Ohio Mum Takes Toddler Deer And Rabbit Hunting To ‘Normalise’ Killing

A woman who takes her two-year-old daughter hunting in an effort to ‘normalise’ killing has hit back at critics calling her a bad mum. 

Beka Garris, from Ohio, USA, is a stay-at-home mum who grew up spending much of her time outdoors, having taken up hunting when she was just 10 years old.

Keen to pass on the tradition, Beka wasted no time in getting her young daughter Isabella accustomed with the nature of killing, and the pair have since harvested both deer and rabbit on their outings.

Discussing how the hobby came about, 31-year-old Beka said:

My dad is an avid hunter and so he started taking me along when I was ten. Hunting and fishing became a huge part of my childhood. Now we go at least several times a week during open season spending a few hours in the woods.

Hunts with my daughter can be shorter than if I went alone as I want to make sure she’s enjoying herself and stays comfortable in the weather.

Hunting is a controversial sport as it is, but many social media users have been appalled at Beka’s decision to introduce Isabella to hunting at such a young age. Pictures show the youngster alongside some of the kills, though it’s tough to know whether she can actually comprehend what’s happened to the animals.

However, the mum has argued that every parent should be able to raise their children how they see fit, and she backed up her claim by pointing out that ‘hunting with children of all ages is something our ancestors did all the time’, therefore it should not be seen as ‘shocking’.

Beka said she chooses to ignore the critical comments aimed at her, and stated that her decision is strengthened by the fact that her daughter ‘loves’ accompanying her.

She added:

We love spending time in the outdoors learning about nature.

Exposing a child to the outdoors and hunting at a young age will only help them create a stronger bond with nature. They will be raised thinking these activities are normal – as it should be.

I refuse to apologise for teaching my child that food comes from the woods, water, and the garden.

As well as getting outdoors, the mother enjoys hunting because it allows her to know where her food is coming from, and because she gets a ‘certain satisfaction’ from the time and effort put into her kills.

She commented:

Wild game is something you rarely find in a grocery store and it’s both delicious and better for you. Conservation plays a big role in why I hunt too.

We field dress, skin, and cut up our animals. I’ll save the skull and some bones to bleach and create artwork. Feathers and hide are then kept to create a wall hanging or clothing. Meat is cleaned, cut up, and then frozen for future meals.

Beka admitted that her decision to display her kills is something not everyone may understand, but she claimed it ‘shows respect to the animal’ by allowing her to ‘remember’ it and ‘appreciate its beauty’.

The 31-year-old hopes her story will inspire other parents to ‘include their children more in the outdoors’, and said that while you can’t ‘expect all hunts to be successful’, what matters ‘are the great memories you take away’ from the experience.

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