Take A Kid Hunting "short Story"

[Feathers and Fins]

This was a special day for this eight year old man, you see today was the first day he was with his father to participate in the hunt. They had gotten up at Two AM to drive out to the field his mother was so careful to pack him a breakfast and juices before he left with his father. On the way out they stopped off at an all night gas station where is dad bought him some coffee and crumb cakes for the morning as well.

They arrived in the field going on Three Thirty and opened up the trailer holding the layout blinds and decoys. The boy was so anxious to start setting them out when he had a couple in his hand he turned to run and fell face first in the mud. His dad laughing under his breath and the boy looking so shocked, but in true fashion of a survivor he picked up and carried on. This went on for a over anhour transporting decoys and layout blinds in to the field.

When the last load was being hauled out his dad sat on the back of the truck reflecting. You see my friends this was a very special hunt. One that he thought may never happen. The young man running that cold field in the early morning light was born with a heart defect, his prognosis was grim and he wasn’t even supposed to be alive today.

His father sat there thinking how many nights he and his wife sat there in that cold dreary hospital, treatment after treatment watch their beloved young man fighting just for a breath of air even with oxygen tubes running in to his nose. He thought about all the surgeries and the doctors trying everything to give this wonderful young man a chance.

He and his lovely wife suffer financially greatly during this time, yet always had an unwavering love. Their family spent many nights praying for this young man and hoping for miracles. Then one day the doctor came in not with the usual look of we are trying but! This time he walked in with a great smile on his face and told the parents it looked like his heart had healed. All those years in hospitals all the pain and medications.

He sat on the truck watching his son running around the headlamp bobbing on his head occasionally bending down as he placed a stake and decoy on it. A smile came across his face and calm in his heart knowing that today was a triumph and was meant to happen and a day he thought that only by a miracle would happen had happened. He bowed his head and simply said thank you God.

As the young man ran back to the truck another set of lights came bouncing down that old dirt road, his grandfather truck was making the journey that morning to be with his young grandson. This was a day that nothing would stop and no armies could prevent. He got out and started walking up with an ole Stanley thermos in his hand one that he had carried many years for work.

He poured that first cup and gave it to his grandson and said if you’re old enough to be a man and hunt your old enough to be drinking coffee. Something’s are a rite of passage you know them when they happen and this boy being given coffee was one of those rights. They sat there drinking the coffee and eating crumb cake talking about the hunt to come as they still had well over an hour before it was shooting time. Those of us who know that quiet time before a hunt sitting there just talking can appreciate how much it means.

The young boy had crawled back up in the truck and laid down next to his father’s lab and fallen back to sleep his arms around the dogs neck and its head laying on his chest. His grandfather saw this and smiled the most loving smile. He looked at his son and simply said all those years of worry are gone and all you have now is that. He turned and saw the young man and dog and a tear fell from his face. He looked at his dad and simply said worth every minute!

They sat there talking for awhile longer when a noise so familiar happened. It was the sound of Canadian Geese on the pond starting to wake up. The sun’s rays had just started turning the sky purple and you could make out the red underlining of the clouds. Though neither wanted to they gently woke the boy and dog and made their way in the dew covered soy beans to the layout blinds.

Shortly thereafter the first birds could be heard in the air and the young man’s father started calling. He would occasionally look over at his boy and see eyes as big as dinner plates looking all around. The first flight came in over the trees to the south heading right in. They dropped their feet down and the young man’s father said take um. The boys sat up and fired one shot from his little Remington 870 20 gauge and as he did this big brown bird fell.

Neither his father nor his grandfather fired a shot, they just watched the young man take his first shot and with it his first goose. The young man came flying out of the blind and ran toward the big bird. His dad had held back the lab to allow the boy to make this retrieve. He was so small that the big goose was a task it seemed. He dragged it by the neck back to the blind and when he got there hugged smiling say look daddy look grandpa I got a goose I got a goose. No two prouder men could have been on this wonderful earth that day then those two men. Like many children before him the since of joy and happiness over that first bird shown shining on his face. Today a triumph was had and the long road to it made it even that much sweeter. Two generations of waterfowlers were now officially three.

Dedicated to my good friend Mark and his wonderful son

[duckydoty]

Great story. Thanks for sharing.

[Bird Watcher]

...and that is the kind of stuff it is all about. nice write up.

[tho1mas]

...and that is the kind of stuff it is all about. nice write up.

Good on you.