raccoon with my grandpa since I was able to walk. 29 years later, my dad and I take time to go coyote hunting, bear hunting, deer hunting and our newest hunting adventure has led us to rattlesnake hunting."

– Kristin Hawkins, Rural Valley

"I've hunted with my grandfather all my life. Now, I'm taking my small children fishing. You learn important lessons that you don't necessarily realize you learned until you are older. "

– Troy Albright, York County

"My husband has been taking our five year old twins fishing for the past three years. They’re not very serious fishermen, but it’s something the kids love doing and ask to do every chance they get. This works on the kids' patience, gets them out of the house and away from the tv screen. So, it’s a win win for all."

– Kelsey Hankey, Homer City

"When my stepdad first came into our lives, we immediately began a tradition of going fishing, and I don’t think we would have ever developed the kind of connection we did without it."

– Jessica Elser, Chambersburg