Page 7 - 2020 Jan/Feb Outdoor Oklahoma

2019 CREATIVE WRITING COMPETITION

“I REALLY WANT TO GO

HUNTING NOW”

EDITOR’S NOTE: Each year, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife
Conservation and Oklahoma Station Chapter Safari Club Interna-
tional join to sponsor a creative writing competition for Oklahoma
middle and high school students. A boy and a girl from two age divi-
sions are selected winners. Students were required to write essays using
the theme “Hunting: Sharing the Heritage” or “Archery: What I Like
About Archery in the Schools and Bowhunting.” Winners in the age
15-17 category receive a guided antelope hunt in the Texas Panhan-
dle, and winners in the 11-14 age category receive a hunting trip at the
Circle P Pogue Ranch (or similar) and a scholarship to the Outdoor
Texas Camp. In this issue, Outdoor Oklahoma honors junior category
female winner Lydia Holt, 13, from Owasso 8th Grade Center.

ARCHERY: compound bow. After I explained that I like the recurve
WHAT I bow more because it allows me to rely on my own strength

LIKE ABOUT and abilities, they did not think it was so weird. Com-
pound bows are nice but they do half of the work for you
ARCHERY and I don’t like that. However my dad says that compound
IN THE bows are easier to hunt with. I love that the Outdoor Edu-
SCHOOLS AND cation class lets kids in the 8th grade experience and enjoy
archery. It is especially fun to be able to try, see, and use
BOWHUNTING the few different types of bows.
I really want to go hunting now that I have had a
By Lydia Holt little bit of experience using bows. I really like them
I love and respect ani- over guns. Guns are too heavy, difficult for me to move
mals and their environments, but I never considered with, and I do not like the smell of them. I really hope
hunting until my Dad started hunting. I thought it was my dad will take me bowhunting now especially since I
cool and all but never really took an interest in it. When it have learned so much about archery and bow safety. I
came time to pick my classes I wanted to take the Outdoor even have my hunter safety card. Even if I don’t get to
Education class because I thought it was an outdoor class go hunting I am happy that I got to do archery in my
where I could learn about animals. I soon realized the Outdoor Education class.
class was actually about hunting safety, archery, fishing, I love archery because it is fun, but most of all I love
what game wardens do, and hunting rules. I was really not it because it is a way for me to connect with my dad. It is
happy. Soon after that my teacher, Mr. Blair, said that we so fun being able to come home and tell my dad all about
would be doing a unit on archery. my class and how well I am doing. He always tells me
I was first introduced to archery at summer camp. how proud he is of me. It is also cool that it is something
After learning and practicing it, I came to really appre- that just him and I share in our family since my mom and
ciate the sport. The idea of getting to study it every day at siblings do not know anything about archery. Archery is
school sounded like paradise to me. I especially enjoyed a great subject to talk about with my dad. Now we both
getting to do archery at the expo. It was so cool and so know so much about it. Sometimes, I even know more
much fun. Although, everyone in my group found it a than he does! This gives me so much pleasure. Being able
little weird that I liked the recurve bow more than the to connect with my dad over archery is the best.

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