Publisher's Preface

This story features a hunter whose practices—setting hundreds of traps throughout a prairie and neglecting to check them for days or weeks—do not reflect the way responsible hunters actually conduct themselves. Responsible hunters take great care to minimize animal suffering, follow ethical guidelines, and honor the stewardship God has entrusted to mankind over creation.

We want to be clear: we are not anti-hunting. Scripture affirms that God has given humanity dominion over the animals (Genesis 1:26-28). And in a fallen world, responsible hunting for food, clothing, and wildlife management remains a legitimate and necessary practice. When a deer population grows beyond what the land can sustain, or when wildlife poses genuine threats to human communities, hunting serves the created order rather than violates it.

The hunter in this story is deliberately portrayed as a worst-case example—someone who has forgotten (or never learned) the responsibilities that accompany his authority over creation. His journey toward repentance and right relationship with both the Creator and the created order is central to the story's message.

Our hope is that families reading this book together will be prompted to discuss, among many other things, what it means to exercise dominion rightly—with wisdom, care, and accountability to the One who entrusted it to us.

Soli Deo Gloria

—Mustard Seed Press