Frankfort, KY (November 8, 2004) - The Thanksgiving holiday period is a time when we reflect on our good fortune, recognize those things that are important to our personal happiness and show appreciation for good things in our lives. But it’s become a little tough to tell that’s what’s going on at Thanksgiving, hasn’t it?

For some this holiday weekend isn’t much more than a forerunner of the Christmas season these days. So many will spend most of their holiday time in a frenzy trying to find the best sale prices, scouring newspaper circulars, racking up mileage on their vehicle running from store to store and wrecking their credit card account when they get there. The most they find time to be thankful for is that they were able to scoot into a parking space ahead of somebody else that’s within a half-mile of the shopping center. Whew!

In a sportsman’s household, though, things are usually a little different. While Thanksgiving dinner always comes to mind like it does to most people, other activities used to celebrate this holiday are much calmer and more relaxed. A simple day or two in the field hunting with family and friends is the time-honored tradition most will choose if at all possible. And there’s a good reason why.

While preparing for Christmas time and getting things done is important, for those who use and benefit from the land and water’s resources, it matters that we show proper appreciation. It’s not something taken for granted, or that is brushed to the side in lieu of other priorities at this special time of year.

You can say that sportsmen and women pay for wildlife conservation and management, and to support good hunting and fishing opportunities by buying licenses, and you’d be right. Sportsmen spend much money that is aimed at that cause because they believe it worthwhile.

But, for the majority of hunters and anglers, the importance of stopping and being thankful for what these sports mean to us goes well beyond reaching in our pockets to show it – it’s an ongoing state of mind as well. We celebrate it with our families and friends at Thanksgiving time by participating in a hunt, whether for rabbits, deer, waterfowl, whatever we enjoy. Sportsmen choose to spend that free time with each other sharing the kind of enjoyment we’ve been fortunate to experience for years upon years. It’s important enough that we don’t let time set aside to say thanks pass by without thinking about it.

If you didn’t experience the anticipation as a youngster of being invited to go with the older family members on an afternoon rabbit hunt after lunch, you’ve missed a memory that’s never forgotten. It is one cherished in the sportsman’s household.

If you didn’t get to hear or tell the story about the hunt that yielded the turkey on your table, you missed sharing in thankfulness for life’s simple pleasures with ones you love. It’s a staple in the hunter’s kitchen.

If you didn’t get to see the excitement in your youngster’s eyes, and hear it in her voice, as she tells the uncles, aunts and cousins about the first deer she got, or catching her first catfish, few other things will yield you as truly thankful as a child’s happiness. There’s no "limit" on those kinds of feelings during the sportsman’s Thanksgiving family gathering.

Sportsmen have a lot of different facets of their lives, and many things to be thankful for, that just aren’t part of some households this time of year. If having more to be thankful for, more to celebrate and enjoy in future years is something you like the thought of, get your family and friends into the hunting and fishing sports. At best, get them outside doing something – anything -- in the woods or on the water. Start your own tradition and see what it brings.

It won’t take long to understand why the family Thanksgiving hunting tradition remains so strong, and it’s guaranteed that taking part in these kinds of activities year ‘round will give you more that you’ll want to stop and give thanks for season after holiday season.