Hunting with Children

[WOOKIE]

This will be my first year taking my 5 year old daughter hunting with me. She is really excited about it.

What kind of preperations do you all make to take children in the field?

I have a Doghouse Pop up blind so that I can conceal her movements a bit. what else do you recomend?

[jackal]

I took my 4 yearold out scouting with me and got close to game to see if he would be quite or go crazy when the game got close its a great way to teach them. He did so good I took him out for and elk with me we called a 5x4 bull to 12 yards and my son never made a sound after the elk left he sure was excited its a blast with the kids just to see there face light up when an animal come in close.

[Dillershortbow]

I take my grandson out with me he`s 4 but its impossible for him to keep from talking his mouth goes steady.

[Kirby]

I've taken several kids out ranging from 7-14, none were mine(bit young still 24) usually the fathers are interested, and I invite them, and their kids along, keep the hunts short, lots of clothes if its morning, and with the young kids, you need something to keep their attention if nothing is happenning, Game boy, etc if the volume is off. Basically pick a stand with lots of action, not the trophy stand, just get them hooked on seeing the game, and the patience, and love will follow.
Thats my .02

Kirby

[Grunter]

I actually take my wife along scouting quite often, when I'm checking out prairie/parkland zones which are not too far out of the way from our place. She has real sharp, far-sighted vision and has a lot of fun picking our animals and then watching them for a while. Can't get her interested in glass-scoring animals but its still fun. She's got athsema so I don't take her into the foothills/forest reserve spotting because she runs out of steam pretty easy.

One of my brother in-laws' nephews whose 3 was introduced to his first hunting trip last year. He watched his dad skin the deer and now everytime he sees a deer in the wild he says 'Peel!' he wants his Dad to skin the deer! Talk about a natural born hunter!

[WOOKIE]

Last fall Ariana was right there when I butchered both my animals. She was a little apprehensive at first, but that went away quickly.

[noobarcheryhunter]

gotta be the best thing a child can learn....thats where our ancestors came from.. to me thats the best thing anyone can learn. for sure the first thing i teach my son or daughter is how to hunt. lol even before they can talk or walk haha. i always had a dream, i wish that i was in the medieval age where the only weapon available was the bow... could master the art. hmmm wierd dream but meh w/e.

[LadyArcher]

My husband & I have been taking both kids since they were 4 & 5.....our daughter prefers a blind but will sit in a tree stand...our son on the other hand has been useing a self climber now for 2 yrs...he is now 10....Nathan (son) & Robin(husband) go up the tree & the same time & sit side by side...Nathan has sat as long as 5hrs...9 times out of 10 he spots the game 1st...when he gets bored he plays his gameboy with no volume....he cannot wait for his 12th b-day.

[willyqbc]

SNACKS....take lots and lots of SNACKS!!!! I swear sometimes my kids go just for the goodies their mom packs in their lunches :) Only thing worse than a bored kid is a bored kid who's hungry and thirsty!!!

Chris

[mooseman]

My dad always takes me hunting with him.

[mooseman]

We alway see something thats interesting when i go. I learn allot about wild life and the out doors.

[WOOKIE]

Thanks for the tips everone. They are great. Ariana is really excited! She wants to go moose hunting with me...lol

[Taxman]

This is the reason why I purchased a bow.

I only have a rifle and can't hunt with it where I live. Instead, I turn it into 10 days away with my good friend. I'd love to take my boys with me, but it's just too far away and would mean a week out of school.

I will probably take them for the week some time, but now I can hunt short periods with them only a hop, skip and jump away from home.

No missed school and a chance to learn something new!

Mike

[mooseman]

give your kid something that will keep them bise

[Captainkip]

I have taken my girlfriends son out with me grouse hunting a few times. He is eight. The first grouse I got with him and his sister (11) was interesting....when I pulled out the breast I thought they were going to puke. I am having troubles with getting them to try the meat on grouse and other game. The boy seems to think that he can just shoot something and leave it there. I have alot of work to do with him, he says he wants to hunt but i dont think that he realizes the responsibility that goes along with it. I want to teach him this and I know it will take time.

He has a Brave bow and likes to shoot it, so we target practice alot and it is fun, the daughter also shoots it and is quite good. Anything that I can do to get them out from infront of the T.V. They always say that they are bored so I get them out shooting, scouting, fishing anything to get them out of the house and some times there is alot of resistance. Then the frustration sets in because they dont do well with the bow or they dont catch fish or see any game, or get bored. I just tell them that what is important is just being out and being able to enjoy nature. We went canoeing this summer and saw a bear crossing the river. We got quite close and they seemed excited but two minutes later were bored again. I think the bear was awesome for them to see and I hope that it is something that they will not forget. Its like they like doing these things but then they dont, who knows, maybe I just dont understand children but im trying. I just feel really fortunate that my dad and my grandpa took me out when I was young and I learned so much from them. I just want my girlfriends chidren to have the same opportunities to decide if they like that sort of things and to learn about nature and themselves. I love them but sometimes feel like :bash:

[lethalconnection]

I remember my fist hunts the thing that got to me the most was the cold, hungry and being bored. So i would suggest lots of layers and those pocket warmers you can pick up at your outdoor store, bring lot's of snacks, and to get them hooked onto hunting try to take them somewhere where they will see lots of game or just bring a gameboy. Also if your a stalking type of hunter stop frequently because i know my dad would ask if i was tired i was but i would still say no because i would be to excited to get to the hunting spot. Now i cant wait untill my nephew is old enough so i can take him hunting.

[kakko]

Hats off to adults who are passing along the great outdoors to the younger generation.

I was at a my kids scout weekly meeting the other nite and a bunch adults stood crowded at the door waiting for the meeting to ajourn, the subject came up about how map reading and compasses being used are good education. A comment was made how it would help during hunting, I was so shocked I almost fell over that most of the adults were against taking children hunting as they felt it was to dangerous for children, but in the same breath it was ok to send kids winter camping, and ice fishing.

Just my opinion but if a younge child is taught and mentored by a responsable adult and taught the saftey and rules, hunting is not just about killing game but the whole sport from learning about nature and respecting it.
All of my children have been taught about weapons, the forest, fishing and hunting and camping from very younge ages they consider it a part of our life.

I f more parents would start children at younger ages I'm sure there would be a lot less conversations like the one the other nite

[Valley Lad]

I'm gonna start taking my 5-yar old daughter out scouting or to help put up tree stands this year. If I took her out hunting I'd need to be in a soundproof box - If her eyes are open her lips are moving!!

She has expressed interest in hunting with me when she gets bigger. I'll buy a camo tent by the time she's 7 or 8 so she can come out with me. I showed her the doe I shot with my bow this year and she insisted on seeing where the arrow went in and I had to explain how and why I gutted it. She was totally cool with it!

I agree with the other posts - anything to get them outside and away from the TV is a good thing.

[Mikey]

screw you guys ... my girl is two ...thats at least 2-3 more years untill scouting ....let alone actual hunting

[kakko]

this a photo of my kids at ages 4 and 3 they are now 10 and 11 this pic their first time moose hunting they saw it go down and were all to eager to help out not much they could do. my daughter will be 12 this spring and is eager to take her hunter apprenticeship course that is offered here in ontario, my son thinks 12 is to old since he has to wait 1 more year.

[Recurve Girl]

That's a pic of me and my bro when I was four.Nothing is wrong with children hunting..as long as they have there parents keeping them safe everything is fine.I watched a bull go down this summer with my father.Children should have the experience of hunting with there family.

[Huntingalberta]

Hunting with yur kids is a must with my september birthday i ended up out there in my first yr although its a lil unorthodox to take a kid out thats a month old it obviously worked for me cuz i eat sleep and breath hunting and the outdoors and from the age 2 up i have pictures of myself with a bull moose, some deer or elk from every year after that got to love hunting in Alberta.

[Mikey]

well my girl is now 4 and has an active interest in hunting and fishing .... shes been fishing for a while now ..... she has 2 channels that she watches on TV ....546 and 456 ...Treehouse and WILD .... good combination for a kid I suspect.

Paige and I are going scouting this spring ...Gonna get me a good pop-up blind to conceal movement as well as act a bit to keep heat in.

and I figger it was a good time to bring this thread to the top

[mooseman]

Im 13 and i love hunting but when i was younger my dad let me take my game boy and just turned off the volume, so i kept me busy and quiet.

[BIGHORN]

IMG_0051.JPG This is my son Memphis he was 26 months old in this picture and this is his second Goose season!!!

[scooter]

Here ya go Al!

[BIGHORN]

Thanks Scooter!!!!:D

[scooter]

Thanks Scooter!!!!:D
No worries!

[jimhenderson]

3067Make things fun, remember when the young'uns come out to play its all about the smiles.

[jimhenderson]

Oh3069 ya , got this one yesterday.3069

[jimhenderson]

Here's another!3088