Other Turkey Hunter press releases
General   From NWTF-Jakes   From Walb TV   from Post Searchlight   From Ga Outdoor Adventures   Hoover-Woods & Water   Dr. Howard Pollock   Post Searchlight 05

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Conservationist for Life Courtesy of the National Wild Turkey Federation

Keenan Adams has been hunting since he was 5 years old. At age 10, he has taken more turkeys and deer than most adults have taken in a lifetime of hunting. Try to tell this young Georgia boy that he’s too young to hunt, and he’d laugh at you while showing you his six eight-point bucks and the wild turkey mounts from his three Grand Slams, three Royal Slams and his first World Slam.

Several U.S. states restrict children under age 12 from hunting. Lawmakers, in most cases, based this decision on the premise that children under age 12 do not have the mental capacity to fully understand the repercussions of pulling the trigger on an animal or the capacity to fully respect the responsibility of firearms safety. Some states even deny children under age 12 the opportunity to participate in Hunter Education classes.

Many states, especially in the South, historically allow all children to hunt with a licensed adult. Georgia and South Carolina are just two.

According to Roy Adams, Keenan’s father, he was taught to hunt by his brothers when he was just five years old. He has remained an avid hunter throughout his life and has passed this tradition onto his seven children, of which Keenan is the youngest. He maintains that children who are raised in a hunting family have a greater respect for nature, life and the law.

Keenan started going hunting with his father when he was still in diapers. Mr. Adams taught him gun safety, ethics, respect for land and nature as well as life, through his example and through deliberate lessons.

Even at age five, Mr. Adams maintains, Keenan had a full understanding of life and death. “Keenan absolutely understood death and the fact it is final when he pulled the trigger,” he said.

“Most children, today, do not understand the difference in real life versus a computer game where you can hit the reset button." A younger child can be taught this much easier than an older child that has never experienced death other than in a funeral, television, movie or computer game. Mr. Adams believes that by allowing young children to experience hunting and the outdoors, these children gain a better understanding of life.

“Keenan understands that he is helping put food on his family’s table as well as keeping the population in check without hurting the species,” he explained. “I know this because he participates in activities (beyond the hunt) that included cleaning and cooking the harvested animal. He also understands that the hunting laws were established to maintain a proper balance, and not following those laws jeopardize seeing animals in the future.”

Keenan, though only 10, has experienced death, first hand, and because of this, his father said, he has a great respect for all living things and the role they play in life.

Parents who live in age-restricted-hunting states, but who want to introduce their children to the outdoors and hunting, can still teach their children these valuable skills through example and by enrolling them in programs, such as the NWTF’s JAKES program, 4-H and state hunter education classes. In these programs, children, no matter their age, are taught gun and personal safety, hunting ethics and the outdoor skills they need to enjoy the outdoors safely.

Other Turkey Hunter press releases
General   From NWTF-Jakes   From Walb TV   from Post Searchlight   From Ga Outdoor Adventures   Hoover-Woods & Water   Dr. Howard Pollock   Post Searchlight 05

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