Young Vermont Hunters on the Thrill of the Chase

Leila and Macy Macbeth Credit: Owen Leavey

Young Vermont hunters need a few pointers before they pick up a rifle and pursue a 10-point buck.

They first have to qualify for a license. The state requires that they complete a hunter education course to learn how to safely handle a firearm, interact with an outdoor environment, and follow hunting laws and ethics. There is no minimum age requirement, but students under 16 need parental permission.

Once they finish the course, they earn an orange card — a certificate that allows the hunter to get a license. Then, they can start chasing game. And young hunters can get a head start on the adults if they want to go after turkeys or deer during youth weekends in the spring and fall, a couple of weeks before the start of the regular hunting seasons.

“I would rather see kids out fishing and hunting than playing a video game.” Tyler Mitchell

Tyler Mitchell has taught hunter education for the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department in Williamstown. He covers firearm safety, including safe storage and muzzle control, so hunters don’t accidentally fire their guns. Mitchell said he always appreciates the chance to get young people interested in Vermont’s outdoors and its hunting and fishing programs.

“I would rather see kids out fishing and hunting than playing a video game,” Mitchell said.

One learning experience for would-be young hunters is the Green Mountain Conservation Camp, a yearly summer session run by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. Kids ages 12 to 16 participate in hands-on activities that teach firearm safety, outdoor first aid and lessons about local wildlife.

Macy Macbeth, 16, and Leila Macbeth, 14, are sisters from Milton who started hunting a few years ago. Both attended the Green Mountain Conservation Camp. Tatum Kirtlink, reporting for Kids VT as part of the Green Mountain Summer Journalism Institute, is also an avid hunter and talked with the Macbeth sisters about their love of the woods and their advice for young hunters.

What got you into hunting?

Macy: Our dad is a really big hunter, and when we were younger, he would always take us out in the woods with him. And that was always a really fun thing to do.

That’s the same exact way I got into it.

Leila: For me, being the youngest and watching Macy go out hunting, not always coming back with something or just going out for fun, helped me see that it’s not about getting something, so it helped me get into it.

I still forget that it’s just for fun and I don’t need to bring any game home. On that note, has there been a time when you wanted to give up on hunting?

Leila: I don’t know why, but there was one time we went out and didn’t see anything, but it was really miserable because it was raining a lot, so that made me want to stop. But it was just one time.

I’ve been there. I just want to go back to bed instead of sitting in the rain.

Macy: Yeah? Well, lucky for her, she can just sleep in the hunting shack. I do it all the time.

What’s your best memory of hunting or proudest moment?

Macy Macbeth with a turkey tail decoy Credit: Owen Leavey

Macy: It was when I shot my first squirrel. I had just come home from school in fifth grade. I was still in my school clothes, and I went up in the woods with my dad. He was trying to show me how to do stuff. I was like, “Let me just do it on my own.” I had my eye on this one squirrel, and I got them all on my own, and it just made me really happy.

Leila: My proudest moment was when I got my deer. I had only been up in the woods for about six hours, and we saw it come into our food plot that we put time into, which also made me really happy. But for me, it was a hard decision, thinking that I would be the one responsible for taking a life. When I pulled the trigger, I just collapsed into a puddle of tears, and then we went and tracked the deer. It was a clean shot, so it was dead right away. It only went a couple yards, but that was my proudest moment, knowing that I did a good job of taking a life.

It’s definitely something that’s a little nerve-racking when you first get into it. I’ve been hunting for four years, and I only just took my first shot and missed it. I was very disappointed.

Macy: I’ve taken a lot of shots and missed a lot of them. It doesn’t get easier. When I got my turkey, I’d had my eye on him for forever, and somebody was in our spot, so we had to go find a different spot on the fly. Right after moving, we heard a shot. I was so disappointed, because I thought somebody else must have just gotten my bird, but he was still alive. We called him up, and I almost blew it because I got too excited, but I was able to bag him. I was really happy.

What has hunting taught you?

Macy: Good things come to those who wait. Truly, truly, truly, it does. You know, Leila has been going out with Dad for longer than I have, [even before she started hunting,] so she’s done her fair share of time in the woods. It’s all just about patience and waiting for the right moment.

Leila: I used to be terrible at waiting patiently, but hunting has taught me a lot of patience and always keeping a positive mind.

When you started hunting, what are some things or people that helped you?

Macy: I’ve learned so much from my dad and my grandfather, who is even bigger into hunting, and he’s done all of these things and gone to all these places to hunt. It’s just him teaching us all of his little tips and tricks. Then, of course, just going out and having fun with friends, too.

If someone is interested in getting into hunting, what would you recommend?

Macy: I would say definitely look into Green Mountain Conservation Camp. Definitely try to do a week there.

Leila: I second that.

Macy: That was the biggest thing: Take a professional class. I mean, you have to to get your license anyway, but take it. Make the most of it. Get in touch with somebody who is willing to help you out the first couple times. Talk to your neighbors, talk to farmers. Try to find some places that you are able to hunt, like season to season, and just have fun with it.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

The original print version of this article was headlined “Thrill of the Chase | Young Vermonters talk about how they learned to hunt and why they love it”