Sports leave Little Time for Hunting and Fishing

I fear organized sports are robbing our youth of their outdoor heritage.

What with seasons and tournaments that run the entire school year, and summer sports camps, which fill in the void, there’s little time left for hunting or fishing.

I was fortunate to have grown up in a time when sports didn’t monopolize my life, in part because I wasn’t a very talented athlete. But the business of youth sports camps had yet to boom, and the idea of select and traveling teams was in its infancy.

In a recent interview with Callahan O’Reilly by 406 Sports, the Montana State Bobcats’ senior linebacker mentioned he didn’t do a lot of “Montana” things growing up because of his involvement in athletics. A Bozeman native, whose father played football at Carroll, and whose mother played basketball at Arizona

State following a stellar prep career at Bozeman High, O’Reilly probably isn’t a good example. He’s an exceptional athlete whose hard work has paid off.

The vast majority of kids in sports, however, won’t play at the collegiate level no matter how much time they put in or how many camps they attend.

They’ll just miss hunting season, and a chance to go fishing.

Few will ever play organized sports again after high school.

My oldest grandson shot his first pheasant last year after his soccer season had ended. He hasn’t been up to hunt this year because following the Class A State Tournament he hit the road with his select team.

He’s a talented goalkeeper as are two of his younger brothers, one of whom also plays basketball. I have a granddaughter who competes in gymnastics, and another grandson who plays golf. Most of them also bowl.

They are happy, active kids.

I just wish they had more time to hunt, fish, and explore Montana.

Eventually they will, but I fear it will be too late. By the time they’re done with sports, they’ll have grown-up responsibilities of their own and those seldom include hunting and fishing.

As a ne’er-do-well grandfather, who hunts and fishes more than most, I try to set an example they can follow. So far, however, I don’t have any takers. Dreams of athletic glory still reign supreme.

Parker Heinlein is at [email protected]