This Maine six-year-old loves rabbit hunting!

rabbit Laurelai (Tim Wonslow)When Tim Winslow sent me photos of his six-year-old daughter Laurelai with her gun and rabbit, I was entranced. So I asked Tim to write a story about their rabbit hunting experiences. And much to my delight, he asked Laurelai to write the story. And here it is!

Laurelai’s Rabbit Hunt

Hi, my name is Laurelai Winslow and I’m six.  We were sitting at the kitchen table when my Dad said, “What do you want to do tomorrow?”  And I said we would go bunny hunting tomorrow!

So the next day, we got my gun and we got dressed.  We got out of our PJs and got our masks.  Then we got in the truck and got to the place where we hunt the rabbits and we walked and walked and walked.

And then there was a bush.  The bush had a white glob that was the bunny.  We got the bipod down and set the gun down on the bipod.  I was pointing at the rabbit.  My Dad shaked the sticks.  I shot and I shot and I shot and I shot and I shot and I shot!  Now this was the last time that I just shot.  I shot it in the heart and it was dead.

We went and got it from its spot.  Now my dad hanged it on a tree and we got seven steps away from it.  I said that I wanted the bunny.  I did not want it in the tree because I really, really, really wanted my bunny because I missed it cause I really loved it.

And now we are going home.  We got in the truck.  We went to the store and I got hot cocoa and my dad got coffee.  Now we went home for real.  Now we are going to skin my rabbit.  A lot of it.  Now we are going inside but before we go inside we have to cut the head off.  Now we can come inside.  That’s the end of the story.  The End.

Another Story

Wait, because there is another bunny story with me!  Now we can start this story.  I was in school.  It was a lot of fun at school.  I came home on the bus and I wanted to go hunting.  So we got my gun and we got our masks.  We got our camo.  Now we get in the truck.  We are here.

We get our stuff out and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk!  And the last walk and we walked.  Now we are going to head back to the truck.  I am playing on the airplane (which was really a log).  Now we are headed back to the truck.  We make sure that it is a rabbit and get the shooting sticks down.  We get the gun down and I put the scope on it.  I shoot.  I shot it in the heart and now it is dead.

It was just one shot this time.  I was really, really, really, really, really happy, happy, happy.  My dad did a somersault!  Now we take pictures and now we are going to the truck.  Now we are to the truck.  Now we are home and we are skinning it.  We salt it.  Now we wash it.  Now we dry it.  Now it is done!  My Mom took it to work and I have one too.  I shot two!  My story is done.  The End.

AND! We ate hopper poppers.

Up Next

Lauralei is now out turkey hunting. Let’s hope she’ll have another story for us soon!

George Smith

About George Smith

George stepped down at the end of 2010 after 18 years as the executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine to write full time. He writes a weekly editorial page column in the Kennebec Journal and Waterville Morning Sentinel, a weekly travel column in those same newspapers (with his wife Linda), monthly columns in The Maine Sportsman magazine, two outdoor news blogs (one on his website, georgesmithmaine.com, and one on the website of the Bangor Daily News), and special columns for many publications and newsletters. Islandport Press published a book of George's favorite columns, "A Life Lived Outdoors" in 2014. In 2014, George also won a Maine Press Association award for writing the state's bet sports blog. In 2016, Down East Books published George's book, Maine Sporting Camps, and Islandport Press published George and his wife Linda's travel book, Take It From ME, about their favorite Maine inns and restaurants.