At 11 years old, LJ Garret Was Born to Hunt
Story | Photos by Eric N.T.O Morris
It’s not every day that we see an 11-year-old kid jump out of bed at 4am to go hunting, especially when the thermometer only peaks out at a bone-chilling eight degrees. But that’s exactly what happens when Fernandus Garrett, Jr., known to friends and family as LJ, gets an invitation to go hunting. Hunting since the age of seven, LJ can be best described as an All-American boy that lives to hunt, fish, and explore the outdoors.
“I love hunting and shooting. I like shooting rifless more, but I also like shooting shotguns” LJ shared as he and his dad spoke via Zoom from the cab of his father’s 18-wheeler tractor-trailor. “I want to be able to feed my family in case life goes out, and nobody has money anymore. I want to be able to go out and hunt deer, turkey, and catch fish.”
Unlike most kids that hunt, LJ does not come from a hunting family. His introduction to hunting and firearms began in 2020, at the tender age of seven, when his father brought him to participate in a youth rabbit hunt. Although he didn’t shoot a rabbit, the fire was immediately lit within him. It’s not clear if it was the running of the rabbit dogs, the thrill of the hunt, or the fact that he, as a second grader, was walking through the woods toting a .410 shotgun, but his first experience was enough to make him want to hunt again.
Since that first experience, LJ has hunted turkey, deer and more rabbits. In March 2024 he went on his first quail hunt and harvested his first quail. Although he has fired 12 gauges, 20 gauges, and .410, he says that the .410 is his favorite shotgun gauge to shoot.
“The .410 is just natural to me. It’s my favorite gun of all.” LJ revealed, as he recalled his first time shooting clays, with a .410, where he outshot everyone that competed against him.
An intellectual sponge and super competitive, LJ soaks up every drop of hunting knowledge that he can get. It doesn’t matter if it’s about tracking, information on guns, hunting techniques, differences between dog breeds, or identifying animal sounds, he wants to learn it all.
When asked about what he wanted to be when he grows up, LJ replied, “I want to be an underwater welder or work in the wildlife community when I grow up. Hunting has played a big part in my life by giving me good feelings about being safe with guns, and confidence in myself that I may get a bird, a deer or a rabbit.”
While LJ’s father, Fernandus Garrett, doesn’t hunt, he shared that LJ’s introduction to hunting has drawn the two closer, due to his son’s excitement about hunting and responsible gun handling. “I was amazed at the drive and hunger my son has towards hunting or whatever he’s introduced to, he tries to be the best at it, whether it’s hunting, fishing, mud riding, or learning about guns. He’s super competitive and is always challenging me to a competition of some sort, and just the other day when we were in the grocery store looking at turkeys, LJ said “Daddy you don’t have to buy that turkey, I’ll just go out and hunt one”
Yes, some kids are born to hunt as is evident by LJ’s fascination and love for the outdoors and hunting at an early age. Before our conversation ended, LJ expressed his gratitude and thanks for the opportunities he’s been given to hunt. He also learned that someone had just donated a vintage .410 pump action shotgun to him. He immediately had a question. “I’m happy to hear that I will be having my own shotgun. When are we going quail hunting again?” Some kids are born to be hunters indeed.
Eric”N.T.O” Morris lives outside of Atlanta, GA and is a writer, avid hunter, mentor, and host of N.onT.ypical Outdoorsman TV. He has been a hunter for 40 years and has introduced more than 100 people to the sport of hunting. His television show reaches 74,000 households each month and has inspired thousands to start hunting. Retired from the U.S Army at the rank of Major, Eric spends most of his time teaching others how to hunt. Eric has hunted 21 of the 50 states and South Africa. He has been listed in Marquis’s Who’s Who in America for his work as a hunter and mentor, and for his efforts to diversify the American hunting and outdoor scene. In 2021 he was selected as Georgia’s Top Hunter Education instructor and recognized as being among the Top 50 out of 55,000 hunter education instructors in America. When Eric isn’t writing, he can usually be found roaming the woods in search of a new hunting spot, or in a community teaching others to hunt. Visit the N.onT.ypical Outdoorsman TV web site at https://ntotv.com
Eric”N.T.O” Morris lives outside of Atlanta, GA and is a writer, avid hunter, mentor, and host of N.onT.ypical Outdoorsman TV. He has been a hunter for 40 years and has introduced more than 100 people to the sport of hunting. His television show reaches 74,000 households each month and has inspired thousands to start hunting. Retired from the U.S Army at the rank of Major, Eric spends most of his time teaching others how to hunt. Eric has hunted 21 of the 50 states and South Africa. He has been listed in Marquis’s Who’s Who in America for his work as a hunter and mentor, and for his efforts to diversify the American hunting and outdoor scene. In 2021 he was selected as Georgia’s Top Hunter Education instructor and recognized as being among the Top 50 out of 55,000 hunter education instructors in America. When Eric isn’t writing, he can usually be found roaming the woods in search of a new hunting spot, or in a community teaching others to hunt. Visit the N.onT.ypical Outdoorsman TV web site at https://ntotv.com
Comments