Congressman Paul Ryan buys hunting clothes for 10-year old daughter

3:00pm Wednesday, September 26, 2012

by Larry S. Moore

Congratulations to VP candidate and Congressman Paul Ryan for stopping at an Outdoor World store in Ohio to buy hunting clothes for his 10-year old daughter. Double "Daddy-points" for knowing her size too! Too bad he couldn't take her shopping with him.

Speaking from experience I can assure Ryan that there is nothing quite like shopping with a 10 year-old in the hunting clothes department. Fortunately for me, the various pink camo wasn't available when my daughter was starting to hunt with us. She did pick out camo that fit and her unique hunter orange hat! I've got photos of her with her brothers and some of my beagles after a snowy winter rabbit hunt. It's still a cherished photo! And for anyone wanting to see how good girls look in camo, go to the Division of Wildlife hunter education manual. That's my little girl on the front cover in camo with a turkey!

According to the article on Twitchy US Politics, the anti-hunters and anti-gun liberals are up in arms about the purchases, and are even suggesting that this constitutes "child abuse."

My message to these anti-gun, anti-hunting Obama supporters? Get over it! Go eat some tofu something the other that I probably couldn't identify. Leave the great tradition of passing along our hunting heritage with the possibility of venison steaks, kabobs and roasts to the real Americans that understand the natural order and our food source!

I don't believe this was just a photo-op for Ryan. Previous reports regarding his outdoor pursuits would indicate this is the genuine article, rather than some staged event like a certain Democrat's goose hunt a few years back.

The outdoor heritage is a family tradition for many Americans. So it is in my family. I clearly remember those first hunts with each of my children. It's a tradition we continue today even though they are adults.

Sometimes their work schedules don't permit them to join me on opening day. But whatever day my children are outdoors with me, it is indeed an "opening day". My grandchildren are just slightly younger than Ryan's daughter. They learned the NRA Eddie Eagle rules about touching guns very early. We have acquired a couple of .410 shotguns for them. Several have been to the range with .22 rifles. They know how to operate the clay target throwers. They have a collection of fired shotgun shells in a variety of gauges. Each of them receive youth sized ear muffs for their second birthday from Papaw too.

The two oldest, which happen to be 7-year old girls, will be going for their first squirrel hunt in early October. They already have their pink camo outfits! We are taking them to the same woods where I took my children at about the same age. Talk about family tradition! I'm guessing old Papaw here will not be able to see through his scope to shoot a squirrel for the tears of joy that will be in my eyes that morning!

A number of years ago, when my children were about ten, another hunter ed instructor and outdoor writer from the Akron area and I were talking about taking kids hunting. We picked up on the phrase, "Take your kids hunting so you will not have to hunt for your kids". It's true today. Get off the Internet; drop out of the waiting line for the latest iPhone; break away from the internet cafe and get outdoors. Get involved with your children in the outdoors and the shooting sports. What's holding you back? Are your liberal fears controlling you afraid to find out that you might enjoy something your friends don't understand?

I am blessed that our family outdoor traditional let the relationship with my children blossom. I coached baseball and soccer teams. But nowhere did we grow from parent; mentor; and coach into true friends on equal footing like we did through hunting. God bless Congressman Ryan that he may experience this same great American tradition with his family.

Outdoor writer and hunter education instructor Larry S. Moore is a long-time volunteer leader for Buckeye Firearms Foundation and winner of the 2005 USSA Patriot Award, the 2007 League of Ohio Sportsmen/Ohio Wildlife Federation Hunter Educator of the Year and the 2010 National Wild Turkey Federation/ Women in the Outdoors Hunter Education Instructor of the Year.