I Am Conservation

“Our family experienced a wonderful transition over the past nine years thanks to a program provided by the Missouri Department of Conservation,” said Dan Applebaum, patriarch of the Appelbaum family, all pictured here, front row, left to right: Caroline, Madeleine, Dan, Maddie, Luke; back row, left to right: Daniel, John. “My oldest son, Daniel, now 22, was asked by a friend to attend a hunter safety course when he was 13 years old,” said Dan. “After successfully completing the week-long course during that summer, he announced to me that he would like to deer hunt. I had never hunted in my life. I told him, ‘Sorry, but you have the wrong dad for that.’” Then a coworker of Dan’s offered to take him and his son hunting on his property, and that began a nine-year immersion in all things hunting for the family. They purchased hunting gear, participated in more hunts, and eventually invested in a piece of hunting property. “To date, since my first son took the hunter safety course, 14 other relatives have taken the course and several of the girls in the family have joined in,” said Dan. “Hunting has permeated many aspects of our lives and now even our menus have changed. We have also grown in knowledge about conservation and wildlife habitat management. We have been blessed to be able to pass it on to so many, and I pray that more hunters will share these wonderful experiences with others.”

—photograph by David Stonner