A Bowhunter Turned Father

By Adam Parr –

Early summer has always been a time period of reflection for me. It’s the calm before the storm where long summer nights provide the extra hours to prepare and plan for a busy fall. However, my adventures nowadays look a bit different from years past. As I progress throughout my journey of life, hunting, and the great outdoors, I’ve witnessed a process of self-evolution. During my younger years I longed for the almighty kill; to conquer both the mountain and the beast with nothing but myself standing in the way. As I transition into fatherhood and all of the beautiful (and challenging) things that being a parent entails, my heart places an extremely high value on creating lasting memories, especially those that involve my son.

Everett will turn two years old in August and our fun together is only just beginning. We go on hikes through the aspens, ride bikes along winding rivers, pick up rocks in the sand, smell flowers in meadows, as well as look for deer and elk. Most recently we started shooting bows together. My MX-16 is a bit higher poundage and has a slightly longer draw length than his but nonetheless, he’s bombing them downrange quite nicely. His form could use a little work and he closes his eyes every time he lets the string go but he’ll get the hang of it shortly. 

All jokes aside, I do dream of the day that he becomes a better hunter and archer than me. I have no doubt that if he takes to shooting a bow like I did as a child, he will certainly surpass anything I’ve done and will be teaching me lessons in the not-so-distant future. On the complete opposite spectrum, I wonder if he will have even the slightest interest in archery and if not, that’s quite alright. I’ll still love him exactly the same… for the most part. 😉 If it makes any difference at all, I plan to keep involving him in this lifestyle and leading by example with the hopes he holds the same passion for the outdoors as I do. So far I think we are off to a great start and that’s all a father like me can ask for. 

In addition to creating memories, I have been working on slowing my life down so I can spend more time with my son. Sometimes you have to let go of things in order to gain and I’ve come to realize I only have so many days, months, and years with this little guy before he’s out of the house and off to the real world. Everything in his life right now is a blank canvas just waiting to be painted, whether it’s digging in the dirt, looking for animals, or shooting a bow, I want to soak in every single moment. 

At the end of the day when my time on this Earth has come to a close, the mounts on the wall or the inches in the record books simply will not matter. It’s the special moments created over a lifetime with close friends and family that will remain and live on forever. I’ll be shooting my bow and exploring outside as often as I can this summer with Everett and I hope you are able to do the same with your family. Happy Father’s day to all of you hard-working Dads out there and keep creating those memories.