Outdoor Relationships

Enjoying The Outdoors: It’s About Relationships!

Often times the question has been asked - What is so special about the outdoors? Or, Why do you enjoy all of that outdoor stuff? These questions are easy for me to answer. It’s simple – relationships!

Enjoying God’s creation through outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, camping, or canoeing are a part of who many of us are. Often times, the enjoyment of these activities is shared through personal relationships with family and friends.

The relationships we build are important whether they are built with our children, family, friends, or church. Relationships build strength, unity, and purpose, and are a necessary part of our utter existence. We also need to seek and embrace a relationship with an Almighty God. There is no better way to recognize His power and glory, than through creation!

An outdoor event shared with others can and will turn into a memory that will last a lifetime. Remember the buck that came in close, but not quite close enough, or that huge largemouth that spit out the hook just before he was netted? Good memories, right? Stories you have probably shared with others time and time again!

Hunters are often asked – Why do you enjoy hunting so much? Now some would think we do it for the solitude, or to put meat on the table, or that we even hunt for the challenge. But, when all is said and done – relationships is what it’s all about! Statistically speaking, hunters have declared that camaraderie or companionship is the number one reason that hunters hunt. We enjoy talking about, planning for, and sharing the excitement of God’s beauty through the great outdoors. Relationships actually begin in the pre-planning phase of any hunt or outdoor event. As we move through the planning stage, we begin to build a vision of what the experience will be like. We begin to share that vision with one another such as, how we think it will look, or what we expect to happen, and then, our thoughts and visions gain unity – relationships are built!

Last spring I was fortunate enough to harvest both of my Ohio long-beards early in the season, with special thanks to PJ’s Game Calls Split V diaphragm. With two birds in the freezer, I had the latitude to take several other folks into the woods to capture memories of a lifetime.

The forth week of the Ohio turkey season continued to show promise as I was enlightened to some gobbling activity by a local landowner. With permission in hand, I found myself and friend, Gerald Gallaugher perched under some small oaks quietly waiting daybreak. Gerald, the Fellowship of Christian Hunters Ohio Chapter Chef was raring to go. Gerald now nearly 70 of age, has hunted for many years, but was yet to harvest his first long-beard. EXCITEMENT filled the air!

The morning was quiet as the spectacular sunrise awoke from its slumber. The wind was still and everything seemed perfect; however, no turkey-talk. We decided to pack up and relocate to a different area on the farm. Still no sign of a tom. We finally decided to work our way across a pasture field to a small section of hardwoods. I could sense discouragement in Gerald’s demeanor. He seemed very quiet and appeared as if the air had been removed from his sail. As we finished crossing the pasture, we began to enter the wood line - fresh signs of turkey scratching! Gerald quickly began to perk up as we slowly moved into position to hopefully set up for some action. I broke out a crow call and had immediate response from a pair of gobblers. Gerald practically jumped from his boots! We quickly moved over the bank and looked for a place to set up. Gerald settled in first and I was quick to follow. Headnets were pulled into position, movements were stopped, and the video cam was on the roll. I softly released a couple of clucks followed by a yelp and the birds went nuts! They cut the distance quickly and were soon within view. Two magnificent long-beards looking for the love of their life!

The twin toms slowed their pace and began to scan the area for the beckoning hen, when out of nowhere to young calves and their mother came over the ridge in a joyful prance. SPOOKED! The birds were gone!

Gerald shook his head in disbelief but quickly moved to my location. He was so excited he could hardly talk! This was the closest turkey action Gerald had ever encountered and was he ever wound for sound! We set and shared about how quickly the birds came in, how many times they gobbled, how long their beards were, and where we thought they came from, and we created memories that will last a lifetime! To top it all off, we even captured it on tape and made it a part the FCH video production “Good Friends & Great Hunting.” Unfortunately, Gerald did not harvest his first tom, but the opportunity for us to share in friendship together was both genuine and spiritual. We both thanked the Lord for the opportunity to share in that special moment.

Relationships – When all is said and done and we step back to look at the important things in our lives, we will find that the relationships we have built can and will stand the test of time. The relationships between a father and a son, husband and a wife, friend to friend, or man to God, are what true enjoyment and fulfillment in life is all about.

Building relationships through outdoor activities is not only fun but also healthy. We need to slow down and truly enjoy the good things in life – there are none better than building and maintaining relationships. Whether hunting, fishing, camping, or just taking a walk in the wild - It’s never to late to start!

Mark A. DePugh

President FCH

National Chapter