My dad taught me to shoot a rifle, follow a blood trail, and gut a deer. And that’s simply the way it was for many kids who grew up in hunting families. It was up to dad to teach the kids to hunt. While that’s certainly changing — just see our story on #huntingmamas — dad’s still tend to get most of the focus when we talk about raising kids to be hunters.

But when I look back closely at my own childhood, it’s clear that I never would have been the hunter I am today without my mom. She was the one who took me to hunter’s safety classes (Mom actually took the course, even though she had no intention of ever hunting), she packed all of our food for deer camp, and she was there when I killed my first animal. 

At the time I was too young to deer hunt, but old enough to go to deer camp, and also old enough to shoot a BB gun. So while my dad, grandpa, and uncles were off in their stands waiting for deer, it was up to my mom to watch over us kids as we chased squirrels with our BB guns and slingshots.

You can listen to how that adventure played out in the podcast embedded here. You’ll also hear about how hunting editor Andrew McKean’s mom Janet, age 83, watched her boy grow into a hunter at a very young age. And you’ll hear about how executive editor Natalie Krebs’ mom, Victoria Cornelius, has embraced the idea of her daughter devoting her career to hunting. 

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Perhaps you’ll even hear stories or perspectives that remind you of your own mom and your own upbringing as a hunter. If that’s the case, don’t forget that it’s Mother’s Day. Call up your mom, and just tell her thanks.