Went hunting with mom and dad on Sunday
(BATESVILLE, Ind.) – Emalyn McConnell is a first grader at Batesville Primary School and she wants to tell you all about her big weekend.
After church on Sunday morning, the 6-year-old went hunting with her mom and dad at a property that had belonged to Emalyn’s great-grandfather who passed away in 2015.
The family loaded up their hunting gear and started walking into the woods.
Emalyn recalls, “We hiked over and then we went down, and then you know what we did… We went through a creek!”
They walked up a hill to their hunting location and practiced an important skill when it comes to hunting.
“You have to be quiet. And if your mom or dad sees a deer then you have to be really quiet,” Emalyn shared.
In church earlier that day, Emalyn prayed that she would soon get a deer. She was presented with an opportunity that evening.
Emalyn says, “We were sitting there and mom said look there’s a deer over there. Then I saw it!"
“It stared at us and then daddy was like, are you ready?"
Emalyn recalls her dad helping her hold the gun and waiting patiently for her shot.
“Dad said wait til I say so and then he said I can pull the trigger, and then I got [the deer] right in the shoulder,” Emalyn smiled.
We asked how Emalyn felt in those moments. She says it ‘felt good’ but admits she was shaking because she was nervous.
It was then time to search for the deer which her dad, Kevin, led the way.
“Oh no, daddy’s not giving us a thumbs up yet,” Emalyn recalled thinking when they were searching.
She and her mom, Ashley, followed behind as the family was searching for blood along the trail.
Emalyn remembers her dad waving his hand and telling her to walk up to where he was.
She said, “That’s when we saw blood on a stick. Then we went up the hill and saw more blood and then we found it!”
After taking some photos it was time to get the deer out of the woods.
“Daddy had to drag it down the hill all by himself,” Emalyn told us.
Emalyn was then part of the harvest process and her parents had her touch the deer’s heart, as a way to teach the child about the importance of respecting animals and life.
“I touched the heart because if you shoot your first deer, you have to do it. And also God brought me the deer and I need to respect the animal,” she said.
It was up to Emalyn as to what to do with the deer, and she decided to make deer jerky and deer steaks. (By the way, deer steak is her favorite!)
She also requested chapstick and lotion from the doe’s tallow.
For her parents, Emalyn’s first experience harvesting a deer isn’t just about spending time outdoors as a family, but also teaching valuable lessons.
“Since the time our kids could walk, we’ve been talking with them about the do’s and don'ts of not only firearms, but also bows and other weapons,” Ashley said. “It is crucial that our kids have respect for weapons as well as having respect for animals and learning what it means to provide for your family.”
They added that experiences like this also teaches the next generation about the outdoors and living off the land.
It certainly will not be Emalyn’s last time hunting and she's already ahead of her dad, who didn’t harvest his first deer until the age of 13.
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