By Patrick Calvert

October is upon us!

It is the season of harvest and Halloween costumes. Cutting hay and cutting class. 

Oh… and hunting. 

For me, hunting season is a season of acceptance, season of truth, season of chasing the wild in myself, and a season to process what is uncovered. 

In West Virginia, we are fortunate to have incredible youth hunting opportunities that start in October. As a conservationist and as an educator, I have a profound respect for the teachers and parents out there that seek to guide and educate our next generation of conservationists and hunters. With a shared commitment to ethics and sustainability, we can help the next generation of youth protect our natural resources. 

Today, I got on a golf cart and cruised around the woods with my friend George Altizer- someone I am going to embarrass by calling ‘The Hunting Dad’.

 I asked him a few questions about raising two bada** female hunters, ethical hunting practices, his October hunting tactics… oh and we found some edible mushrooms!

Hey George. 

I rolled up on your property today as you were sighting in your bow. You seem to shoot a lot. Talk me through your thought process. How is that important for the young hunter?

It’s a matter of ethics and preparation. The most important thing is an ethical hunt.  Make sure your equipment is sighted in and keep your body ready for the shot- that includes preparing with your young hunter. When the time comes that you or the child may harvest an animal, you are ensuring an ethical hunt.  

You and I spent this afternoon scouting and tracking around the mountain- just trying to figure out what sign might lead us to deer. What observations have you made? 

This year, the white oak acorns are dropping early. It’s a heavier mast than usual. The more mast, the more deer you find. Same with bear, turkey, etc. But you need to know where to look. This year, September seems to be the new October. The acorns have been dropping early. There is a drought, and it is influencing deer patterns. If you scout and track, the deer will tell you where to hunt. 

Over the years, I have introduced kids to the world of hunting by way of squirrel hunting. I know you grew up doing the same. Share with us a few tips for an adult taking a kid out on their first squirrel hunt. 

Simple: find the tree that they’re cutting on. Most of it is hickory at this time of year. Find the hickory trees. Early in the morning or right before dark are the best times to catch squirrels cutting. My personal preference is to wait for a couple frosts before I hunt squirrels- easier to find them through the leaves, and less likely to come across warbles.

Turkey season is another great opportunity to bring a kid out hunting. I’ve seen both of your daughters get their first turkeys in the Fall. In fact, you helped me get my first Fall turkey way back when. What are some of your Fall turkey tactics?

 When the season first comes in, I’m looking for scratching, try to find out where the turkeys are feeding the most, try to set up a blind before they’ve been moved to another area. They’ll use up an area quickly before moving on (laughs). The “fastest with the mostest” is the name of the game.

Trail Cameras help a lot with that. You see them come in one day you almost have to beat feet to the spot. They’ll be back, but not forever. You’ve got a day or two maybe to cash in on that.

You and Sharon raised two girls- one is in collegiate athletics and the other competed for Miss West Virginia this year.  They are now off to college, but they come home every Fall to pursue the next hunt with you. You’ve instilled the love of the outdoors in your kids and it’s beautiful to see. What advice would you give other parents?

If you are a mom or dad who wants to take their kids out hunting: Get your kids out in the woods. Hunt as often as you can. They won’t be kids for very long. I feel blessed with two young girls that love to hunt. They’re both in college now, so they don’t get to hunt and fish with Daddy as much as they used to but whenever they get the chance, they’re eager to come in and hunt.

 It all falls back on this: if you teach your kids to hunt, you don’t have to hunt for your kids. Keep that in mind that your children don’t have to hunt deer or squirrels. Teach them to forage for mushrooms, plants, whatever. Just get them in the woods.

 By the way, George, look over there…

(As George finished his sentence, we drove by a beautiful chicken-of-the-woods mushroom on a rotted oak tree. It was a fitting end to our golf cart chat.)

West Virginia is a truly incredible state for hunting opportunities- especially for kids. There are youth-specific seasons starting as early as this month. See the WV DNR website for dates & regulations.

PHOTO CUTLINE: “If you teach your kids to hunt, you don’t have to hunt for your
kids.” George’s daughter, Paige, with a beautiful 8-point buck (Photo courtesy of George Altizer)