Did your kids end up enjoying hunting as much as you!!!??

[fulltiltaudio]

I currently have a 2 yr old son and a 6 month old daughter. I am doing everything I can to help incorporate them to the outdoors and enjoy it as much as me. I feel it is never to early to get them started. I also have heard that if both parents hunt (both my wife and I do) the kid has a 80-90% chance of hunting as well, but if only one parent hunts, those odds are knocked down to 50%
My question to you guys with kids that are teens and older, How much did you introduce to your kids when they were younger? Does your spouse hunt? How old are your kids and do they enjoy it as much as you?

I am curious to see different stats of families and the correlation between time in the field vs ending up enjoying it for life. I will do anything in my power to help my son and daughter to enjoy and respect the outdoors as much as me and my wife. But am curious as to your thoughts on how you raised your kids, vs how they ended up- AS RELATED TO HUNTING

Both my sister and I were raised almost the same, but she has minimal desire to hunt, especially as much as me. She will still go deer hunting each year, but doesnt get overly carried away, nor have the desire to learn more like me. Maybe I am an exception though, as I study hunting all year long. I am a gear nut and love learning about the best gear and trying things out.

Hope there wasn't to much rambling on and the questions were clear enough!!

 

[fulltiltaudio]

My 2 year old helping cut up elk!

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[5MilesBack]

The only time my girls got involved with it was when I was processing the meat. My middle daughter got into hunting but mostly just so we could spend quality time together doing what she knows I love. I took her elk hunting last year just for "her hunt" after finally drawing a ML tag, and she had a blast, but mostly because of the rut action and because she got a great bull. If she had to work all archery season to keep up with me in the high country, I doubt she'd enjoy it that much. My other two girls have no interest in hunting at all. But my oldest has almost 10 elk points now.......so she'll be going on an elk hunt after college whether she wants to or not.

But if I had boys, I have no doubts that they'd be avid hunters.

 

[fulltiltaudio]

The only time my girls got involved with it was when I was processing the meat. My middle daughter got into hunting but mostly just so we could spend quality time together doing what she knows I love. I took her elk hunting last year just for "her hunt" after finally drawing a ML tag, and she had a blast, but mostly because of the rut action and because she got a great bull. If she had to work all archery season to keep up with me in the high country, I doubt she'd enjoy it that much. My other two girls have no interest in hunting at all. But my oldest has almost 10 elk points now.......so she'll be going on an elk hunt after college whether she wants to or not.

But if I had boys, I have no doubts that they'd be avid hunters.

Why do you think it would he different if they were boys? Would you have done things differently, or just think it would have "stuck" with them more?

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[elkguide]

My children, 2 boys and 2 girls, all went hunting/camping with me as we grew up. My wife is a true city girl so any outdoor influence came from me. Now that they each have homes and families of their own, only my youngest son hunts. They all handle weapons well and are very accurate and competent shots. They are all campers, even more than we were when they were children but only my youngest son hunts. Fortunately for me, he lives close by so I have one great hunting buddy.

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Why do you think it would he different if they were boys? Would you have done things differently, or just think it would have "stuck" with them more?

The age old question...…. "Is there a difference in boys and girls?"

In today's politically correct world, everyone says no but I beg to differ.

My daughters are both better rifle and handgun shots than my boys. (They both can give me a run for my money and I did some competitive shooting!) However, when it comes to hunting, neither of my girls has the drive/desire to hunt. My oldest son lives in an urban area and has gotten his children so involved with sports that he doesn't have any time to even think about alone time hunting. My youngest son lives for hunting and only when his children need something is he not hunting.

 

[5MilesBack]

Why do you think it would he different if they were boys? Would you have done things differently, or just think it would have "stuck" with them more?

Probably because of the old "girls play with dolls and boys like shooting stuff". As Elkguide stated.....there is a difference. My girls are girly girls and they like girly stuff. They wear dresses or skirts most the time, and school and their activities are more important than hunting. Most boys I know would skip school for just about anything. In college I used to miss midterms and other tests while I was out for 2-3 weeks hunting during the school year. Hunting was more important to me. My girls don't even like missing when they're sick. Although one time I told them that if they were boys we'd be out making pipe bombs and having fun blowing stuff up. My oldest says "I want to blow stuff up.....why do we have to be boys to do that". "Because that's man-world stuff". She loves hearing about my seasons, but she has no interest in going hunting herself.

 

[Wirrex]

I’m curious about this as well. I’ve got 3 boys: 6, 4, and 3. I’m trying not to pressure them into the stuff I love but I do hope they end up hunting and fishing.

 

[Felix40]

Mine is only 3 but i don't think he likes anything better than hunting and fishing. He leans toward fishing right now because he can do it himself. We have hunted everything from rabbits to bear and fished for trout all the way up to handfishing for flatheads. Just have to let them have fun while you're out there even if it means you don't see any animals.


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[AK Troutbum]

I have 2 kids, a 15 yo boy and a 11 yo girl. Both of them have been fishing and rafting/camping since they were infants. My son was 3 months old when we took him on his first rafting/3 day camping trip and my daughter was 6 months old when she went on her first (she was born in late Nov. and there was no open water until May the following year). We probably go fishing, rafting/boating and camping,on average about 20 days a year. We used to do a lot more but other stuff, ie., kids sports, keep us closer to home these days.

My son has been on several remote hunts that were either accessed via float plane, tundra tire plane, or jet boat. His first big game hunt was at age 10 and I took him for 5 days up a fairly remote river, via jet boat, for caribou. He was unsuccessful on this hunt but it provided some great father/son bonding time and gave him a good idea of what hunting is all about (not just about killing things). His second hunt, at 11yo, was a late Dec. fly-out deer hunt on Kodiak, which he was also unsuccessful (more character building than anything else ). Since then he’s been fortunate enough to do another fly-out hunt on Kodiak and killed his first buck and goat at age 12, got his first moose at 14, and his first Dall sheep, this year, at age 15.

my daughter hasn’t been on a hunt yet but she is super excited to go and I plan on having her take her hunter safety course this coming spring. I’ve been putting in for miscellaneous tags for her, for the last couple years, but she hasn’t been fortunate enough to draw anything. The biggest problem that I have found with taking kids hunting is dealing with the whole school schedule. Both my kids have done a fair amount of small game hunting, on weekends and holidays, when school isn’t in session, but going on extended hunts for multiple days or even weeks, can be very problematic. I kept my son out of school once, for a week to do a 9 day hunt, and I’ll never make that mistake again. It was his first year of algebra, and it was about 2 weeks after school started, and it took him over a month, after we got back, to catch up. I would think that schools up here would be a little more accommodating for hunting, but for the most part they’re not, and I know several people who homeschool their kids simply because of that.

I’m sure there are a lot of factors involved that influence a child’s decision on whether to hunt or not and I think that exposing them to hunting, and them having positive, enjoyable hunting experiences would only increase the chance of them growing up to become hunters. I grew up in a wooded area and, although my father owned firearms, he did not hunt, and he never took me hunting. I remember him telling me, “If you want to go hunting, go, you don’t need me to take you.” I hunted a lot as a child but only small game, and it wasn’t until I was 17 that I killed my first big game animal, a small black tail buck. I very much enjoy hunting and try to do it as much as I can but the hunting influences, or lack there of, that I had as a child, have nothing to do with my passion for hunting.


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[loggerchas]

12 yo daughter has been with me in the woods from 6 months old. Better ATV (full sized) rider than most men I ride with. Goes with me hunting all of the time. She is undecided how much she wants to hunt herself but agreed to try next year. Getting her Hunter Safety is a non-discussion item because I believe with her living in a house with guns the gun safety training is essential and valuable to hear from others than just me. She cuts meat with me, cleans her own fish, hold the legs on bunnies when I dress them. My wife goes with me about every other year but could take or leave it really.

Her sister, now 25, hunts and fishes with her husband. Not a dedicated addict like her dad.....but caught the bug at least a little bit.

Hardest part of having kids in the woods is keeping decent shoes on their feet since you hate to spend a lot money on something that only last 3 months before outgrown!

 

[oakdeiros80]

I was obsessed with fishing and hunting quail with my pellet gun as a kid, as I grew up on 10 acres in coastal California. These days I'm obsessed with all things hunting, but live in a big city. My father hunted as a young man but never did when I was alive. He would take me fishing as a kid and helped me dress my first couple quail, but did not expose me to hunting or much camping. He died when I was 15, otherwise, I'm sure he would hunt with me today. My mother just wasn't comfortable with him exposing us to firearms as kids. I have exposed my 6-year-old son to quite a bit of hiking, hunting, camping, and fishing since he was two and he's super into it. It's actually amazing how comfortable he is being in the outdoors and sleeping in a tent in the middle of nowhere with me. He also loves helping me butcher meat. I'm sure much of his enthusiasm comes from me exposing him at a young age and the fact that he knows it's my passion......but I am very confident much of it is a roll of the dice. All kids come out different and there are many that will never be passionate about hunting or being in the outdoors--boys or girls.

 

[robby denning]

I started my son, Cash, by taking him along on a few half-day trips in warmer weather when he was about 7.

I did hunter safety course with him when he was 10.

Besides his .22, I cut down the stock on his grandpa's .308, reloaded some reduced load/110gr bullets and let him shoot at fun things like water bottles.

Started hunting that fall. I really tried to keep it easy on him as possible- no freezing to death killer hikes and plenty of breaks. Started him with deer and he actually tagged out on his 2nd day ever hunting. Honestly it spoiled him a bit (as in distorted perception on how hard it actually is to fill a buck tag) but that would change
[video=youtube_share;teF2fDdzacE]https://youtu.be/teF2fDdzacE[/video]

Same thing at 11 years, but I let him try elk. Didn’t get one even after five days hunting over two week period. Stayed with half day hunts as it was pretty cold for that December hunt.

Now he’s 12 with his 3rd season under his belt. Did a muzzleloader November buck hunt. He hunted 5 days over a few weeks. He saw deer every day of that, but no shots. He was tired by the time we were done and ready to quit. He is beginning to understand the work that goes into this (getting up early, hiking, cold weather. )

I did let him bring a non-hunter friend this year for two days of it. Those were his best days of course and no problem by me. Dad’s kinda boring anyway and got to win over a nonhunter and his family

Start ‘em young, don’t put too much pressure on them, and make it as fun as possible. You can’t make them like it, but you can make them hate it, so be gentle.

And he really likes the meat, so that’s good.

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[robby denning]

Oh ya, and my spouse does not hunt, but totally good with it.

 

[cnelk]

I have 2 kids. Both grown and out on their own now.
And yes, they both enjoy hunting as much as I do

My son got to hunt more than my daughter due to her college sports.

A few pics below - My son's first WT deer with a ML 10 yrs ago, a couple turkeys, a rifle WT buck, he's shot a 3 elk, and this year his first MD buck.

Last year my daughter got her first big game antelope.

Lots of other coyotes and small game too.

You'll get out of your kids what you put into them!

 

[Deere83]

I can only hope with my knowledge of points and opportunities in the West, that by the time my girls are my age they will have hunted and harvested good representatives of most animals in the west. Probably before I harvest them all myself.

 

[cnelk]

My son's first MD this fall

 

[robby denning]

cnelk, great photos! great times!

 

[bpurtz]

My daughter didn't really catch the hunting bug but my 3 boys have all been on numerous hunts and had pretty good success which I think helped keep the desire to continue. I don't think my boys enjoy or love it as much as me, but that's probably because I seem to have a fanatical obsession with hunting...

Oregon is mediocre for game populations so harvest success rates for many general or over the counter hunts are typically lower than other popular Western states. However, Oregon has awesome youth hunt opportunities and those were the greatest hunts I have ever participated in.

 

[flinginairos]

My son is ten now and has been tagging along with me outdoors since he was really little. He loves to hunt and has been pretty dang successful, but he doesn’t seem to have the same fire that I had at his age. I can remember when I was that old you couldn’t keep me from chasing critters. I’m still that way and can’t see that changing anytime soon. I hope that as he gets older he will be as passionate about it as me, but if not that’s cool too. It’s not something I’ve ever forced on him. Some days he begs to go with me, other days he doesn’t want to and that’s fine. We sure have had some great times in the woods tho and I can’t wait to start doing some more adventurous hunts with him these next few years!

This pic is one of my favorites. The bottom is me and my dad November 24th 1993. Top is me and my son November 24th 2017. I told my son in 24 years he has to kill a buck on November 24th and take the same photo!

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[cnelk]

I should have prefaced that my dad started me young too. This pic is in 1968.
It was the first deer I got to do the blood trail for my dad.
I remember it like it was yesterday. I still have the bow too