A Father’s Quiet Message: You Belong Here

By: Paige McMahon

I grew up in a hunting and fishing family. I used to joke that, since one of my grandfathers owned a fish market and bait shop and the other owned a marina, I was destined for a life on the water. Spending time fishing from a boat was a pivotal part of my childhood. So was waterfowl hunting.

I know many lifelong sportswomen talk about being excluded from certain parts of the outdoor world. While I’ve encountered that mindset around me, it was never something my dad or brother projected onto me. If I showed an interest, I was included. It was that simple. Today, I’m a woman who helps other women venture into the outdoors, and I’m raising my three kids to feel confident in themselves as they enter the sporting world.

I know in particular, many women have been excluded from deer camps or other hunting traditions. That was never my experience. My dad is a co-owner of a duck camp that we visited every Thanksgiving weekend while I was growing up. The first year I said I wanted to go, an extra bunk was added so there would be room for me. I attended that camp for countless years—sometimes for just a day, sometimes for the entire weekend with the boys. It was always my choice how I participated.

Then something truly special happened—something I didn’t fully appreciate until a few months ago when I was looking through old hunting photos.

Over the years, we made plenty of updates and repairs to the camp, and at one point the walls needed to be painted. That year, my dad brought along the leftover dark bubblegum pink paint from my bedroom. He painted the corner of the camp where I slept pink. At the time, I thought he was just being funny. As an adult, though, I now know he was sending a clear message: I belonged in that camp, and no one could tell me otherwise.

So on this Father’s Day, I want to say thank you to all the fathers who have invited their daughters along, even when it meant a slower hunt, a shorter fishing trip, or a little extra patience. It matters more than you know.

And I hope stories like this inspire the next generation to make room for everyone in the outdoors.