Kids and Hunting Decissions

I have spent a great deal of time in the field with all four of my children hunting everything from squirrels to whitetails. Many times after our hunts or when I have had a chance to reflect on our time together, I have often wondered if they are getting out of it what they should be. Do they know that hunting is more then taking game and have I even given them a clue to my idea of being stewards of the land. Last weekend was a defining moment that put some of those worries to rest.

It was a two day youth hunt in Wisconsin and I had two of my kids chomping at the bit, ready for their first deer. We were hunting a lease that belongs to a hunt club I joined and my kids know there is deer on the property.
We split into two groups, my daughter Amber age 12 and myself in one and my long time hunting buddy Todd and my son Nathan age 14 in the other. The first morning Amber and myself have two deer near our stand. One a mature doe and the other just wouldn't give us a look to see what it was.
Now, club rules say we can shoot nothing less then an eight pointer but kids or any indavidual taking their first deer can harvest anything. The doe in the thicket was fair game. Although we could see the doe it was to thick to take the shot and Amber knew this. She never even raised the gun to shoot. That was the first moment Poppa knew she had been paying attention to previous instructions. The doe did however begin to feedin our direction and Amber was on the ball. she stood up in the tree stand some feet abouve the ground and turned toward the deer. She raised here gun and steadied it against the tree. Still the doe never gave her a shot and slowly walked off deeper into the thicket but as she started to leave the second deer that we could not see started to follow her and took a path just six yards from our stand. I looked to motion to Amber her it comes but seen she already seen it and was ready to shoot.
This was the second proud moment for dad, as she got ready the deer stoped to nibble some browes, giving Amber a perfect quartering away shot. The deer turned it's head and we both saw it was a buck fawn. Amber clicked the safty back on and watched the little buck follow the doe into the thicket. She turned and sat back down in her stand looking at me with the biggest smile I have ever seen on her face. I think we were both shaking at the knees from the excitment and I told her I think she did a good thing letting the little buck walk and she agreed.
That afternoon back on stand again we hear a single shot comming form the direction of Nathan and Todd. Nathan took his first deer confirmed by the vibrating cell phone in my pocket. The look on Amber's face had me guessing, she was rethinking letting that deer walk that morning.
Sunday morning, the last hunt. I hear foot steps in the fallen leaves that cover the ground but can not see what is there because of the canopy of leaves remaining on the trees. The sound stops close by and doesn't move again for many minutes. Finally I hear it again and then I see the head, another doe making her way right into our set up. I motion to Amber to get ready and the doe is walking right through our shooting lane. Amber gets her gun up and finds the deer in her scope. I give the doe a bleat from my mouth stopping her right in the lane for a perfect broadside shot at ten yards. POW! My heart sank because I knew she had just shot high over the deer's back.
To make this already long stort short, I think I was more depressed then she was and I was feeling bad for her. She informed me however, that she had a great time seeing deer and even getting to take a shot. I was then also reminded that we have the whole regular gun season for her to get another chance. She took it right in stride and proved to me that she really does understand that there is more to hunting then just taking game. This had to be one of the best couple days I have spent in the field with her and a weekend I'm sure neither of us will forget....