My Sportsman's Paradise

Lauren McKenzie


Every state in America is known for something different; Kentucky is known as the “blue grass” state, Idaho is known for their potatoes, and Florida is known for their sandy beaches and blue water. The history, population, and geographical location make every state unique in its own way. The great state of Louisiana is often known for many different things, like our ability to party all during Mardi Gras in New Orleans, our precious wetlands, our Cajun heritage, jazz music, our 1958, 2003, and 2007 Louisiana State University National Champions, our never-ending appetite, and our ability to cook some of the best gumbo in the entire South. However, movies, like “The Waterboy”, often portray Louisiana as a poor, uneducated state that eats whatever animal they run over in their car, which is certainly not the case because we hunt for our food. In my eyes, Louisiana is best defined by the Sportsman’s Paradise fleur de lis, because it is more than just a sticker people place on their vehicle; it is a symbol of Louisiana and everything it represents.
The Sportsman’s Paradise fleur de lis is shaped like a usual French fleur de lis, but instead of having three petals on top, they are replaced by a duck, fish, and buck. Hunting is a big deal in the South especially in Louisiana since we have miles and miles of open fields and woods that are a perfect location to kill a ten-point buck. We also have many rivers and lakes, but if people are not fortunate enough to live by a river or a lake, they usually dig their own pond and fill it full of bass and catfish just so they can simply go fishing. Hunting and fishing do not define the pastime of our state, but they give us a chance to spend quality time with our friends and family which creates strong bonds. My dad and I have been hunting together since I was fourteen years old, and even though I do not get to go hunting with him as much as I would like, my dad and I still have the strong bond we had five years ago. We would leave at three o’clock every Friday afternoon to go to our camp on Old River. On Saturday and Sunday mornings, we would wake up before the roosters so that we could be on our hunting stands before sunrise in hopes that the perfect deer would walk out. At the end of the day, we would share our success stories and sometimes our failures over a warm slice of pepperoni pizza and piece of fried chicken.
The fleur de lis itself symbolizes our French heritage, just like how our state is divided into parishes and not counties. Without our French heritage, we would not have the same culture we have today or the delicious foods we enjoy, like jambalaya, gumbo, etouffee, and crawfish bisque. The fleur de lis also represents our own National Football League team, the New Orleans Saints. Even though they do not always win every football game, they try their best every time they walk onto the field. All in all, the Louisiana Sportsman’s Paradise fleur de lis is more than just a symbol; it is a way of life.