With one on the way..

[soILstrutter]

My wife and I are expecting our first son due in July. I can only hope he shares the passion I have for the outdoors in general, and especially turkeys. I have started a journal with stories of my successful hunts (deer and turkey) since the day we found out we were expecting him. I also have the fan from the first bird I killed this year and plan on making a shadow box display for his nursery (my wife loves this idea; how lucky did I get with her?!) 

Since I'm sure there's plenty of fathers in the group, what other meaningful things have you guys done for your kids? God willing, we will get to share all kinds of time together in the woods, but if something were to ever happen to me before I get the chance to share these stories and memories with him, what kind of mementos have you guys made?

[ScottTaulbee]

First off, Congratulations to you all!. There is nothing in this world like being a dad!.

I have started on writing a book with everything I've learned about turkeys, turkey calls, call sequences, woodsmanship, etc. That I plan to publish for them when I get it finished. I have also bought each of them a couple of limited numbered calls from some big name makers and put them back. And each turkey I have killed since becoming a dad, a have plucked a saddle feather from the tail, put it in the shell, and have written a note on a small piece of paper including the day, the time, how the hunt unfolded, which gun I used, where I was hunting, etc. And each year I take a picture of us with the birds, started out with my daughter as a 9 month old, then have one from each year since and have added two brothers along the way in the photos.


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[zelmo1]

Time, attention and love are the best things to share with a child. Teach him " the right way', which is your way. Raise them with your wife the way you 2 decide. Listen to all the advice and filter all the bs. Share your passions and support theirs. These are your children, nobody elses.  Good luck and God Bless.  Z

[jb1069]

You will come to find out your interests and hobbies are really not that important. Making your kids smile will become your #1 goal in life. The interests they have in hunting and the outdoors will come and go. Its your job to determine how and when to share this passion with them so they may one day also get out of it what we do. But even then you wont believe how important the very small things are. It wont be the gifts that you give but the love they feel when you give it. Most memories are made without anything being exchanged. Enjoy, cherish and remember the goofy times you have with them. You will pull from this data bank later in life to make them smile again!

[Mossyguy]

When he's old enough have him keep a journal of his outdoor excursions. Every time I got a deer my dad made me write it down along with any details. It's really neat for me to be able to go back and read about hunts I went on when I was a kid. Some I don't remember...but my journal says so.

And this goes without saying but spend as much time with him as you can...every time you go to the woods take him with you. He will learn a ton just by watching you. Kids grow up so fast and they will be on their own before you can even blink.

[J-Shaped]

Time, attention and love are the best things to share with a child. Teach him " the right way', which is your way. Raise them with your wife the way you 2 decide. Listen to all the advice and filter all the bs. Share your passions and support theirs. These are your children, nobody elses.  Good luck and God Bless.  Z

This right here. Read this now, and continually come back to it for a reminder.

I had always envisioned what it would be like to share my passion for the outdoors with my own kids. While I've made some incredible memories with them in the field that I'll cherish to the grave, the fact is that they don't share the same passion for it that I do (at least not at this stage in their lives), and that's OK. They have their own passions they are pursuing and I support them 100%. That said, I have successfully created advocates for hunting. They understand its importance, its connection with the food we eat, and its role in wildlife conservation.

Congrats to you and your wife. Being a Dad is truly one of the most rewarding things in life. One hunting related thing I will add, however - if your state offers a Lifetime License, get it now. Mine got them by the 2nd or 3rd birthdays. If they ever do want to hunt or fish, they're set for life.

[Mountainburd]

Time, attention and love are the best things to share with a child. Teach him " the right way', which is your way. Raise them with your wife the way you 2 decide. Listen to all the advice and filter all the bs. Share your passions and support theirs. These are your children, nobody elses.  Good luck and God Bless.  Z

Excellent post.

[worth612000]

Don't forget the girls should you have any. I ended up with 2 daughters and no son. I can tell you now they grew up by my side and hunted and out fished any of the locals boys and still grew up to be beautiful women and mothers.

[guesswho]

The first turkey I ever killed (1965), my Dad took a breast feather from it and put under the butt plate of the Winchester model 37 20 gauge.   Believe it or not, I took the butt plate of just last week and looked and held that feather.  That started a tradition for me, every time I killed one with a different gun I have always put a feather under the butt plate of that gun.   I don't think that first feather that my Dad put in that gun back in 1965 could be bought from me at any price.   I'm sure your Son will feel the same about that journal and shadow box.