Growing Up in the Outdoors

The Outdoors. It is something that we as outdoorsmen are all passionate about and something that we hold dear to our hearts. We often have some of the best times of our lives in the outdoors, whether it is in a tree stand or a duck hide, on a quad bike or horseback. The outdoors are so ingrained in many of us that we rarely step back and think about what a big part of our life it really is. Recently, while on horseback in Southern Georgia hunting quail, it hit me…

Growing up in Western Wisconsin was a blessing for me and my three younger brothers. We were quite busy, each of us being tri-sport athletes. There was always an American football match to attend on Friday night or a basketball tournament at the weekends, and let's not overlook the baseball camps that seemed to be year-round. But when we had 'free time', you can only imagine the mischief the four of us got up to. Needless to say, there was never a dull moment in the Miller household. Now, this is usually the point in the story when I hear the 'Oh, your poor mother' remark. And it's true, we did give our mother more than one headache in our time. But amidst all the chaos, there were two things we could always rely on: 1. that no matter how much trouble we got into, Mum still loved us and 2. my Father's passion for the great outdoors. And at the time, I had no idea how much my Father's passion would influence my life.

The first proper hunt I ever went on was a deer hunt during the rifle season in the Wisconsin Northwoods. Now my Dad was, and still is, a keen bow hunter but, as many fathers do, he realised I'd be more likely to take to the sport if I experienced some real action. Not to forget the tradition, since the gun deer season in Wisconsin is practically a statewide holiday. I was only 10 years old but I remember it as if it were yesterday. I recall sitting in that old wooden tree stand, utterly bored, watching squirrels, birds, anything to keep my attention for a minute or longer when I felt my Dad's hand on my head. As I turned to see what he wanted, I made a noise and startled one of the largest bucks I've ever seen in the woods, even to this day. The 12-point brute bolted at a full sprint as my dad quickly aimed his old 30-06 with open sights and I saw one of the finest shots I've ever witnessed anyone make. Watching the beast stumble and vanish through the trees, I couldn't help but tremble with adrenaline. Now, many hunts might have ended here, but mine didn't. I was so thrilled and somehow conveyed to my dad through my quivering body that I had seen the buck stumble and kick, and I knew he had hit it. My dad then instructed me to keep an eye on where I saw the buck get hit. As he descended from the stand, I was determined not to disappoint him. I kept my gaze fixed on that exact spot until he returned to the stand. Climbing back up, he told me he didn't think he had hit the buck. He found no blood, no deer. As I listened in disbelief, he told me to get down and check where I thought I saw the deer stumble to see if I could find anything. I climbed down and walked to the spot I had been watching. Upon arriving, I immediately started searching the area and, without much delay, found blood on the leaves. I began to shake again as I yelled, 'I found blood!' I can only imagine my Father's face, likely grinning from ear to ear and bursting with pride as he called back, 'Good, now follow it and see if you can track him down.' I felt like the ultimate outdoorsman as I followed the blood trail, shaking with every step and breathing more and more heavily until... I looked up and there he was! I'm certain every hunter in the state heard me as I shouted back, 'I've found him, I'VE FOUND HIM!!!' It wasn't until many years later that my Dad admitted his secret that he had already found the buck before he set me on my task, but I am thankful he did what he did because it was after this experience that I knew hunting was something I was going to do for the rest of my life.

Then the outdoors played another significant role in my life when I realised the girl I had been dating was going to be the woman I would spend the rest of my life with. Here is this girl who hadn't spent much time outdoors and certainly had never hunted before in her life, and somehow decides to date down to this goof who is an outdoor enthusiast. And she took it all in her stride. Instead of complaining when I would be out hunting all the time, she asked to join me now and then and grew to love the outdoors almost as much as I do. I recently decided that it was time to cement this life and we got engaged. It only made sense that I used a puppy, our new English Setter 'Breeze', to propose.

As I am sitting atop this horse, watching great dogs work outdoors where I love to be, it strikes me... I've had wonderful parents, some of the coolest mates a bloke could ask for, brothers who would have my back through anything, a beautiful fiancée, a job that I adore and a couple of dogs that light up when I walk through the door. And I can thank it all to my Dad’s passion. I don’t know if I've ever said this but Dad, I love you and I am thankful every day for this wonderful gift that you have given me. It's because of you that I am where I am today and I couldn’t have asked for anything more.