When people ask me, where are you from? I honestly don’t have a solid answer. The reason for this is that I grew up in multiple states, towns, and homes. By the time I was a sophomore in college, my family averaged a move of some kind nearly every two years. My parents finally settled in a small town in southeast Kansas. They have been there since 1994 and it is the longest they have stayed in one place. While I did most of my growing up in Kentucky, I was born in Arizona and have lived in Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Michigan, Kansas and now Idaho.
Growing up, I have been in small towns and larger cities. I attended both private and public schools. But I never was in one place long enough to really feel like I was part of the crowd. My younger brother, Luke, was mostly my best friend growing up because of the number of moves and our closeness of age at 16 months apart. Many of the other kids I went to school with had grown up with each other since kindergarten. Making friends took time as I would often sit back and observe rather than jump right in. However, once I became comfortable with the dynamics of a group, I became more extroverted. Yet when opportunities to volunteer would come up, I was the least likely to raise a hand.
There are good and bad things about not having been from somewhere your entire life. I learned how to listen not only to words but how to read people’s body language and subtle nuances. Little details in how someone stands, hold their head or reacts taught me that details matter. On more than one occasion, I have said or wrote something to someone with an accuracy that startled them. Today I am involved in Sales and Marketing where these skills are very helpful tools. Having lived in both small and large cities, I also gained an appreciation for both though my preference has always been the wilderness which is why I feel at home in Idaho.
If you are not familiar with Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, you should check out their website to learn more. Backcountry Hunters & Anglers has been at the forefront of important issues specific to outdoorsmen and women. The organization has provided a profound voice for maintaining public lands and the conservation of habitat on both a national and local level. I first became aware of BHA while following Ben O’Brien.
While working at Bushnell, I met Ben on a deer hunt when he was just starting out at the NRA. Since then, Ben has been a positive force for Hunting and Conservation. I have always been impressed with his positive attitude, work ethic and of course sense of humor. I highly recommend following his podcast, The Hunting Collective and his work at The Meat Eater.
Despite my obvious man-crush on Ben, I didn’t join Backcountry Hunters & Anglers until after my wife came home from a business trip where she met a gentleman who was raving about the BHA Rendezvous event in Boise after hearing I was a hunter. The guy she met was flying in for the event and passed along his business card and worked for one of the sponsoring companies. As I picked up my wife, she thrust the card into my hands and told me about the conversation she had. I decided to finally join but missed this year’s Rendezvous because of a work conflict.
When I joined, I knew I wanted to do more than just be a paying member. I told myself I would get involved and clicked that I would be willing to volunteer. But old habits die hard. As I said I am least likely to volunteer, even today. On a small scale and often in private settings like a family or company event, I don’t hesitate to step up and help. However, when it is to help out publically, that becomes a different story. If you see me helping at a large public event, it is more likely because I was voluntold.
So when chances came and went with Backcountry, I found excuses not to help out telling myself they probably had plenty of volunteers; after all, I live in Idaho a virtual outdoorsman’s mecca. I took opportunities to volunteer to help out privately with friends or co-workers but never took the next step. This week an email came across my desk looking for volunteers. I opened it, read it and decided enough was enough. It was time to step out of my comfort zone and do something.
By the time this posts, I will have had a donut date with my daughter at our favorite spot, Country Donuts and be on my way over to assist with something that I believe is vital to preserving hunting. In a previous blog, I talked about what Non-Traditional Hunters can do to learn more about hunting. In the blog, I specifically talk about how several fellow hunters have helped me achieve success as being key to my development as a hunter. Here was a perfect opportunity to do just that and it was time to put up or shut up.
The BHA email was looking for local volunteers to help with the last of a 5-session program that helps teach new adult hunters valuable skills. Backcountry Hunters & Anglers has partnered with Idaho Fish & Game to provide this program. Because I didn’t grow up in a hunting family, this was something that I know is needed and it was time to punch that volunteer ticket.
Today’s session focuses on field dressing and game processing a.k.a. butchering. It will be held at the Fish & Game office off Walnut St in Boise. The morning portion will cover the basics of field dressing from equipment to techniques followed by an afternoon session showing how to process the meat. I have no idea what to expect and honestly, I am not sure what knowledge I can impart. My first lesson in field dressing an animal was a guy taking the orange field guide I bought out of my hand while handing me a knife saying, “The guts are in there and they need to come out.” Yes, I bought a pocket-size book on field dressing an animal. In fact, I still have it and it still has blood-stained smudges on the cover and pages from that day.
What I can say is that I am super thrilled to have my 11-year-old daughter with me. While the tradition of hunting may not have been part of my childhood, it will be in hers. It also sets an example for the importance of volunteering for things you believe in, not only for her but more importantly, for me. And I hope it is the first of many.
- L. Yarbrough, Bucks & Beers
