It never ceases to amaze me, the ability of the younger generation to pick things up that seem, in recollection, to take me forever to learn sometimes.

Cristian has a knack for the outdoors like nobody else. No matter what the subject, be it hunting, fishing, trapping, trailing, or woodscraft, the boy displays an amazing ability to understand things easily. If only we could get him to attack chores with the same tenacity.

At 14 years old I am proud to say, he goes out daily to check his (my) traps that he has in a light string in the deeper woods at the back of our property, he no longer asks how they should be set, how they should be baited, hidden, denatured, or how to keep them in good working order, although I do still have my say on all of the above time to time anyway, just to make sure it sticks. I did not have to push him in this direction at all, he simply was rummaging around the barn one day and came across my traps, came and asked if he could use them. As I already knew this area was one he loved, I allowed it, and he has set into the learning process all by himself. He asks questions, but mostly likes figuring things out himself, and manages it too. 

He was already an avid hunter and has been for the past couple years, he seldom leaves the house without his rifle and pistol, generally heading straight out back to the woods.  Jaime still worries about him some, but he has shown there is no need. When it comes to gun safety, there are few models that are better with their tool than he has become, and the kid can actually take the head off a bird at 50 yards with a .22, I have seen him do it.

He is learning to trail and track, and is teaching himself the different types of trees and vegetation in the woods and how every move an animal, including himself, makes affects the world around him when he is out there.

In the end, I end up wishing I still had that ability out there that he does. I still love it, but am not in his league as far as learning it any longer.

It will be interesting to see how he takes to the new compound bow we got him off ebay, and yes, we even did that in a way that he has to learn it inside out. He has to learn to build his own arrows and keep his bow in good working condition. The arrows, we purchased in bulk lots of shafts, vanes, nocks, inserts, and tips. Unassembled. Something new for him to learn to do himself.

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This entry was posted on Monday, December 6th, 2010 at 3:26 am and is filed under Ruminations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.