Hunting, bonding

(Editor’s note: Brandon Wilmoth, Wellington, wrote this article about his son’s first turkey kill. The Wilmoths have several relatives in the Iola area.)

My 5-year-old-son, Platt, and I have developed our father/son bond in many ways, but I most cherish the moments we’ve spent hunting. The sport has long been my passion, and I’ve carefully introduced him, taking the process slowly from his earliest days in the blind to ensure his safety and understanding.

On many occasions, he’s accompanied his grandfather and me on hunting adventures. It was when he was 3 that he watched me take an Eastern turkey on a family farm in eastern Kansas. He was ecstatic and I loved his enthusiasm in that moment. From then on, he’s enjoyed pheasant, quail, deer and turkey hunts at my side. Our goal on these hunts isn’t to always conquer, but to create a memory and learn important lessons about the outdoors.