Missouri City Teen Awarded Texas Wildlife Youth Volunteer of the Year
Hunter Farber on a fishing trip. He has been a member of the Texas Youth Hunting Program since he was 8 years old.
Hunter Farber is a hunter who likes the
quiet of the country
By Cindy Ziervogel
Hunter Farber’s patience is as evident in conversation as it is in his experience with the Texas Youth Hunting Program (TYHP).Hunter is 13 and has been an active member of the program since joining as an 8-year-old. He speaks with measured clarity about his love of the outdoors and weekend hunting trips. He even looks forward to all of the preparation and work that goes into them.
“I feel happy and peaceful because it’s quiet in the country,” said Hunter. He’s already participated in 30 hunts and volunteered 700 hours of his time in the past 3 years. He doesn’t even mind the pre-dawn wake up call. Yet it’s all been a labor of love for Hunter who recently received the 2011 Texas Wildlife Association Youth Volunteer of the Year Award.
Staff members of the Texas Wildlife Association (TWA), the parent organization of the youth hunting program, nominate the kids and then vote to select a winner. Jerry Warden, Executive Director of TYHP, believes it was Hunter’s eager dedication to the program from a very young age that was so impressive.
“He is an exceptional young man. He chose to serve and educate others. At his young age, he serves as a role model and mentor,” he said. “It’s nice to see youth that are willing to give their time to help others. While others focus on themselves and having fun, he focuses on how he can help to make outdoor experiences into memories of a lifetime.”
Besides going on the actual hunts, Hunter typically assists in the necessary but sometimes menial jobs like loading and unloading supplies, preparing meals and washing and cleaning. In addition to all the work he does on the hunting weekends, he’s also volunteered at Houston Livestock Show events and summer camps.
Hunter is home-schooled and lives in Missouri City with his dad Todd, his mom Sabrina and his younger siblings, Wyatt, Lexi and Zoe. While it might be more typical for a 13-year-old to want to spend free time on self-absorbing activities or the latest craze, Hunter has the right amount of patience and determination to be successful in any pursuit. He’s proven to be a responsible hunter. And he doesn’t mind all the time and energy it takes to be a good volunteer. After logging hundreds of hours, it’s quite clear to him the reason he volunteers.
“It helps other people who don’t have as much as you do,” he said.
Hunter has found a side benefit to being a member of TYHP — he now has a career goal. He’s been around animals so much that he wants to be a large animal veterinarian. He thinks he would make a good vet because he likes and respects animals and knows all about their anatomy.
According to Jerry, the youth hunting program is much more than just hunting.
“It’s a total outdoor experience centered around safe and ethical hunting. It often times is a youth’s first real exposure to the outdoors, especially for many inner-city kids who, to them a city park is the closest thing they have to experiencing the outdoors.”
The program allows participants to learn how to camp, cook, understand and play an active role in wildlife management, experience nature, appreciate land stewardship, hike and explore.
Jerry said that to date the program has produced approximately 17,000 safe, educated and ethical hunters at the rate of over one thousand a year.
Hunter’s dad leads many youth hunts,
“It’s a learning lesson throughout the entire weekend,” said Todd, who joined the organization when his oldest son Cody, now 20, was Hunter’s age. “Safety is the number one priority.
Todd is proud of Hunter’s dedication.
“All the hours spent volunteering, the satisfaction Hunter gets is from helping other kids he doesn’t know.”
Hunter Farber says he doesn’t even mind the pre-dawn wakeup call on a weekend hunting trip.
Things To Know About Texas Wildlife Association (TWA)
From their website, texas-wildlife.org :
1. The association was formed in 1985 by a group of ranchers, wildlife managers and hunters dedicated to the conservation, management, and enhancement of wildlife and wildlife habitat on private land.
2. TWA is a nonprofit membership organization that actively advocates for wildlife and natural resource conservation at the local, state, and national levels.
3. The Texas Youth Hunting Program was established to increase the numbers of youths participating in wildlife and hunting activities. The Texas Wildlife Association (TWA) and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) have joined forces to offer youth hunts that are safe, educational and very affordable.
