The first thing you need to know about this recipe: This recipe makes a lot of Gumbo!

I always loved being with my dad, hunting as a kid, but I had no idea how important those precious hours were until many years later holding Robbie in my arms the first time. My Father knew those many deer season ago then what I know know: those days in the woods together are what life as a family is about.

And whether or not a shot rings out on this opening morning at the Narrow Gate Farm, I know I am doing my part this weekend in paying back the generations of the past. I’ll be forging the next link in the chain as I pass down the same passions and knowledge my father handed over to me.

But then soon after our fears began boiling over, a peace brought us back to a simmer. We both recalled that over the last year, I was able to harvest 4 deer and we had a freezer almost entirely stocked with ground meat, steaks, sausage and jerky. The provision we were blessed with left us prepared for the worst of days. I suppose we’ve always stocked the freezer for this very reason, but in the fear and anxiety felt in the early days of food-shortages, we had forgotten that we were already prepared.

The generational connection between outdoors enthusiasts, hunters and the like creates a comradery bonded by passion and gratitude for what we’ve been given.