Colorado Elk hunting with youth, any advice?

[Oakman]

My boys and I are planning for youth tag 1st rifle Elk 2023. We've spent countless hours researching units,topography,statistics...etc. it's a fun family project. We are training for it and anticipating some physical limitation due to altitude, for that we are planning to arrive 2-3 days earlier to possibly acclimatize. Anyone hunted with youth before? What was your experience and how did you deal with altitude. Any other advice for hunting with youth is highly appreciated.

Thank you all in advance

 

[digger]

Remember to have fun,,,, and try not to over think every little thing

 

[cnelk]

Youth - how old are they?

 

[Oakman]

Youth - how old are they?

12 going into 13

 

[cnelk]

When I took my son elk hunting at that age, it was more about learning the wind, reading elk sign, building a small fire and even letting him take a nap if he wanted.

Let him make some decisions too

 

[cnelk]

Don’t worry. If it doesn’t pay off right away. It will eventually in a year or two.

 

[5MilesBack]

When I took one of my daughters on her first elk hunt at 16 (ML), I just made it all about her and her comfort. I even made her a port-a-potty so she'd be more comfortable with that. I didn't push her at all, and allowed her to set the pace and schedule. She shot the first bull I called in for her, on day 2 at 30 yards. She's married now but was just asking about another hunt. She's getting close on PP's to being able to draw the same tag again here in a year or two.

 

[cnelk]

Gotta keep them in the game and they will do it.

 

[ShakeDown]

My earliest memories of hunting with my father were good food and drinks, staying up late, and a general lack of the strict rules of society. Also, I started driving in the hills at about 10.

We did “hunt hard” and we did kill animals.

 

[Oakman]

Did you have issues with altitude, also we are planning on setting a base camp at around 8K feet.

 

[waitforit]

No altitude issues with my kids ever and we are from MN. I started taking my son at 8 and this will be his 4th season coming out with me. I learned that he didn't do as well with carrying a pack so I combined our day loadout into mine. The other thing was on cold mornings (~20F) hewould get cold (even though he has good boots etc) - consider buying really good down mitts and maybe even slip on boot insulators if you will be sitting/glassing. I keep a down throw in my bag too in case we hole up for awhile.

My kid likes to read, so Kindle was a good addition. Let him pick his snacks. Its ok to sleep in a little sometimes.. do not expect to sustain your same pace. If your kid is like mine, he zooms up the hills but lacks the stamina to put miles on all day long. Try to keep it fun. I would unload the rifle and let him dry fire at stuff while we were glassing.

 

[Northpark]

This is a good thread. My 9 year old asked about going on a CO elk hunt next year. I’m hesitant to take her since I don’t want her to be ruined because it wasn’t fun. She went on my coues deer hunt last year and is going again this year.

 

[Laramie]

Both of my sons have had some altitude issues. Focus on hydration starting when they wake up. From my experience if they are hydrated and not overworked early in the hunt, they do great. Showing up a couple days early isn't something we can typically do but it isn't a bad idea.

I will point out that most youth acclimate quickly. While guiding I guided several youth that didn't have any issues at all. Your kids probably won't either but staying hydrated and keeping them physically feeling good is never a bad idea. Good luck to you guys!

 

[Dos Perros]

My boy (7) had altitude issues, i.e. throwing up his dinner in the middle of the night.

Before you go, learn about the 3 different types of altitude sickness. One is fairly benign, and the other two can be very serious. If anyone experiences the benign one, and you are confident in differentiating it from the other more serious ones, then you can choose to tough it out and continue your hunt.

 

[browning2480]

Mine actually did better out in Colorado than trying to sit for hours in a stand or blind in the Midwest for Whitetails. Being able to be up moving around and putting miles on, seeing different country is perfect for Youth. I am on my third one this year. He is 13 and missed a giant buck last year, so he has a chip on his shoulder.

Never any issues with altitude coming from Arkansas. We drive out and spend the night at a hotel about an hour or so from our camp. Then head up the next day. Lots of water.

 

[Mule3006Elk]

I put in for hunting opportunity. He has hunted 4 years and harvested a WTD Buck, MD Buck, MD doe x 2, Pronghorn doe. Having the opportunity to harvest animals and keeping if fun, as much as possible, is imperative.

Set realistic expectations. Referring to the adult not the kid. It's okay to push them but pay attention to the verbal and nonverbal cues that they're checked out. Keep it fun simple.

I brought a pad so he could nap during the day if needed.

If something looks to steep or they are uncomfortable come up with a new plan.

Lots of learning and teaching. I would show him scenarios/sign/etc. and ask him what he thinks it means. Follow that up with what type of action would he take based on the data presented.

Campfires are great especially midday to warm up. My kid really liked the idea of mountain house meals. He loved his hot chocolate when we arrived back at camp. We always, to this day play war in the tent, but we usually fall asleep before a declared winner. I put a favorite candy (Kit Kat) in his food bag which he didn't know about. When snack time came he would have a nice surprise. That was a big winner! Trekking poles will make his life easier.

I bought an outdoor shower setup, put a luggable loo in their, and a buddy heater. Do the deed in comfort AND get changed with some warmth (morning and evening). He really liked that setup.

Just extra things I don't do for myself. I hunt backcountry and sleep on the mountain with basically no comforts. He likes the minimalist style now after 2-3 years of comfort hunting but I definitely wouldn't have started like that. He quickly realized trekking up and down the mountain, to camp, after several days is exhausting and he now much prefers less comfort to sleep on the mountain so he doesn't have to trek up/down to basecamp every day.

 

[Oakman]

I put in for hunting opportunity. He has hunted 4 years and harvested a WTD Buck, MD Buck, MD doe x 2, Pronghorn doe. Having the opportunity to harvest animals and keeping if fun, as much as possible, is imperative.

Set realistic expectations. Referring to the adult not the kid. It's okay to push them but pay attention to the verbal and nonverbal cues that they're checked out. Keep it fun simple.

I brought a pad so he could nap during the day if needed.

If something looks to steep or they are uncomfortable come up with a new plan.

Lots of learning and teaching. I would show him scenarios/sign/etc. and ask him what he thinks it means. Follow that up with what type of action would he take based on the data presented.

Campfires are great especially midday to warm up. My kid really liked the idea of mountain house meals. He loved his hot chocolate when we arrived back at camp. We always, to this day play war in the tent, but we usually fall asleep before a declared winner. I put a favorite candy (Kit Kat) in his food bag which he didn't know about. When snack time came he would have a nice surprise. That was a big winner! Trekking poles will make his life easier.

I bought an outdoor shower setup, put a luggable loo in their, and a buddy heater. Do the deed in comfort AND get changed with some warmth (morning and evening). He really liked that setup.

Just extra things I don't do for myself. I hunt backcountry and sleep on the mountain with basically no comforts. He likes the minimalist style now after 2-3 years of comfort hunting but I definitely wouldn't have started like that. He quickly realized trekking up and down the mountain after several days is exhausting and he now much prefers less comfort to sleep on the mountain so he doesn't have to trek up/down to basecamp every day.

That’s very nice, lots of planning and definitely paying attention to minor details.
For the outdoor shower, is it something you build or purchase, also please share a link to body heater.
I was thinking of taking a day off of our hunt to check in any near by hotel, so the kids can shower and get comfortable sleep rather than being out in the woods all that time.
I don’t know if they will be OK spending an uninterrupted week of hunt out there camping
Personally, I am ok with the very minimal, maybe I’ll just go out and try, we’ll see

 

[Dos Perros]

Good chance you'll get some crappy weather and you can head to town for a day and get some hot chow and a shower.

 

[Mule3006Elk]

That’s very nice, lots of planning and definitely paying attention to minor details.
For the outdoor shower, is it something you build or purchase, also please share a link to body heater.
I was thinking of taking a day off of our hunt to check in any near by hotel, so the kids can shower and get comfortable sleep rather than being out in the woods all that time.
I don’t know if they will be OK spending an uninterrupted week of hunt out there camping
Personally, I am ok with the very minimal, maybe I’ll just go out and try, we’ll see

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/Cabelas-easy-up-deluxe-shower-shelter-brown

I don't think this is my exact one but very similar.

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/mr-heater-big-buddy-propane-heater

Link for the heater. We would warm up the tent before going to bed but never left the heater in
the tent. Just our preference from a safety perspective. We would warm up the
shower/shelter/bathroom and that is real nice getting dressed in warmth when it's 15-25 outside.
Takes longer to do all this which is not my preference but he really liked it!!

Think of things that can go bad: too hot, too cold, feet/shoe/blister issues, cold hands and/or feet. Look into super hand warms that last 18 hours. Those bad boys put out some serious heat and can keep you kiddos real happy if it gets too cold.

I forgot, he likes Gatorade so we would add Gatorade powder packets to his water. Another winner for my kid.

Footwear: tough in the youth category in my experience. BUT...whatever shoes you get make sure they go on several 'mountain hikes' well before hunting season. This will identify hot spots, blisters, etc., that won't show up hiking on flat ground.

Good luck!

 

[cnelk]

Take lots of pics.
Both you and the son will enjoy it many years later when you keep doing it.