>...why does
>the dad need to encourage
>him to shoot if he
>knew he was on public
>land then the kid would
>just shoot at the deer
>the wouldn't need to be
>any encouragement...
Have you ever taken a kid (12-16 years old) hunting? Every time I've been with a young hunter, the first thing they say when they see a buck is "Should I shoot it?" The excitement and uncertainty of the situation often does require "encouragement" from a seasoned hunter, and they are often hesitant to pull the trigger, for a number of reasons. They may be unsure if they are within range, unsure if they should try to get closer, unsure if it is big enough to hang a tag on, etc. This is how I interpret the article's usage of "encouragement".
It may sound like I am sticking up for the guy's actions, but I'm not. Every hunter should know when they are on private property, and respect it. I do however believe that the only things he did wrong were to shoot from the road and to mistake private land for public. The article is pretty vague on all details, but I don't think that he is dragging his kid through the dirt to cover himself, or he wouldn't have mentioned "his encouragement" at all, but just said something along the lines of "The boy shot it, he's the one you want, not me!"
