Editor’s Note: When we interview parents who take their children hunting, the story generally come from the parent’s point of view. This week we wanted to hear stories of hunting with his dad from 10-year-old Clay Franklin. As you’ll see, this youngster loves to hunt, to learn about hunting and the outdoors and to be with his dad.
I couldn’t believe when I saw the 8-pointer across the bean field step out of the woods (see Day 2). Once my dad saw the buck, he helped me get in position to shoot. He whispered, “Let the buck get closer.” Before I took the shot, I was wondering what would be different about shooting this buck with a blackpowder rifle instead of my .243. I found out there was really nothing different. When we found my buck, I was very excited.
I enjoy hunting with my dad. The woods are quiet, and I get to talk to him and hang out with him. I have two sisters. When we’re at home, Dad and I have little time to be alone and talk. But in the woods, we have plenty of time. When dad first invited me to go hunting, I wondered if I would like hunting. I didn’t really know how much fun hunting would be and how much fun Dad and I could have hunting together. But once I took my first doe, I realized hunting was much more fun than I thought it would be. Being with my dad in the woods was a lot of fun. Although harvesting deer was fun, being with my dad was even more fun.
My family likes to eat venison. When we took my first doe down to the processor, and we had the meat from the deer made into summer sausage and jerky, I thought that was really neat. We kept some of the meat, and Dad showed me how to make my own jerky. We cut the meat into thin strips, soaked it, put tooth picks through one end of the meat and hung it on a rack in our oven. We put a pan under the jerky to catch the drippings. The year after we took that first doe, Dad bought us a real dehydrator. We made jerky that second year with the dehydrator. I really like teriyaki jerky. I like marinating the venison in root beer, which makes some really good jerky. When I leave the woods with a deer that I’ve taken, I’m not really sad, because I know the hunt isn’t over. I know, once we get the deer to our barn, get it skinned out and cut up, then we get to make jerky. Dad and I help other people cut up the deer that they take. We cut it up into steaks and hams for them.
Day 2: Roy Franklin - A Better Deer Hunt and a Greater Trophy
Tomorrow: Clay Franklin Says He Likes to Hunt Turkeys Even More Than He Does Deer
