I Am Conservation

Columbia attorney Matt Uhrig and his daughter Cleo, 12, have been hunting ducks and deer together since she was 8. Matt says one reason he wants his children to hunt is to give them an understanding of where their food comes from. Apart from this practical aspect, his favorite part of their hunts is the opportunity for one-on-one time. “We have some of our best conversations waiting for deer or ducks to appear,” says Matt. For Cleo, it’s more about the hunt itself. “The first time she shot a deer, there was a sense of accomplishment that you only see once in a while in a kid,” says her dad. “You could tell she was very proud of herself.” Deer hunting was part of Matt’s childhood experience, but he knew little about waterfowl hunting until friends invited him to hunt with them a few years ago. Now it’s something he and Cleo both eagerly anticipate.

—photo by Noppadol Paothong