Youth Essay contest winner Dalton scores again
Phil Taunton
Friday, April 17, 2009
Thirteen-year-old Dalton Meyer, an honor roll student at Emporia Middle School and a member of this season’s undefeated Viking basketball team, made a shot he won’t soon forget.
On April 4, about an hour into the hunt and despite wind gusts up to 45 miles per hour on opening day of the Kansas Youth Turkey hunting season, Dalton was able to harvest a mature gobbler that will undoubtedly earn him a trophy turkey certificate from Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.
Dalton’s bird weighed 22 pounds and four ounces. It had spurs that measured 1 1/4 and 1 5/16 inches. The tom also had two beards that measured 9 3/4 and 6 1/2 inches, respectively.
I mentioned in an earlier column Dalton was the winner of the 7th annual youth essay contest sponsored by the Flint Hills Gobbler Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation. Dalton was mentored during this hunt by Chapter member Gib Rhodes and harvested the bird with the new shotgun he was awarded for writing the winning essay. This year’s essay theme was: “If you could introduce one person to hunting, who would it be and why?”
There are many reasons why people hunt. I hunt because I love the taste of wild game. I also like to hunt because it gives me a chance to go to the woods for much-needed exercise and to become a part of Nature. I appreciate all it has to offer.
Some people hunt because they enjoy the camaraderie of friends in the Great Outdoors. Others become hunters because the heritage and tradition of hunting has been passed down through their families from generation to generation. A family bond is created.
Dalton’s grandfather, his father, friends and neighbors all played a role in his wanting to become a hunter. The one person Dalton would like to introduce to hunting is his younger sister, Blair. Dalton’s essay mentioned, though he and Blair are both active in school sports, 4-H and church activities, they just can’t enjoy participating in these events together like they could enjoy the thrill of hunting. He hopes their love of the hunt will create memories and, when he and Blair grow up, go to college and get on with their separate lives, this bond and the start of each new season will get them back together and a hunting they will go.
An Outdoor Adventure tip of the hat to you, Dalton. Congratulations on your bird and thanks for the story.
Sunshine, blue sky, please come our way! Rainy, cold weekends sure don’t make our day. April is such a great month to be outside, if only the weather will cooperate. Besides turkey hunting, I’m getting a little antsy for the crappie fishing to turn on and for morel mushrooms to make an appearance.
Kansas Coalition for Children in Nature
On April 13, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius signed an executive order that was created to provide kids the opportunity to get outside and experience nature. The Kansas Coalition for Children in Nature (KCCN) has been established to work with state agencies and other organizations for this purpose.
“Kansas is blessed with an abundance of natural beauty and this coalition will work to make sure Kansas children experience all our state has to offer,” Sebelius said in a press release.
It has been proven that children who are involved in outdoor activities are more physically fit than those who are not. Time spent outside also improves a child’s academic performance, concentration, coordination and self-esteem.
“Kansans have always been closely tied to the land, but our children are losing those ties as they spend more and more time indoors, in front of computers, video games and television,” said Laura Downey of the Kansas Association of Conservation and Environmental Education (KACEE). “The Coalition is an important step toward connecting Kansas children with nature and the land.”
Cynthia Rhodes, who teaches in Wichita and is the education chair for the Kansas Wildlife Federation feels children are born with a need to experience the wonders of Nature. KWF is another group involved in the effort to get kids outside. Other agencies working with the governor’s office on this initiative include the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the Kansas State Department of Education and the National Wildlife Federation.
This broad-based coalition includes state organizations from many different areas and will build upon existing resources and programs to accomplish its goals.
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April 17, 2009 at 5:45 p.m. ( permalink )