Who believes children are our future? I know I do, and I know every rational adult does also.
But I am shocked, actually in awe, as to how many parents have not participated in the outdoors with our children. I have children and they deer hunted and fished with me since they were babies. Three daughters and one son, and they always went. Maybe they did not actually hunt or fish, but they were there with mom and dad at camp. And my grandchildren fish and now are starting to hunt. It was normal for us to teach them — they were raised that way.
I know times are hard. And some kids come from a one-parent home or a home with limited resources. That is why I am going to approach Idaho Fish and Game, as well as local, regional and national businesses and manufacturers, to help start a kid’s fishing tournament here in Pocatello. Hopefully, Idaho Fish and Game and the city get behind this at one of our local ponds.
I have already talked to some large businesses here in Pocatello, and they are standing behind me in this venture. Remember, our children are your next neighbor, fellow worker or customer. If children have no experience in the outdoors, you may as well close all the sporting goods stores, gun shops, fishing shops, camp trailer dealerships, boat dealerships, ATV shops and so on and so on.
We need to get kids away from the TV and video games once in a while, and get them back into the outdoors. That is what Idaho has to offer us. Her majestic rivers, lakes and mountains are minutes away, providing us memories that will last a lifetime and to pass on.
I have a gripe. When did landowners begin to have personal ownership to Idaho’s wildlife? Being a outdoorsman, I hunt and I fish and I have yet to see a brand on elk or deer in the wild. Yet I hear people tell me something like this “Aren’t they beautiful, when I bought the property they came with it, I would never allow someone to shoot my deer or catch my fish.”
Really? You really think you own Idaho’s wildlife. Think again!
We all have some ownership to the wildlife we have in Idaho and a responsibility to protect it. But no one owns them outright. They don’t have names like Billy the Buck, Elmer the Elk or Philly the Fish (sounds like a mobster name). These are wild creatures, and just because they cross your backyard, that does not give you the right to lay claim to them and harass hunters or anglers on BLM land.
Why do our kids get in trouble, turning to drugs or other crimes? Because they have nowhere to go and nothing to do because land and waterways are being locked up. Land is being purchased and locked up by the hundreds, if not thousands, of acres yearly by individuals (greedy in some instances) that prevent us from access to land we once enjoyed.
We are becoming Texas (1 percent public land), and that is sad and unfortunate. Since I moved here in 1984, most of the areas I fished or hunted have been posted. Past memories are there, but I cannot create future memories with any of my children or grandchildren in these places.
Give a young hunter or angler a break — let them hunt or fish your land and become responsible outdoorsmen and future adults. Only you have the power to show a young person the beauty of Idaho. Don’t turn them away.
And with that I will leave you with this. The reason our children have struggled over the past decade is lack of parental guidance, lack of mentors, no trespassing signs posted everywhere and drugs brought into our area. Heroin and meth are rampant, and children are easily influenced. Without us, they are lost. Is this what we want?
Without us and without mentors, that is happening now. By letting a young outdoorsmen into your life, you may have a friend forever and you will have had the opportunity to influence this youngster into becoming the person they deserve to be. So let them fish and let them hunt, that is why we live here in Idaho. To enjoy what God has given us —the outdoors.
If you have any comments to add or questions, drop me an email at WesternStatesSportsman@gmail.com
Until next week, enjoy Idaho’s great outdoors.
Dave Langston has been in the outdoor industry for 27 years as a writer and television show host. His show, AMERICAN PREDATOR OUTDOORS, is seen on The Outdoor Channel’s MOTV.com hosted on the Roku box, iPhone and Android platforms, Xbox, Playstation and Fire Stick. You can also get more information on his website at AmericanPredatorOutdoors.net
