52 NEBRASKAland • JUNE 2018
E
very time I talk about the image
below, which is a lot, I always
go back to the response of the
little girl on the left side of the
frame. This is Brylee Heard,
sister of Jake who is on the right of the
image and was the focus of the April,
2018 article "Countdown for the
Crew."
It was Jake's first-ever bullfrog hunt
and one of many for my daughter,
Madeline, who is in the center.
Brylee is not a fan of blood or any
of the other results of a good hunt. She
also has no desire to touch a fish, much
less a slimy, smelly bullfrog. It was a
surprise she opted to go on this hunt in
the first place.
However, she was ecstatic about
shining lights in their eyes while her
brother and friend grabbed them from
the pond edges that night.
And she was really good at it,
spotting frogs that no one else in the
boat could see. With that in mind,
here are a few other roles that kids can
play on hunting and fishing trips that
might just further their interest in the
outdoors, creating their own unique
relationship with those activities that
life-longers have enjoyed forever.
Waterfowl hunting – setting decoys,
waving goose flags, calling.
Small pond fishing – running the
trolling motor; cooling everyone down
with waterguns during hot-water trips.
Turkey hunting – calling, especially
push-button and box calls. Also making
decisions on when to move and when
to sit still.
Big lake fishing – glassing for gulls
when white bass and wiper fishing;
using GPS and topographical maps to
help with location changes.
Deer hunting – setting up trail
cameras and pinpointing the best spot
for a ladder stand location; helping
build food plots, especially throwing
seed.
Ice fishing – pulling along a sled,
first for carrying equipment, and later
for riding across the ice.
Regardless of your outdoor pursuit,
understand that a kid may see that
activity differently than you do. This
alternate point of view isn't necessarily
a negative.
Just because they don't want to pick
up a frog doesn't mean they're not a
frog hunter. ■
Roles for Kids
By Jeff Kurrus
If you can get a child outside, which you can, you can find something they're passionate about.
Brylee Heard, Madeline Kurrus and Jake Heard celebrate after a successful Sarpy County frog hunt.
PHOTO
BY
JEFF
KURRUS
