I couldn't be happier!!!!!

[BlueJack]

I finally got my 4 year old son talked in to going hunting with me earlier this week. I have tried to talk him in to going before but with no success. It was pretty warm and I asked him to if he wanted to get Jack & Patches out for a good run and he actually wanted to go. He ran to his bedroom and got his blaze orange huntin vest and reminded me to get mine also. Good idea since the gun deer season is open. So we load up and head to my mother-in-laws and cut'em loose. It don't take long and they get the first up and running but it finds a hole. My boy is all excited and now I'm getting in to it also, so we head them in another direction and sure enough they strike in a very dense thicket. We move closer cause my boy want to see that rabbit. Well after about 45 minutes of beagle melody the bunny blasted out of the old honeysuckle vines and over a sawdust pile from an old mill. I got to see but little'un didn't. When they started to cross the fence on my wife's uncle property I decided to call it quits. To many treetops and lil bit is starting to get cold and quite frankly I'm tired of carrying around an extra 45 pounds of kid on my shoulders, although I'd have pressed on if he wanted. Glad I decided NOT to take a gun. Well, over all our Christmas travels to all our families houses all he has talked about is them dogs "in action". He wants to go again but it will have to warm up a little and I can't wait to get him out. My brother-in-law tries to make me in to a fool for not taking a gun cause if your going "hunting" your "supposed" to "kill" something or you just wasting time. The sad thing is that is the way his boy is starting to think. I would love it if he could have seen and experienced with his son the same thing I saw in my son's eyes and actions yesterday. I have hunted with him before and dont like his careless methods and choose not to invite them along but thats another story. As a matter of fact, the only time I do take a gun rabbit hunting with me is if I get a hankering for some good meat. It aint about the killing to me but the time and excitement shared by myself and my son and OUR dogs. I am sorry for rambling on but this is a great feeling when your kids WANT to go hunting and get so excited about hearing them dogs.

[Cameron Denison]

I don't have kids yet, but I am already looking forward to that experience. Concerning the hunting issue with your brother-in-law... I shoot rabbits everytime I go "hunting", but it's usually with the camera I have to agree, I could care less about killing rabbits, but to watch the dog work is some of the most fun you can have in the field.