Hunting can be a great life teacher, especially for youngsters entering the field for the first time. A freshman would not expect to make the varsity team without extensive practice at home. Teens and pre-teens need to do their homework by practicing on the range, reading magazines, watching video, and listening to the parents who mentor them. Thirteen-year-old Jenna Swanson from Missoula, Montana, shares her learning experiences in this post from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

To start off the season my dad and I drove to Lewistown, Montana, to try and fill my tag for a whitetail buck. We woke up bright and early on the first morning of the youth opener and headed up into the mountains. Generations of my family have hunted this land for more than 50 years. We have been very successful and have had great outdoor experiences.

On the first day of our hunt, we hiked all day and only saw two deer. The hunting was pretty slow. After a hard day of hiking, we decided to end the day. We woke up the next morning and my dad took me to some places where he’d seen and shot some really nice bucks in past years. I was starting to want to give up, but my dad told me to never give up and to stay at it and then good things will happen.