Jonathan Watts

Dear Carolina Sportsman Magazine,

My name is Jonathan Watts, and I would love to have this story or at least the pictures or at least a picture added to your Carolina Sportsman magazine. Is there any way you can let me if and when this would be featured in your magazine? I would love to give these boys a magazine, that includes their hunting story, to remember the hunt by!

I have included a narrative below, along with a few pictures from the hunt.

HUNTING STORY BELOW:

On November 30, 2024, I (Jonathan Watts) took my son, Logan Watts (age 9), and his cousin, Cam Roddey (age 12) squirrel hunting in Lancaster County, SC. It was a beautiful, yet Chilly, November day, which made for an amazing hunt. We saw a bunch of squirrels during the hunt, and Logan and I each bagged a squirrel. Logan’s squirrel was the first squirrel of his short hunting career, and is super excited to go again soon! I also had a great time, and can’t wait to go with them again! I couldn’t stop smiling and thinking about it, after Logan killed his first squirrel ever. Definitely a proud father moment!

Logan was able to bag his squirrel on his first shot, with a Savage 17 HMR (93R17). I sent his picture to everyone I thought would be remotely interested, and to some who probably had zero interest. Everyone sent their congratulatory messages, along with comments about how big the squirrel was that Logan had killed! It was a perfect head shot, which made me proud, both as a father and an avid hunter myself. He immediately gave me a fist bump, and was smiling from ear to ear, as was I. For the next 30 minutes or so, I continued to turn around and give him fist bumps and high fives, while trying to get Cam a decent shot on a squirrel of his own. Cam wasn’t as lucky as Logan. He had a couple of very close but errant shots, which were clean misses. This was Cam’s first time squirrel hunting, and also his first time hunting, period. Even with the misses, he still had a great time and couldn’t stop talking about the hunt. Cam was sad about his missed opportunities, but immediately wanted to practice shooting, which we did. He is also excited about going again, soon!

I take pride in getting young kids involved in hunting and fishing, especially when it’s my own son. It’s important for me to instill the safety and core values involved with being a hunter into these kids, and I hope they carry this on for generations to come. I told the boys that we had to eat anything we killed, and that we were going to eat it that night, which we did. The boys agreed, even though Logan has a very limited diet of chicken nuggets, corn dogs, and hamburgers. Literally those three things, along with a bunch of snacks that are horrible for you. The boys were also involved in every aspect of cleaning and processing the squirrels, which involved a few gags and a lot of curious discussions between the two of them. It was a great teaching moment, and their curiosity about everything made it even better!

I didn’t expect the boys to enjoy the meal as much as they did. However, it was a huge hit with them! They absolutely loved eating the squirrel, and want to go hunting again soon, so they can eat more of it. They couldn’t stop telling me how good it was, including the following morning, when you could tell the hunt and the meal was still heavy on their minds. Seeing them enjoy wild game as much as they did also made for another proud moment for me! They understand that they are expected to and will eat every animal they decide to take, as any true sportsman should.

For me, hunting is not about trophies, even though they are nice when you get them. Hunting is about family, friends, and creating memories that last forever and can be passed down for generations. This hunt brought back a lot of memories of my childhood, and allowed me to reminisce about hunts with my dad, grandfather, uncles, and cousins. Those were some of the best times of my life! I have told many of those stories to my son, and it was great to create one of these memories with him, this past Saturday. Hopefully, one day they will be writing a similar story to the Carolina Sportsman magazine about hunts with their on children! If and when that happens, I will consider myself successful in passing on the core values of a hunter, conservationist, and avid Carolina Sportsman!

END OF STORY

Thanks, in advance, for your time and consideration for your magazine. I look forward to hearing a response, from you guys. If you use this story, please proofread it first, and make changes as you see fit! Also, I am not currently a subscriber, but would like to become one, now, especially if you guys can feature this story or pics in your magazine, in any way. Please let me know if this is possible.

Thanks,

Jonathan Watts
Outside Sales Representative
Winsupply (Lexington, SC)
367 Porsche Drive
Lexington, SC 29072
C: 803-280-2444
O: 803-951-2288
jpwatts@winsupply.com