Photo by Casey HaaralaFrom left, Holt, Ryan and Hamp Haarala pose with the buck that Hamp (now 12) took on Jan. 30, 2018. The buck was Hamp’s best and just one of the many great bucks this hunting family has harvested over the years.

“When some of my friends have asked me anxiously about their boys, whether they should let them hunt, I have answered yes — remembering that it was one of the best parts of my education — make them hunters.” -Henry David Thoreau

I am a firm believer in the life lessons that come with being and becoming a hunter. We have become too far removed from the reality of where our food comes from, both mentally and physically, and as a result, we have also lost much of our respect for the natural world that surrounds us.

Hunting, at its heart, should instill a healthy respect for and love of both the quarry that we pursue and the land on which we hunt. It is much more that the “kill it and grill it” attitude often presented on social media. It is, as Thoreau so aptly stated, an education, and when that education comes as a shared family experience, then the lessons become memories that will last a lifetime.

For the Haarala family of Meridian, hunting is a family affair. Ryan and Casey Haarala and their sons Hamp (12), Holt (10) and Hudson (8) all share a love for hunting and the outdoors, and the 2021-2022 deer season has been one they will always remember.

Hudson kicked off the family’s season with a nice six-point buck, his best to date, on Dec. 20, and his mother, Casey, followed suit by taking her best buck on Jan. 1 while hunting at their hunting club near Porterville.

Casey grew up hunting, but up until last year, she had always stayed home with the youngest child so that Ryan could guide the others when they reached the age they could hunt. When all three eclipsed that mark, Casey was pressed into “guide” service as well.

Last year, she was in the stand with Hudson when he killed his first buck, and 30 minutes later, a nice buck walked in and Casey dropped him, thus renewing her passion for deer hunting.

New Year’s Day found her in the stand in Porterville alone. She and Hudson had hunted the stand on Dec. 28, and that day, a big buck came in at which the young hunter shot but missed. All the boys had decided to sleep in on New Year’s Day, so Ryan and Casey headed to the woods.

About 15 to 20 minutes after daybreak, Ryan received a text from Casey that said, “Hudson’s buck is back in the field.” He became a little nervous at that point.

“I didn’t know what can of worms that was going to open,” Ryan said, pondering Hudson’s reaction if Casey shot “his buck.”

The buck walked straight toward her stand and then exited the field, only to soon return trailing a doe.

“He didn’t act real interested in her, but he made the mistake of turning broadside,” Casey said.

One well-placed shot from her .308 dropped the Kemper County brute in his tracks, and then the family fun really began.

“She sent a picture of the buck to our family group and everybody responded but Hudson,” Ryan said.

Casey said that when she called him to ask how he was doing, his reply was priceless: “My head hurts, my stomach hurts, and you shot my deer.” Having missed a buck or two over the years and also having fallen victim to the desire to “sleep in,” I felt the youngster’s pain. However, there is nothing like learning a lesson the hard way, and I would bet anything that Hudson is up before everyone for the next family hunt.

Up next, with two family buck tags left to fill, was 10-year-old Holt, and on Jan. 13, he got his chance. That morning, he and Ryan were hunting a buck at their camp in Geiger, Alabama, that they had encountered the evening before but couldn’t get a shot. A little after 7, they saw a doe step out into the road and then bound into the field.

“She was acting funny, so I told Holt to be ready,” Ryan said.

Within a few minutes, the hunters watched another small deer come into the field followed by the buck from the prior evening.

“When he came out that morning, I was super happy,” Holt explained. He studied the buck in the binoculars briefly and then readied himself to take the shot, but the buck was eating and would not give him a good target.

He waited patiently for about 10 minutes, and the buck finally stepped toward the doe, exposing his vitals. That was all the opportunity Holt needed as he took the shot with his Weatherby .308 and dropped the Alabama bruiser where he had stood.

As of today, there is still one more buck tag remaining, but I have no doubt that this family of hunters will successfully fill it as well. Congratulations to the hunting Haarala family, and until next time, I look forward to seeing you out there in our great outdoors.

Email outdoors columnist Brad Dye at braddye@comcast.net.