Raising them right—Part II: the hunting tradition is alive and well in Montana

Guns Magazine, August, 2009 by Mike "Duke" Venturino

So let's do a tally here. In three hunting seasons Morgan has gotten five elk and in two seasons Connor has gotten three. An elk of either sex provides a considerable amount of meat, so I asked Nicole what they do with all of it. She said that they provide their extended family with winter meat, and also for 2008 a friend couldn't hunt due to surgery so one of the elk went to his family.

Safety, Safety

Something that pleased me immensely happened during my last visit to take notes for this column. During our talking I asked Wally if he still had the S&W Model 41 .22 pistol he bought decades ago. He said yes, and asked Connor to fetch it. When he came back carrying it the slide was back and locked so everyone could see it was unloaded.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Nicole said, "when it comes to hunting Connor is amazing. He never complains and there is no way we can leave him behind." One night in the 2008 season Connor went to bed sick with a stomach ailment but before lights out he yelled downstairs, "more, Don't leave me in the morning!"

I've known both Connor and Morgan since they were born and its immensely pleasing to watch them grow into fine teenagers. They enjoy the outdoors even outside of hunting season. In fact Morgan is building quite a name for herself as a high school runner. Wally told me Connor is so dependable that if work delays him from coming home, the boy has all the chores done without being told. Connor also works summer jobs helping other ranchers, even riding his horse to work because he's too young to drive.

Let's wrap this column up with an anecdote Nicole related to me. When Connor was 5 years old she had to take him to Denver for a heart operation. Prior to it they stood on their motel room's balcony watching the busy city traffic. After a bit Connor asked, "Mom, what do these people eat? There aren't any deer, elk or cows." That was an astute observation for a 5-year-old.

PHOTOS: YVONNE VENTURINO