Young Hunter Shares the Many Benefits of Hunting with “Grumdpa”…
Ryleigh Wood, age 8 from Lynchburg is the granddaughter of Shenandoah Valley artist Ken Schuler and has accompanied her “Grumpa” [Ken admits he can be a little ‘grumpy’ at times around kids] several times in the past two years just to watch the deer and other wildlife they see from the two-man ‘buddy’ ladder stand in the woods beside Ken’s studio in Linville. Ryleigh has been learning to shoot under Ken’s tutoring since she was 6 and has her own CZ Scout .22 LR which she enjoys shooting at golf balls at 75 yards at Grumpa’s practice range. Ken was a bit excited this summer when Ryleigh said she wanted to hunt this year and shoot a deer for the first time. For the Youth Deer Hunting Weekend, Ryleigh came to the Rockingham County farm and after a few rounds of practice with Grumpa’s .243, they walked to one of the buddy ladder stands to see if any deer were moving. After an hour and 20 minutes of watching, three does came out of the brush 60 yards away and Ryleigh picked out the closest one and made one good shot, the doe running only 50 yards before dropping. Ryleigh was very excited about her first deer and hugged Grumpa and exclaimed she was looking forward to returning in November to try for a buck! Ken notes that when Ryleigh took a picture of her with her deer to school the next week, some of the kids were upset and asked her why she killed a deer. Her answer was quick and firm, “To put food on the table!” Ken was real proud of her and notes that both his daughter and now his granddaughter both learned valuable life lessons, responsibility and the value of hunting and our treasured hunting traditions in our lives. Grumpa happily notes, “We’ve got great family memories and have had a lot of fun enjoying the benefits hunting and showing respect for the outdoors.”
Editor’s note… Ken Schuler reflects his deep respect for nature, wildlife , rural living and hunting and fishing heritage that have guided his lifelike sketches throughout his 40+ years as an accomplished artist in his native Shenandoah Valley home. An avid outdoorsman, Ken has been a sponsor for many sportsman and civic organizations donating many works of art for fundraising activities to benefit wildlife and get youth involved in hunting, fishing and shooting sports. You can view his gallery on-line at www.kenschuler.com.