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15 – 17 Year Old Girl Group Winner
Student Name: Kaitlyn Mccormick
School: Broken Arrow High School
Grade: 11
Age: 16
Address: 12174 S 234 E Ave
Broken Arrow OK 74014
Phone: 918/313-8209
Teacher: Dean Hopp, 918/259-4310
Hunting: Sharing the Heritage
For my family the best place for parents to spend time with daughters reflecting, communicating, handing down values,
providing guidance, and building memories is the deer woods. Since the time I was young father/daughter hunting trips
have played a very important role in my life and have helped shape who I am today. Each year my father, sister and I
look forward to deer season not only for the hunting, but also for the time we get to spend together without the
interruption of electronics or busy schedules where lasting bonds and memories to last a lifetime are created.
Hunting is a legacy that was passed down from my “pop” (grandfather) to my dad. Although my dad always wanted a
son to continue the family tradition with, he was blessed with two daughters. Dad was resigned that he would probably
have to hunt alone after Pop’s death, but was thrilled when my older sister began to hunt with him. At the age of seven I
chose to go along and sit in the woods with my dad. I was in awe of the beauty of nature and immediately knew I shared
the same passion as my dad and sister. As the youngest member of my hunting family I know I have a lot to live up to,
but there is no greater feeling than the pride I see in my dad when I shoot a deer. The hugs and high fives are shared by
all three of us, however that moment when h wraps his arm around my shoulder, looks me in the eye and says, “Good
Shot, girl! That’s Awesome!” I know that hunting with his daughters means more to my dad than claiming the biggest of
bucks.
Hunting with my dad and sister has played a big part in developing my character, given me passion, and fostered a
relationship with my dad and sister that will forever be a part of me. My sister and I both learned self-reliance through
hunting by finding ways to warm and being aware of surroundings in order to not get lost. We learned to appreciate
nature, but most importantly are the values that we learned such as generosity when each year we donate a processed
deer to a food bank; responsibility through using a firearm; patience as I sit for hours in the woods waiting quietly;
courage when I took my nervous first steps into the woods; gratitude for the land and the gifts it provides; and self-
control as I wait for the perfect shot sometimes foregoing a shot until something bigger and better. According to Dr. Don
T Jacobs, author of Teaching Virtues, “hunting is the ideal way to teach universal virtues.” I am blessed to be raised in a
family where hunting has been passed from generation to generation and these values cultivated through the years. The
lessons I have gained through hunting will continue to positively have an effect on me for life.