Our why behind the Hunting Fam | Southern Utah
Hello there! We hope you are all having a fantastic week + enjoying the warmer weather. Here in Utah Mother Nature is struggling to make up her mind and having mood swings from h-e-double hockey sticks!
I mean, I can't complain about near 50s all winter, but we do need some water in these parts!
I mean, I can't complain about near 50s all winter, but we do need some water in these parts!
Today we wanted to share our goals + our why to starting the Hunting Fam adventures with you.
It is always scary putting yourselves out there and being vulnerable especially when it is a topic that can be as controversial as hunting.
When we started this journey, we had a few goals in mind:
- To spend time with each other as a family
- To educate those who may not know much about hunting and help those that do whether it be a tip you never knew or just a different way of doing something... especially if you are looking to get your kids involved.
- To be able to give more
- To allow Dustin the freedom to be home more by gaining sponsors and making money
- To adventure together
- To have the ability to travel as a family and learn about other countries in more ways than hunting alone-- we want to be able to do service in other countries.... (Maybe I should make that an I statement) Dustin doesn't care much for out of country travel that doesn't include hunting!
Hunting in our family used to be Dustin going with the guys on the weekends while I stayed home and held down the fort. The girls were never super interested, but we also didn't give them the benefit of the doubt at that time.
As Jack got older (about three) Dustin decided he would take him Coyote hunting one night and just see how it went. He didn't expect much with Jack being so young, but boy, Dustin was blown away.
He came home that night and told me that he wasn't sure what to think. Jack was a completely different person on the hillside. He didn't make a peep + loved every second of it. There was one downside to Jack taking the need to be quiet to heart.... he peed his pants twice this trip! He has now learned that a tap on the leg is sufficient to express the urge + it hasn't happened again.
As I started to notice Jack's pure love for it, I also noticed the girls becoming more interested and they actually started asking Dustin if they could go as well.
Me, being the stubborn one wasn't sure if I wanted to give in and join. My step-dad took us deer hunting once, and let's just say, it wasn't our favorite. Sitting on a hillside in complete silence for hours on end was not our favorite thing in the world. I'll be honest, I'm still not as die hard, but I do love to camp in warm sunny weather and hiking is a great workout! Two wins in my book during bear season if you ask me!
After bear camp last summer, I told Dustin my idea to start an Instagram and YouTube + he was fully on board. The Hunting Family adventure is the perfect combo for me. I get to share my passion for photography and spend time in the mountains with my kids.... this is my happy place.
Our hopes for this is also help those of you who may be sitting on the fence about taking your younger kids out to jump off and see what happens. I love sharing our little tips and tricks to keeping the kids happy on the "boring" truck rides as well as hiking on the mountains for hours. So far they are enjoying most of it, but let's be honest, they are still kids and they do whine from time to time. Oh and chores.... we remind them often that they do have a roof over their head + clothes to wear so we can all help out around here!