Teach a Girl to Hunt

My Grandfather was a highliner off the west coast of British Columbia, Canada. Despite his success as a fisherman bringing in some of the biggest hauls of fish, his son took to big game hunting as a young man for subsistence living and it became one of his life-long passions. And, so it was that growing up in northern Canada I learned to hunt from my father rather than fish.

Give a Man a Fish or Teach Him How to Fish

For over 15 years, from the age of six onward I hunted big game in the autumn with my father.  A large moose or elk would provide 400-500 lbs of meat which would feed our family of five for over a year, significantly supplementing my father’s income as a welder.  As an adventurous and athletic girl, the hunting trips with my Dad were priceless and I treasured the times that we had alone together in the bush. My Dad taught me to confidently navigate the wild, rugged, and remote mountains four-wheeling through mud and overgrown cut-lines (seismic lines).  And, ultimately he taught me how to survive in country that was deadly if you got lost or injured.

Ultimately, I became a hunter in my own right, but even more my Father imparted his great love for the wilderness and adventure that resulted in me spending years as a professional guide and outdoor educator for numerous adventure-based and wilderness therapy programs.

A few years ago I discovered some potent words hidden in the best-selling book of all time. “Remember the Lord your God, for He is the one who gives you the power to get wealth, that he may confirm His covenant that He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.” While I meditated and ruminated on these words I was reminded of the famous Chinese proverb: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”  I do not know how to fish to save my life, however, my husband, an avid fly-fisherman may yet teach me.  But, I had a little revelation in regard to my experience learning to hunt.

Teach a Girl to Hunt

Notice that Deuteronomy 8:18 does not say “God gives you wealth,” but, it is He “who gives you the power to get wealth.” The Lord is not in the fish-giving, the money-giving or the miracle-giving business.  He is in the power-giving business.  Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of stories of Him giving fish, providing money, and doing miracles, but His ultimate desire is to give us “the power to get fish”, to teach us not only how to fish, but how to become fishermen and women who can feed ourselves, feed our families and anyone in need around us.  And, ultimately, even teach others to fish.  God wants us to not only reproduce (give away fish) but reproduce reproducers (teach people how to fish).

God gave the power to hunt to my Dad and my Dad used his power to hunt in order to literally feed our family. With this power to hunt he taught me to hunt and in effect gave me the power to hunt. Having the confidence, knowledge, skills and tools to successfully hunt was absolutely empowering as a young woman.

The Power to Get Wealth

Translating the Hebrew to the English language is an art and a science and I find it fascinating to compare different versions of the Bible and their translation of the same text. “It is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth”, “for it is the LORD your God who gives you power to become rich”, “He is the one who gives you the power to be successful.”

Every good parent wants their child to become a mature and healthy contributing member of society, however, the journey is usually a messy one. At incremental stages parents must give their children “the power” to do things on their own. When a child is first given the power to fix their own breakfast will they do things perfectly? Not a chance! The kitchen will probably look like a hurricane hit it. But with responsibility comes power and with power comes responsibility. Be it walking to school alone, going away to summer camp or learning to drive a car.

Sadly, my last hunting trip with my father was in the fall of 2009, less than three months before my father suddenly passed away from a stroke. The smell of ripening cranberries in the autumn still undoes me.  Yet, I daily draw on the priceless life lessons, and the courage that my father imparted to me as a child and a young woman.  Everyday I face greater challenges than ever before but the power he gave me empowers me still.  Power is empowering!

Photo credit: Andreas Øverland via photopin cc