Last year, over the holidays, my son Dan and family visited for Christmas. Dan was eager to take his son, Andrew along while we hunted cottontails, to give my four-year old grandson his first taste of hunting. We were eager to see Andrew's reaction as we shot as well as the sight of an expired animal. I have to say we weren't disappointed. When the first rabbit bit the dust, Andrew raced over to it as fast as his little legs would carry him. He stood over the rabbit, and was beside himself with excitement. At first he hesitated to touch it, but then, with wide eyes and curiosity, he stroked the soft fur.

Rabbit hunting was great, and Dan and I continued to collect plenty of bunnies with our scope-sighted .22's. Andrew squealed as he ran to every rabbit, and soon he was picking them up and carrying them to my truck. As we watched, I remembered distant memories when it was Dan who was squealing and gathering up my rabbits.

That day with Dan and Andrew will go down as one of the most cherished of all……just as every hunt with my three daughters and son when they were introduced to hunting for the first time.

After we had taken all the rabbits we wanted, Andrew watched as we skinned and dressed them there in the desert and put them in the cooler. At one point he quipped, “Hurry Daddy, there are more rabbits to shoot!”

How sweet it is.