Make a difference! Start today!
We would like to express the essential need to engage our youth in hunting activities. Hunting fosters a deep appreciation for nature, teaches valuable life skills, and promotes conservation awareness. By involving our young people, we ensure this tradition and wildlife management for future generations.
It is essential that we inspire the next generation of upland hunters to push themselves beyond their comfort zones. Making memories and leaving a lasting impact for the generation that follows them is essential. There are a number of things we can do as a community to help our youth to get involved. There are many of us who have observed that fewer and fewer of our youth are participating in this wonderful hunting tradition, so lets work as a community to get this underway.
In addition, it is important to note that hunting is not the only aspect of it. It encompasses all aspects associated with dogs, family, friends, and even competitions of any kind. The benefit of this is that it gets us all outside and together.
So start today to make a difference! Let our youth tag along so they can watch and learn and in the end fall in love with the outdoors.
The Dowdy Family
Growing up in a hunting family, my passion for the outdoors started early. At six, I got my first beagle, Pete. I hoped he’d be a hunting partner, but he had other plans. In a playful attempt to impress my dad and brother, I carried Pete through the woods, pretending he was tracking rabbits. They had no words after!
I shot my first deer with my dad at the age of seven. It was my dad and brother who were at the center of my hunting journey during my formative years. My excitement for adventure grew stronger with each passing moment spent with them.
In middle school, our family began quail hunting, an activity we all enjoyed together. After my dad’s visit to a plantation, he couldn’t stop talking about an English Cocker Spaniel he had seen. As a result, I chose an English Cocker for my 16th birthday over a car, though I was very fortunate to receive both. It was at this point that I became interested in bird dogs and their training.
Balancing college softball and hunting left little time for dog training. After my softball career ended, I focused on hunting. My dad and I began guiding quail hunts on weekends with two pointers and two cockers. During my senior year, I seized the chance to work full-time at the plantation where we guided hunters, turning my passion into a career.
One Saturday, my momma suggested attending a local field trial. It was there that I met Todd and Christina, whose mentorship has been invaluable. Following my inspiration, I trained my puppy, Sawyer, but he wasn’t suited for field trials. When one door closes, another opens: I received a phone call at work from my mama asking if I could take off work next week. This was very strange because it was just like any other week. She told me that we were planning to get Meg from Michigan. I just knew she was playing and it wasn’t funny. That night Todd called asking if mama and daddy had told me the big news. I finally got a field trial dog. Once I got Meg, an experienced field trial dog, even though I wasn't, we had a lot of work to do. Our first trial together was thrilling, and in our second, we placed second and won the gunner’s award.
This journey wouldn’t have been possible without my family’s support and Todd and Christina’s guidance. Their encouragement has been crucial to my growth as a hunter and dog handler.
Thank you, Gracie
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