Taking my 6-yr-old girl squirrel hunting for the first time this weekend.

We are suburbanites and she hasn’t really been exposed to this kind of stuff before.  Been trying to mentally prepare her as best I can.  Last night we talked about the ecology of deer hunting.  Thin the herd, winter survival, limited food/resources, etc.  She seemed to understand that concept.

Kind of got stumped when she asked me, “If you love squirrels so much, why do you hunt them?”  Think I stumbled a bit trying to explain that hunting isn’t about ‘killing’ and ethical hunting and sportsman have a deep respect for their quarry.  Then she hit me with, “Why do people hunt wolves?”  I played the ecology angle again but also touched on the issue with predators, particularly involving instilling a healthy respect towards man with animals that can cause us harm.

Maybe Arfcom can give me some better talking points that a 6-yr old can grasp.  Also not sure how she’ll react when I shoot one.  Any pointers how to mentally prepare a kid to the harsh reality of witnessing Mr. Squirrel’s brains violently painted all over a tree.  Up until now she’s only seen squirrels as semi-tame creatures in city parks.  Hope she comes away with this being an enlightening, positive experience…not that her Dad’s a cold blooded squirrel murderer.    

DOH!  Meant this to go in GD, not Aviation.