MEA Weekend…A Tradition for Many Outdoor Families

October 20, 2004
Hunting Outdoor Education Outdoor Potpourri
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It’s not an official holiday…but many hunters and their children consider it as such. I’m talking about the third Thursday/Friday combination that occurs each fall during the month of October. Officially it’s the Minnesota Education Association’s state convention where teachers go for workshops, etc. But for children, it’s an opportunity to be out of school for an extra long weekend.

Indeed, MEA weekend holds special significance because it’s an opportunity for parents to take their children on an out-of-state hunt without worrying about school days being missed. I know of several hunters who annually plan their vacation to coincide with MEA. No doubt about it…mention “MEA” and the typical response for many sportsmen is “where you going?”

For many years I traveled out to Montevideo for my annual goose hunt over MEA weekend. Sometimes I traveled with children, most times I didn’t have any children to take. Still, it was a heartwarming sight to see all the hunters out this weekend with their children. I dare say some of these kids likely learned more important lessons in the goose blind during two days spent with their dads than they learned sitting in the classroom during the previous three days of the week.

Of course there are so many opportunities during this time of the year. I remember when I was in high school MEA to me meant one thing. It was an all-day project, but it was an annual labor of love in preparation for the trapping season. MEA meant time to get the traps ready by boiling them (dying them), waxing, and otherwise getting prepared for the upcoming trapping season.

On the other hand, my neighbor used to travel with several other hunters on an annual snow goose hunting trip up to the plains of North Dakota. Usually there was a high school football game on the Wednesday night of MEA week…so they would leave immediately after that game was played (sometimes even taking children who played in the game) directly from the football field to the shooting fields. It was a tradition that all evolved around MEA and the families of the hunters didn’t have to ask what was going on each year…they knew.

This year my buddy, Jeff, is taking his son out to South Dakota for some deer hunting (archery) and pheasant hunting. Just like Minnesota, South Dakota’s pheasant season opened last weekend, so again, there are many opportunities…including hunting this legendary pheasant factory during MEA week.

Then again let’s not overlook what we have going on closer to home. We are about the fourth week into the waterfowl season so depending on the weather this action should be getting good soon. Squirrel season opened over a month ago and with less leaves now hunting should be getting somewhat less challenging. Grouse season should be picking up now (particularly in northern Minnesota) as the leaves should be mostly dropped. In fact, a combination grouse hunt combined with some musky fishing would be a good change of pace. No matter how you look at it, now is an absolutely perfect time to take on any such adventure, preferably by introducing a child to the outdoors.

I’m hoping more sportsmen begin using the MEA extended weekend wisely…create a tradition out of some outdoor experience. If you have children at home or if you have children whom you could be a positive influence with, you owe it to them and to yourself to spend quality time sharing the wonderful outdoor experience.

Personally, I can’t think of anything more disgusting than a bunch of youngsters sitting around home playing video games during their MEA break…when they could be outdoors experiencing nature at its finest. With just a little coaxing, most youth would much prefer to spend time with an adult discovering both the camaraderie and the challenges provided in our outdoor world. If it’s too late for this year…make that pledge to do so for next year. Traditions all begin with that very first effort toward making something happen.

Lessons Learned from My Hunting Dogs

I suppose there are a lot of reasons why hunters own a dog. Certainly it can be argued that hunting with a dog is the epitome of conservation…meaning that game shot stands a better chance of being game found and retrieved. Yet other hunters choose to have a dog as a partner, almost like another kid in the family. To these folks the dog probably represents at least someone in the family that will listen to their commands.

But I own a hunting dog for other reasons. Certainly there’s the companionship aspect as well as the conservation component, yet I look at my hunting dog as more of a teacher. I think there are so many lessons that can be learned from a canine that aren’t easily learned anywhere else in life. In fact, I dare say this might be a better world if more people paid closer attention to their interaction with their hunting dogs.

Loyalty
No matter how upset or disappointed I become with my dog…they will always come to me looking for affection and, perhaps by some stretch of the imagination, forgiveness. If I’m upset because the dog flushed a bird too far ahead of me…they will listen to my chastising comments, but then turn around and continue on with the hunt. In other words, in my dog’s eyes I am the most wonderful person in the world. Oh sure, I’m guessing they would rather not have a raised voice scolding them…but their commitment to me will not let the words further effect their day. Heck, they are outdoors enjoying smells and the sights of paradise. Why would they let anything ruin the day for them? They realize, too, that at the end of the day…they will still get a dish of food and a tender scratch behind the ear. It always works this way…and it always should.

Positive Attitude
You know I have never walked out to the kennel and found my dog in a bad mood. Even when she was crippled up and needed surgery to repair a torn ACL in her joint…she still wanted to play and jump around (albeit on three legs). I know there have been days that my hunting dogs have not felt up to par, but I also know that even if the dogs could speak to me I would never hear an excuse. Indeed, if I need a pick-me-up all I have to do is go for a walk with my dog…and she soon reminds me that just being alive is reason enough to be happy and excited.

Hard Working
Have you ever hunted hard all day almost to the point of exhaustion? Chances are who gave up first…you or your dog? I’m betting it was you. As I think back I have only had one hunting dog who knew when to call it quits. He would go back to the truck and lay waiting for me to finish. I actually thought it was rather cute…and I didn’t come down hard on the dog because by the time the dog gave up I was usually already thinking those very same thoughts. Yet most of the hunting dogs I have known would keep going and going and not quit until they were forced to quit. When you consider that a typical hunting dog covers 3 to 4 times as much ground as the hunter, it’s pretty impressive to watch that kind of ambition at work.

Life and Death
Perhaps one of the biggest and toughest lessons I’ve had to learn in life was dealing with my dog’s mortality. That in turn forced me into thinking about the mortality of everyone I love, including my own. Death is never an easy subject…but it seems to be made even more gut-wrenching when the decision of continuing life rests squarely on your shoulders alone.

Five years ago this month I was faced with the decision euthanizing my hunting dog, Knight. It was one of the most difficult decisions I have ever made. The whole process taught me that a person should never be put in a position to have to decide the life and death of a loved one, particularly if it can be avoided. Afterwards, I then made certain that with my aging mother we had all the legal paperwork in place so I would not be faced with the anguish alone again.

Certainly a hunting dog isn’t going to teach you all the lessons directly; you still have to give meaning to all those little experiences. Yet, when you take the time to extrapolate each lesson from a hunting dog, you’ll soon discover why this special canine has long been known as “man’s best friend.”

Know Where Your Money Goes!

If you donate money through work-sponsored charitable causes…have you taken the time to check on for what that money is being spent? Similarly, when the neighborhood charitable fund drive comes knocking at your door…what groups are getting their hands on your hard earned money?

One of my biggest pet peeves in life is groups that ask for my money and then use that money to work against my beliefs. Case in point: Today in the Minneapolis StarTribune there’s an article that talks about the entire board of directors of the local Minnesota Chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation resigning their positions. Why? The official response is because of “philosophical differences.” Truth is, however, one of the big issues that has dogged the local chapter for many years involves hunting. Here’s what the StarTribune said:

“The local board also objected to other directives that included no granting of wishes that involve hunting or firearms, a decision that dates to a Minnesota hunting wish that sparked national controversy in the 1990s….”

“Tensions between local and national offices date at least to 1996, when Make-A-Wish Minnesota granted an Alaska bear-hunting trip to Erik Ness, a White Bear Township teenager suffering from brain cancer. Animal rights groups and some other chapters objected, and in 2000 the national Make-A-Wish Foundation banned wishes involving hunting. Ness died in 1999 at age 21.”

Why would any sportsman want to contribute money to a group that would not honor the wish of a dying child…even if that child wanted to go hunting? Frankly, I think the concept of making dreams of dying children possible should not be governed by whether or not a bunch of decision makers personally approve of an activity…especially when the activity is perfectly legal for the child, or any healthy child to participate in.

But let’s get serious here. This is all about politics and how a non-profit organization will cower to big money interest. In this case, the big money is from the very groups looking to put us sportsmen out of business. It’s obvious these “anti” groups threatened the national M-A-W Foundation through coercive tactics likely involving their membership boycotting their financial support. In so doing, it was much better for M-A-W to disappoint a single dying child, than a large group of potential donors.

I was outraged when I first heard this story several years ago and now today it makes me even more upset to see this all finally come to a head. On the other hand, the former local board of directors, including the former local president, Karla Blomberg, deserves a hearty THANK YOU from all of us who purport to be sportsmen in this great state. Thankfully, young Erik not only experienced his dream hunt once…but also again later in the year when he was finally successful in his hunting efforts.

Back in the mid-90s it was the local Minnesota Chapter of M-A-W working with the Minnesota Safari Club chapter conducting private fundraising efforts to get young Erik on his hunt. The money could not come from M-A-W because of the raging controversy that continues to this day, hence the recent resignations. The national organization of M-A-W has since issued the following policy:

“it is not in the best interests of the children we serve for us to continue considering wishes that involve firearms, hunting bows or other hunting or sport-shooting equipment.”

Well, folks…read that policy statement one more time. If it isn’t in the best interest of the M-A-W Foundation to serve kids who have deep desires to partake lawfully in the sports that we embrace…why then would we support financially a group that so blatantly slaps all of us in the face? I think it’s high time all of us sportsmen flex our power and withhold any future contributions that may go directly or indirectly to groups such as this. Instead, check out organizations such as www.HuntofaLifetime.org. This organization, although I do not necessarily endorse it per se, seems much more worthy of our funds than M-A-W Foundation.

No, I think this time the national Make-A-Wish Foundation has really shot itself in the foot. When it cannot work with a local board of directors and president who obviously could set aside politics and facilitate the wishes of a dying child…then I suggest this is an organization led by people who can go without all of our support. Let them get their money from the animal rights groups and others with whom they’ve proven to favor based on their past and present ill-conceived actions.