This may have been in here before but....
When did you start taking your little one('s) hunting? What kind of exposure did you give them in the beginning?
When to start taking them out?
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one shot scott
- Posts: 7033
- Joined: Wed Sep 10, 2008 10:20 pm
- Location: Ontariooh ohh
I just bought a blind so that my oldest can come out with me. I think some even start younger, but even at 7 I know my son will be hard to keep occupied for an extended lenght of time.
Maturity of the child I think. Some can go earlier, some later. If I harvest a deer with him there will be nothing I hide from him. He will see the whole process.
Now my other kids I start slow just by showing them a deer I take home, carefull not to show major blood stains or empty abdomen. Just to get them used to seeing a deer first!
Maturity of the child I think. Some can go earlier, some later. If I harvest a deer with him there will be nothing I hide from him. He will see the whole process.
Now my other kids I start slow just by showing them a deer I take home, carefull not to show major blood stains or empty abdomen. Just to get them used to seeing a deer first!
*thumbhole vixen*original relayer*y25relayer*matrix380-
My son is 4 and asks me everyday if he can come hunting with me. When I went to wake him uo for school this morning I found him with his whole body under his comforter.
I asked him "what are you doing" he said quiet dad I'm in my blind theres a doe Can I shoot her? Ofcourse I had to get into the "blind" and he shot the "doe".
Does that mean he is ready for the real thing, I wish but I know there is no way he could sit out there for any period of time. I will bring him out for tukey this spring for sure!
I asked him "what are you doing" he said quiet dad I'm in my blind theres a doe Can I shoot her? Ofcourse I had to get into the "blind" and he shot the "doe".
Does that mean he is ready for the real thing, I wish but I know there is no way he could sit out there for any period of time. I will bring him out for tukey this spring for sure!
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Phoenix_Tom
- Posts: 437
- Joined: Tue Oct 28, 2008 10:09 am
- Location: Eastern Ontario
One Shot Scott hit the nail on the head: it depends on the maturity of the child. It depends too on what you think they can handle. For me that meant my son could join me at 5, but my daughter wasn't ready until she was around 7. You want them to enjoy the experience - not get traumatized by it!
When I started taking the kids out hunting I handled it like I did with fishing. Not too much at first, distractions for when they got bored, stopping if they got really bored, cold etc. You've got to have snacks, extra clothing or heat if they're cold, Kleenex etc. Some guys have toys in the ground blind with them to keep the kids entertained.
Good luck!
When I started taking the kids out hunting I handled it like I did with fishing. Not too much at first, distractions for when they got bored, stopping if they got really bored, cold etc. You've got to have snacks, extra clothing or heat if they're cold, Kleenex etc. Some guys have toys in the ground blind with them to keep the kids entertained.
Good luck!
Last edited by Phoenix_Tom on Mon Nov 23, 2009 8:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
2008 Phoenix w/ Varizone Scope
FFF String (Boo string wannabee)
Groundpounder Mount
Bushnell Yardage Pro Scout RF
NAP 125g Spitfires
Firebolts and 2216s
FFF String (Boo string wannabee)
Groundpounder Mount
Bushnell Yardage Pro Scout RF
NAP 125g Spitfires
Firebolts and 2216s
Had my 4 yr old with my in the blind for turkeys this spring. Was fun, but I don't think he's ready for anything longer than an hour or two. I definitely need to use the blind for him.
Sad to say, but right now I'm a bit selfish about my time in the woods. I'm with him almost all day and as much as I love him I enjoy the time alone. It's nice not to be responsible for someone else all the time. Nice to have my physical space. Nice not too worry about it being "too quiet". lol
Having said that, I guess I should really make an effort to take him along again one of these days.
Sad to say, but right now I'm a bit selfish about my time in the woods. I'm with him almost all day and as much as I love him I enjoy the time alone. It's nice not to be responsible for someone else all the time. Nice to have my physical space. Nice not too worry about it being "too quiet". lol
Having said that, I guess I should really make an effort to take him along again one of these days.
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"Team DryFire"
Vixen, Micro 315, HHA Optimizer, Boo & VixenMaster strings, Munch Mounts, Dr. Stirrup accessories.
Sent from a mobile device - So spelling and grammar may be questionable!
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"Team DryFire"
Vixen, Micro 315, HHA Optimizer, Boo & VixenMaster strings, Munch Mounts, Dr. Stirrup accessories.
My daughter is 21 months old...she watches WildTV with me, points at deer when she sees them and says "deeeeeeeeeeeeeer" (she does the same to my mount downstairs).
The funny thing is, last week she started clapping and laughing every time someone put an arrow through one. I think I may have a hunting buddy.
The funny thing is, last week she started clapping and laughing every time someone put an arrow through one. I think I may have a hunting buddy.
That is AWESOME! You need to get video of her doing that... at the very least it will be good footage to show at her wedding some day!DirtyGun wrote:The funny thing is, last week she started clapping and laughing every time someone put an arrow through one. I think I may have a hunting buddy.
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"Team DryFire"
Vixen, Micro 315, HHA Optimizer, Boo & VixenMaster strings, Munch Mounts, Dr. Stirrup accessories.
Sent from a mobile device - So spelling and grammar may be questionable!
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"Team DryFire"
Vixen, Micro 315, HHA Optimizer, Boo & VixenMaster strings, Munch Mounts, Dr. Stirrup accessories.
There is a LONG LONG LONG time to go before that day happens...and plenty of ground to bury the unworthy.VixChix wrote:at the very least it will be good footage to show at her wedding some day!
I think I know a couple of guys who would help with a 'drag'.
(all said in jest...I figure one look at my gun collection and stating "if you never want to see it again, keep your hands off her" will work just fine.
)This is a video of Ben playing with one of our decoys. Ben looks a little stunned but he's concentrating on making those sounds that are supposed to be the deer grunting. (And that "lavender" he mentions is a lotion we sometimes use to help him sleep at night).
(And that "lavender" he mentions is a lotion we sometimes use to help him sleep at night). ________________
Sent from a mobile device - So spelling and grammar may be questionable!
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"Team DryFire"
Vixen, Micro 315, HHA Optimizer, Boo & VixenMaster strings, Munch Mounts, Dr. Stirrup accessories.
Sent from a mobile device - So spelling and grammar may be questionable!
---
"Team DryFire"
Vixen, Micro 315, HHA Optimizer, Boo & VixenMaster strings, Munch Mounts, Dr. Stirrup accessories.
I took my 4 year old for the first time this year, after he begged and begged. The others are accurate in saying only for an hour or so, max. I took him out a little later in the day than normal, and made sure it was mid-Oct when the temp was reasonable. Bad luck for us in that it POURED on us...but the little guy didn't complain about being SOAKED once....I was SO proud of him.
He was really good. Much quieter than I thought he'd be, but he was chatty (excited to be there), and we whispered a lot. I didn't mind the noise though, as he was having a lot of fun. We had a hawk fly into the trees we were in, had a bluejay hopping on branches in front of him (about 3 feet away), and then a squirrel jumped over his head, and knocked some water off of a branch that fell on his face (he thought that was pretty funny!).
We were there about an hour, getting pretty wet. I felt bad for the little guy, and asked him if he wanted to go home. He looked up at me with that "are you sure" puzzled look, and said "okay...we'll see the deer next time, right Dad?". I told him yes, next time. I unloaded and put my Xbow away, put my folding chair back into the bag, then asked him to stand up so I could put his chair back in the bag. As soon as he stood up and as I was putting his chair away, (I'm bent over to his level) I hear him whisper "daddy, there's a deer!". I'm thinking "did he just say what I think he said??". I lifted my head and there was a doe out in the bean field about 20 yards away from us, staring at the moving bush!
She proceeded to walk directly behind us, and got to within about 10 yards, my little boy not moving or speaking the entire time. Obviously no chance to shoot her, as my bow was put away in the case. After she walked by, I unzipped the case, and was attempting to load my bow quietly while he watched her. As I did this, he was looking around and he said "daddy, there's two more!", and sure enough a doe and fawn were coming from the other direction, and once they saw me trying to load my bow, they took off across the bean field.
Anyway, we still talk about that day, his first day in the woods, where he saw the deer before Daddy did. I'm sure it will be a day he won't forget, and will be the first of many fun and exciting days we get to spend together in the field. It was well worth sacrificing an afternoon in the field alone to take him out for this experience.
If you get the chance, take a kid hunting. I've shot one deer already, so the freezer is full. I normally get 3 deer a season, but I'm getting to the point where if we have one deer down, anything extra is gravy. I'll give up that extra hunting time to get another "prospect" out in the woods. It was very rewarding, especially when it's your own family.
Korey
He was really good. Much quieter than I thought he'd be, but he was chatty (excited to be there), and we whispered a lot. I didn't mind the noise though, as he was having a lot of fun. We had a hawk fly into the trees we were in, had a bluejay hopping on branches in front of him (about 3 feet away), and then a squirrel jumped over his head, and knocked some water off of a branch that fell on his face (he thought that was pretty funny!).
We were there about an hour, getting pretty wet. I felt bad for the little guy, and asked him if he wanted to go home. He looked up at me with that "are you sure" puzzled look, and said "okay...we'll see the deer next time, right Dad?". I told him yes, next time. I unloaded and put my Xbow away, put my folding chair back into the bag, then asked him to stand up so I could put his chair back in the bag. As soon as he stood up and as I was putting his chair away, (I'm bent over to his level) I hear him whisper "daddy, there's a deer!". I'm thinking "did he just say what I think he said??". I lifted my head and there was a doe out in the bean field about 20 yards away from us, staring at the moving bush!
She proceeded to walk directly behind us, and got to within about 10 yards, my little boy not moving or speaking the entire time. Obviously no chance to shoot her, as my bow was put away in the case. After she walked by, I unzipped the case, and was attempting to load my bow quietly while he watched her. As I did this, he was looking around and he said "daddy, there's two more!", and sure enough a doe and fawn were coming from the other direction, and once they saw me trying to load my bow, they took off across the bean field.
Anyway, we still talk about that day, his first day in the woods, where he saw the deer before Daddy did. I'm sure it will be a day he won't forget, and will be the first of many fun and exciting days we get to spend together in the field. It was well worth sacrificing an afternoon in the field alone to take him out for this experience.
If you get the chance, take a kid hunting. I've shot one deer already, so the freezer is full. I normally get 3 deer a season, but I'm getting to the point where if we have one deer down, anything extra is gravy. I'll give up that extra hunting time to get another "prospect" out in the woods. It was very rewarding, especially when it's your own family.
Korey
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longshot44
- Posts: 42
- Joined: Tue Nov 10, 2009 7:13 pm
- Location: SW Ontario
kids on a hunt
my little guy will turn 12 in January and I finally took him out recently .... but just to scout (and eliminate some rodents the easy way). He is HOOKED and says he wants to save his Christmas and birthday money to take the course before next years hunt. I was surprised at how still he was sitting, but an hour was about the limit for him (and before this I didn't think he could sit still for 60 seconds!).
Now, I need to find a bow!
So, I think you will know when they are ready .... but take them out the first time when you aren't seriously hunting ..... shoot small game and see how they react.
Now, I need to find a bow!
So, I think you will know when they are ready .... but take them out the first time when you aren't seriously hunting ..... shoot small game and see how they react.