My parents took me hunting and fishing from the time I could walk.

Actually, I was potty trained using the canoe as motivation. If I couldn’t stay dry, I couldn’t go out on the water. That’s the best incentive you could give a toddler like me.

Hunting and fishing weren’t hobbies in my family. They were just part of life. They were how we connected to the nature, to each other, and to where our food actually came from.

My husband came to it differently. He always fished, but he fell in love with hunting after his second tour as a combat medic. There’s something about being in the woods or on the water, the quiet, the waiting, the providing. It brought healing in ways nothing else could.

Now we’re passing it down to our kids. And honestly it’s about so much more than filling the freezer.

The Conversations We Have

We have plenty of friends who hunt and get it completely. But we also get interesting reactions from people who don’t.

Some are genuinely amazed that we do this, which feels a little backward to me. Hunting is actually more natural than walking into a grocery store and buying meat wrapped in plastic with zero connection to where it came from.

Then there are the people who say, “I could never kill something.”

And look, I get it. It’s not for everyone. But here’s what I always think when I hear that: if you eat meat, something died for your dinner. The only real differences are whether you’re present for it, you understand the weight of it, whether you give thanks to God for providing in a real way, and whether you’re aware of the value of life through it.

We choose to be present for that part.

What We Believe About Provision

God promises He’ll provide for us the same way He provides for even the smallest creatures. We believe that deeply. We’ve watched it be true our whole lives.

Being able to hunt is a blessing. Bringing home food from a hunt? Even more so. We thank God every time for the ability and opportunity to hunt and fish, and always for the bounty that comes from it.

Provision isn’t something we’re entitled to. It’s something we receive with open hands and grateful hearts.

And when you’re the one field-dressing a deer or cleaning fish with your kids watching, that gratitude feels different. You feel the weight of the life that was given. You feel the responsibility to honor it, use every bit, waste nothing.

That’s what stewardship actually looks like.

How It Shows Up in Our Home

Our kids see the joy we get from providing for our family this way. They understand what it means to us, and they’re learning what it can mean for them too.

It brings us together in a way not much else does.

My husband is patient and intentional about teaching them. They watch him process meat right there in our kitchen. They see how long it takes, how much care goes into every single cut, how nothing gets wasted.

When we come home from fishing trips, they’re excited to eat what we caught because they remember reeling it in. They were there. They know the whole story behind that meal.

We portion everything and freeze it or can it. And we love inviting friends and family over to share what God blessed us with. There’s something about sitting around the table eating venison chili or grilled fish and knowing exactly where it came from.

The gratitude is real. The satisfaction runs deep. And knowing it’s clean, healthy, wild protein with no fillers or mystery ingredients? That matters to us.

What We Hope They Carry With Them

I want our kids to remember us being together. Laughing in the cold mornings. Working hard side by side. Being different than the world around us because we’re set apart by God and called to live differently.

I want them to always be grateful, even for the smallest things.

And someday, I want them to pass this on to their own kids with the same love and grace and wisdom. Not because it’s trendy or looks good on social media, but because it’s real. Because it connects them to creation, to provision, to gratitude in ways the drive-thru never will.

If You’ve Never Hunted (And Maybe Never Will)

You don’t have to hunt to get what I’m talking about here.

You could start with fishing. See what it feels like to provide your own food, even just once. Book a guided trip where they provide all the gear and you just show up ready to learn.

Or maybe hunting and fishing aren’t your thing at all. Maybe for you it’s growing tomatoes in your backyard. Raising a few chickens. Learning to bake sourdough. Trying your hand at canning.

The activity itself isn’t the point.

The point is reconnecting to where your food comes from. Understanding the work and the life behind it. Valuing what sustains you.

And thanking God when He provides.

Because He does. Every single time.

That’s why we hunt.

Not because we have to. Because we get to.

And teaching our kids to provide, to steward well, and to give thanks for every blessing? That’s a legacy worth everything.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​