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5-Year-Old Shoots Potential-Record 800-Pound Gator
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October 05, 2009
5-Year-Old Shoots Potential-Record 800-Pound Gator
By Dave Hurteau
From the Houston Chronicle:
There are hunters who go a lifetime dreaming of that big kill. Then there's Simon Hughes, who helped nab a beast of an animal on an East Texas hunt — while still in the first grade. The 5-year-old boy from Goodrich was part of a hunting crew that recently killed an 800-pound, 12-foot-6-inch alligator that has wildlife experts shaking their heads.
The reptile, whose size is at a state record level, is now at the taxidermist waiting to be mounted. Simon's family, meanwhile, is fielding calls from CNN and Good Morning America to feature his exploits. . . .
Simon said he screamed “holy moly” when he saw the catch of the day. “I was never afraid for a second,” he said of the gator, which is 20 times his size.
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Comments (12)
'Ataboy Simon! And kudos to the hunters that made sure he was included in the hunt.
Not sure i agree. Five is too young in my opinion. A five year old can't grasp the concept of life and/or death, can he? My 4 year old is several years from his first hunt. I take him in the woods with me scouting, take him out in the evening to glass the fields, and when i take him fishing, we release them. He is one of the only people i don't correct when they asks me if i "caught any deer" after a hunt. I am anxious for the day he'll hunt with me, but this is rushing it i believe, and not responsible parenting. Let the minuses flow, i truly don't care. This kid is a poster boy now for the anti's. A kindergarten killer. great move.
Steve182 -- Well put. I'm with you on this one.
By the way, if (when) CNN and the like broadcast this story, they'll put the typical anti- hunting, anti-gun slant on it and it won't be good for hunters in any way shape or form. I hope (but doubt) they refuse the requests for interviews.
I think it's up to the parents to decide how young is too young, but I wouldn't take a 5 yr. old on one of my gator hunts. I wouldn't limit it to any particular age, though. It depends on the kid--can he sit still? Does he listen? Is he OK in a boat in the dark? It also depends on how you hunt and your safety precautions.
P.S. I agree with steve182 about the bad publicity this could cause.
I grew up in a rural community where it wasn't unusual to see the little guys (and girls) out there on the stand and at the range. I know I was shooting squirrels at about that age, which is about the only thing we hunted back then. I think a lot of adults are too quick to underestimate just what a youngster can "grasp", especially when it comes to life and death. They get the exposure whether they pull the trigger themselves, or if Daddy does it for them. If you don't want your kid to have that exposure at that age, that's fine for you. Let's not judge other parents, though.
Also, let's not start limiting other hunters' legal experiences out of fear that it might make the antis hate us... they already do. It doesn't matter if you're 5 or 50, or if you hunt with a stick and stone or with an RPG.
As long as there's hunting, the antis will demonize every aspect of it. It's what they do. It's simply ridiculous to be so afraid to hunt using legal methods just because we're scared that they'll use our hunting against us.
Support the kid. Support other hunters. Let's show some unity here, even if it's about a choice we might not personally make.
I agree with steve182, CNN will go out of their way to anti-gun and anti-hunt a story like this. However I saw Fox' take on this and they were very fair and not at all anti-gun or -hunting. Kudos to Simon for a trophy of a lifetime.
HogBlog's right. I do not believe it's up to any agency to tell me when my kid is able to go hunting with me, nor do i give a rat's @ss what other people think of my parenting skills, so i shouldn't have suggested this is poor parenting. I'm sure Mr. Hughes does not value my opinion, but i've got some time to kill, so...Anyway, Well done Simon, you're a boy beyond your years apparently. I also agree we should not live our lives in fear of inflaming the Anti's as they're already inflamed (think hemorrhoid), but we should not add fuel to the fire with distasteful publicity or poor behavior. I'm not suggesting that took place here, just something we should be mindful of.
20 shots? Seriously? I pray that won't get out.
Such a little kid. Such big game. Congrats Simon!
congrats
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Not sure i agree. Five is too young in my opinion. A five year old can't grasp the concept of life and/or death, can he? My 4 year old is several years from his first hunt. I take him in the woods with me scouting, take him out in the evening to glass the fields, and when i take him fishing, we release them. He is one of the only people i don't correct when they asks me if i "caught any deer" after a hunt. I am anxious for the day he'll hunt with me, but this is rushing it i believe, and not responsible parenting. Let the minuses flow, i truly don't care. This kid is a poster boy now for the anti's. A kindergarten killer. great move.
I grew up in a rural community where it wasn't unusual to see the little guys (and girls) out there on the stand and at the range. I know I was shooting squirrels at about that age, which is about the only thing we hunted back then. I think a lot of adults are too quick to underestimate just what a youngster can "grasp", especially when it comes to life and death. They get the exposure whether they pull the trigger themselves, or if Daddy does it for them. If you don't want your kid to have that exposure at that age, that's fine for you. Let's not judge other parents, though.
Also, let's not start limiting other hunters' legal experiences out of fear that it might make the antis hate us... they already do. It doesn't matter if you're 5 or 50, or if you hunt with a stick and stone or with an RPG.
As long as there's hunting, the antis will demonize every aspect of it. It's what they do. It's simply ridiculous to be so afraid to hunt using legal methods just because we're scared that they'll use our hunting against us.
Support the kid. Support other hunters. Let's show some unity here, even if it's about a choice we might not personally make.
Steve182 -- Well put. I'm with you on this one.
I think it's up to the parents to decide how young is too young, but I wouldn't take a 5 yr. old on one of my gator hunts. I wouldn't limit it to any particular age, though. It depends on the kid--can he sit still? Does he listen? Is he OK in a boat in the dark? It also depends on how you hunt and your safety precautions.
'Ataboy Simon! And kudos to the hunters that made sure he was included in the hunt.
P.S. I agree with steve182 about the bad publicity this could cause.
I agree with steve182, CNN will go out of their way to anti-gun and anti-hunt a story like this. However I saw Fox' take on this and they were very fair and not at all anti-gun or -hunting. Kudos to Simon for a trophy of a lifetime.
By the way, if (when) CNN and the like broadcast this story, they'll put the typical anti- hunting, anti-gun slant on it and it won't be good for hunters in any way shape or form. I hope (but doubt) they refuse the requests for interviews.
HogBlog's right. I do not believe it's up to any agency to tell me when my kid is able to go hunting with me, nor do i give a rat's @ss what other people think of my parenting skills, so i shouldn't have suggested this is poor parenting. I'm sure Mr. Hughes does not value my opinion, but i've got some time to kill, so...Anyway, Well done Simon, you're a boy beyond your years apparently. I also agree we should not live our lives in fear of inflaming the Anti's as they're already inflamed (think hemorrhoid), but we should not add fuel to the fire with distasteful publicity or poor behavior. I'm not suggesting that took place here, just something we should be mindful of.
20 shots? Seriously? I pray that won't get out.
Such a little kid. Such big game. Congrats Simon!
congrats
Post a Comment