A father has explained why he is teaching his three young daughters – including a four-year-old – how to hunt and kill animals in the Australian bush.
Justin Wann, 40, regularly takes his children Emily, 12, Samantha, 10, and Sophie, four, on hunting trips in rural Queensland where they shoot animals including deer, wild dogs and feral pigs.
Mr Wann, a part-time hunting guide who documents the family’s expeditions on social media, said the girls have been joining his search for animals since before they could walk.
Justin Wann, pictured with his daughter Emily, 12, has explained why he takes he has taught his three young children how to hunt
Mr Wann’s daughter Samantha is pictured posing with a deer that was shot and killed during a family hunting trip
Samantha is pictured here with the first deer she shot and killed herself while on a hunting trip
‘Hunting for the girls is not about the kill, it’s about being out in nature and learning about the animals they hunt and the environment,’ he said.
‘They learn that it’s not just about killing, if we go out hunting just to kill then eventually there will be nothing left to hunt.
‘Animal populations need to be managed to keep herds and their environment healthy.’
The family almost entirely live off wild game, regularly eating what they shoot and kill to teach the children where their food comes from.
A recent picture uploaded online shows Samantha posing next to a deer which she shot from 45m away, before carrying the animal home.
Emily, ‘not to be outdone by her sister’, shot her first deer just weeks later, while Sophie has also been pictured practicing to shoot with a pink single shot .22 rifle.
Samantha and Emily are pictured with a wild dog that was killed during a family hunting trip
Pictured is Mr Wann’s wife Sara with their daughter Emily, who was 18-months-old at the time, posing behind a feral pigs
Emily is pictured behind a deer she shot while with her father on one of the family’s regular hunting trips
Samantha and Emily, who both first learnt to shoot with the same gun, now hunt with bolt action .243 hunting rifles.
Mr Wann learnt to hunt and shoot when he was taken on hunting trips as a child by his grandfather in western New South Wales.
‘I strongly believe in firearm education for kids, especially kids in rural areas where there is a high chance they will be exposed to guns at some stage,’ Mr Wann said.
‘If they are shown the right way to handle firearms and handle them often then this becomes second nature to them.
‘You need to take the mystery away from firearms. If they know what they are and that they are going to be allowed to handle them they are far less likely to try to do it behind your back.’
Mr Wann is pictured with his eldest daughter Emily, when she was younger, and a wild pig. He said he has been taking his children on hunting trips before they could walk
Mr Wann said going on hunting trips was not just about ‘the kill, it’s about being out in nature and learning about the animals they hunt and the environment’
Samantha is pictured when she was younger holding a dead rabbit in her hands
Mr Wann said while the family had received negative comments on their social media accounts, their posts have proved to be popular.
‘Obviously, there are those on social media that react, I think this is more from a lack of education on their behalf,’ he said.
‘I try to not let the girls see some of the comments, threats of violence towards children aren’t tolerated.’
