Like every generation, many of us have lost touch with our past.

This country was founded by folks that were self-reliant, self-sufficient , and strong of mind and body. From the first settlers that carved a life out of the unknown wilderness, to our grandparents that saw us progress from a mostly agrarian lifestyle into living off of a supply system that is three days away from starving. At least in my family, my my grandparents on both sides of my family always had some form of food production and self-sustainability in their lives, typically a garden of some sorts. Some hunted and fished, but all of them provided food for their families, to some degree, with their own hands.

The world is becoming a more uncertain place, and there is a growing movement for families to regain the skills our grandparents had. I can come up with no reason that this movement would be a bad thing. Being able to provide some level of production for your family can do nothing but improve that family’s life. We need to plant the seed into those that do not have this drive, it can only improve their lives and the lives of those around them.

Over the weekend, I saw two pre-teens siblings that were given a Crossman 760 air rifle (a GREAT starter air rifle, I highly recommend this as a starting point for young shooters). Having had proper training already, they intended to do some target shooting, and possible go after some of those pesky squirrels. The went “on safari” and not only did they see a squirrel, but the older of the two siblings took a shot at a squirrel, and made a perfect head shot, dropping the target in it tracks. I was impressed, as I’ve accomplished this myself in my earlier years with the same gun, and know how difficult it can be with the low powered gun and iron sights.

They went on to further impress me by collecting the animal, having made sure it was properly dispatched, and along with my two daughters, went to YouTube to learn how to clean it. As much as I wanted to step in to show them, I was curious to see how far they would (or could) take this. I waited with their father for about 20 minutes, then had to go and check on them.

I found them in the driveway with the animal soaking wet (they learned it keeps the air off the meat). They mighty hunters were trying the get a knife through the tough hide of the squirrel and were somewhat hesitant to apply the needed pressure.

At this point, I stepped in to try a technique I myself had seen on YouTube:

It worked just as easy for me the first time as it did in the video.

I finished dressing it out for them, and they were very curious as to how and why of each step. I was happy to see both of my girls were almost as interested, something I feel is lacking in their lives – the ability to dress animals properly for consumption.

Finishing with dressing it out, I rinsed the carcass and handed the dressed animal to their father. Twenty minutes later, along with the hot dogs and chicken breasts, I saw the squirrel again joining the other meat on the grill.

I’ve eaten enough squirrel to have a pretty fair idea of what the result would be of putting a squirrel on the grill without any method of tenderizing it. It came off just as tough as I expected, only tastier 🙂

And the girls that killed it ate it. And liked it! 🙂

Yes, these pre-teen siblings were girls that killed, cleaned, and ate a wild animal, something most adults wouldn’t even consider under extreme circumstances, let alone on a lovely Sunday afternoon while the freezer is full of processed meats. (Good job H&H!)

There may be hope yet for our future generations, as long as we can nurture this kind of spirit. Odds are if you are reading this, you aren’t the problem, but you are part of the solution. Teach someone else how to do something to make them more self-reliant.

I’ll keep doing my part, and I hope you will too.