My last post Monarch Valley Whitetail Adventure told the story of my son Theo's quest for his first deer. That adventure and lack of harvest fueled Theo's passion for this weekend's MN firearms opener.

Our weekend embodied all that is good with a traditional MN deer camp. Our hosts, Charlie, Steve and Fred Ehlen once again were kind enough to share their family property near Randall, MN. We were greeted by some old friends from years past and made a few new ones. There were hits and misses, good food, fun and lots of laughs. And success; our group took 9 deer including a bruiser of a 10 pt buck.

I won't bore you with the details of Theo's hunt. While every moment was priceless for me and him, the same story played out statewide for thousands of others...anticipation, excitement, the shot, the tracking (ugg), the follow-up shot and finally the recovery. It's the first of what I'm sure will be many deer for Theo. This photo and the memory of this weekend will stay with me & Theo for a long time...

When my non-hunting friends inquire about getting their kids into hunting I share with them the experiences we had this past weekend. Is there anything better than spending time in the field with your kids? Henry David Thoreau said it best,

"When some of my friends have asked me anxiously about their boys, whether they should let them hunt, I have answered yes-- remembering that it was one of the best parts of my education-- make them hunters."

Happy Hunting!

-MJP