Hunting with your boys

[Aaron Pick]

So I'm recently new to hunting. About 4 years in now. I got in to it because I went to get my hunters education certification with my older son when he was 10. I really wasn't interested in hunting when I went in to the class and just figured it was one of those things I should know/have. Now I'm hooked and obsess over hunting (archery and rifle in Colorado diy). 4 years later and my older boy is 14 and my younger boy just turned 12. I only take them rifle hunting for now as I am keeping archery for myself and may change that if they show a serious desire to hike in and work.

Anyway I try not to be too hard on the boys and am trying to make it enjoyable and hopefully successful and entertaining for them. I'm in relatively good shape endurance-wise so I have to watch myself and back-off occasionally. They seemed to enjoy themselves for the most part. A little bit of whining but not too bad.

Anybody ever been in this situation with two kids in the Mountains? I'd be curious to hear successful approaches. This is my first year with both and it was a little more chaotic trying to prep for 3 people (myself included) as boys are a little flighty (if I don't remember something, it's not happening)

 

[kicker338]

Not exactly like your situation but I take my grandsons with me in archery season. My oldest grandson has downs syndrome and loves going with me. I really have to take it slow with him but the memories will last a lifetime whether we get anything or not.

 

[semperfidelis97]

My children have been my hunting partners since they were 9, and 10 the oldest being my daughter the youngest being my son. I have tried to instill an appreciation for the hunt itself within my children since they got started. Unfortunately too many people get caught up in the definition of successful hunt being an animal harvested. I think taking time to point out the little things we take for granted like a unique bird, a scenic mountainside, maybe a set of fresh tracks on the ground, or the fragrance of a rut crazed bull these are things that can capture a childs attention.

The area we hunt deer is pretty open terrain, and my kids had decent glass from the time they started so they could take an active role in finding our quarry. My children have been fortunate enough to harvest several deer over the years, but I think the thing that will stick with them the most is the quality time we spent together with no distractions in gods creation. My daughter graduates this year, and my son is close. While I know that things will change I do hope that we will still have time to get together every fall to enjoy some quiet time together. Enjoy these years my friend they are irreplaceable.

I went ahead, and added a pic of my kids with my sons first buck it was a great memory for all of us.

 

[Brodie]

I started going hunting with my dad since before I can remember, now I'm doing the same with my son.
I think it's important that when you take a kid (or someone new) that you should accept you aren't going to be able to go as hard as when you are on your own. If you don't make it enjoyable for them you may very well lose them as hunting partners (seen it happen with lots of kids).
Forget about the harvest and don't worry about mistakes, if they are out with you, having a good time and learning something then it's a success.
By far my favourite times spent with my father are hunting I still remember him dealing with me as a kid and taking care of my cold feet, grumbling stomach or having patience while I took forever getting set up for the shot.


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[AK Troutbum]

My oldest, boy that is now 13, I've been taking hunting since he was 10. By that, I mean, he's been carrying his own rifle (center fire) and attempting to take game on his own. My youngest, a girl, turns nine this month, and my plan is to buy her her first rifle. She has been out and about with us, like my son, since she was able to walk but has never actually. carried her own firearm. We will go through the hunter safety ed this winter, much like I did with my son. Like what has already been said, the whole experience is the most important thing in my opinion. Success shouldn't, now or ever, be measured in whether or not an animal is killed. Success is having an enjoyable experience that your children will remember and cherish for the rest of their lives. It's my opinion that nothing is more important with your children then quality time, and if that is spent in the wilderness, whatever the circumstances, all the better.


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[Aaron Pick]

Thanks for all the input and stories. It's just nice to hear other folks going through the same steps. I think one thing I really enjoy seeing is how much the boys get a kick out of all of the other men in our hunting group joking around while they sit around the fire. I never really thought about it until recently but I feel it's good for the boys to see other adult men joking around etc. Essentially men being themselves in their own comfortable element. They hear a little bit of cussing and maybe some crass behavior they're not used to but I can tell they enjoy every minute of hanging out.

Anyway they get bored and tired and i give them a night off and let them sleep while i look out for movement .. they perk up when we see something. I just hope I can see them have success in the next year or two as they grow in to their lanky frames so they stay motivated. Time will tell and I need to keep my impatience in check and try to make it as enjoyable as possible for them.

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[the big Mao]

I introduced my kids (daughter and son) to both big game and shotgunning. Our son doesn't hunt, but our daughter is a Wildlife Ecologist for CA
fish and Game, and regularly hunts. So the results are mixed, but they both appreciate-and vote-for wildlife and habitat, as well as hunters' issues.

 

[dirtytough]

I take my 8 year old with me whenever he wants to go. I know exactly what you mean when you say you have to get everything ready and it's hard to go their pace. I get up an extra half hour early to make sure I get all his stuff ready also. We had a herd of elk 1000 yards away. When they dropped into a canyon we hurried across the flat and got to 700 yards. I know I would have been able to catch up and get a shot if we kept doing it over and over. But after that first run my boy was tired from all the previous miles we had hiked that morning. It was super tough to watch those elk walk away when I knew without a doubt I could of walked them down. But I wanted him to have a fun time and knew he wouldn't if he was wore out from hiking.

 

[Desk Jockey]

My thought is dial it back a bit when the kids are around. If you try to take them on your hunt without modifying the plan they will be miserable and ruin it for both of you.


I took my kids, 8, with me to walk along on his first bow hunt one afternoon a few weeks back. We were still hunting and about 2 miles from the car when I was able to stalk down a forky. Gutting and quartering took us until just after dark so mommy was...grumpy when we walked out by flashlights. For him it was a great adventure. He loves it and wants his own bow. Now the hard part is sneaking away to hunt on my own.

 

[wasatchcomm]

i started taking my kids last year on hunts, both have welcomed the activity. the year i purchased a whitetail tag for my daughter.(14)
my son who is 11 enjoys it as well.
i think semperfidelis97 nailed it, my experience has been the kids were very active in the hunt process for my deer i shot this year, and they loved the whole process, spotting it, stalking in for the shot, the harvest, the breaking down the animal and packing it out all as a family.
it was priceless. my daughter then wanted a tag too, (Idaho) youth permits are so affordable in idaho, so we got her one, we are leaving this morning to head back for the second trip for her, she has been picky and passed up a few whitetails, she wants a mature buck, we found a couple last week, and hoping the rut has them out and about and lower on the mountain this week.
the time i spent with her last week for 4 days was incredible, we had such a great time. i let her lead, we took our tent and stove and slept in it instead of the trailer, she loved it.
i think taking kids hunting is one of the greatest things you can do for them
it is so much more than walking in the woods and taking a animal, its bonding on another level, we backpack camp together as a family as well, and that doesn't even compare, I'm not sure why but hunting is such a great thing for kids....
take your kids hunting.

 

[KJH]

I'm in a similiar situation, although I've been hunting for 30+ years now.

My philosophy when taking my 8 and 11 year olds is that it needs to be fun for them, otherwise there are too many outside things they might decide are more important... friends, sports, etc. I make the hunt about them instead of me or success when they are along. My success rate with them along is junk, but they have a great time and always want to go again. I find its just as much fun for me. I really enjoy having them along. I hope someday they will be taking me hunting.

As an example, last weekend I took them both rifle deer hunting. I've killed a lot of nice deer and rifle hunting isn't all that thrilling for me, but its a nice way to get out and enjoy a different type of season... plus its perfect for kids to tag along. We got to our spot on Saturday morning and I waited longer than I normally would to walk in so there was less chance of them getting cold. We saw lots of deer and passed on 4 bucks, but they started to grow tired of not shooting. I told them I would shoot the next buck that was "decent". Before that happened they got cold and we left. I'm glad I didn't have to shoot an average "decent" buck. Either way, I didn't force them to toughen up. They talked all the way back to the cabin about how anxious they were to go again. It was a great morning with the kids, and nature gave us an awesome show.

 

[JollyRoger]

I'm getting ready to take my 4 year old son with me for a day hunt next week (black powder, cow elk). I've been hunting hard and putting in tons of miles since September, but I'm going to tailor this trip to him 100%. Basically, I plan to get him bundled up, go out to decent spot we can hike easily too, give him a pair of my old binos, we'll sit and watch for elk (and chipmunks, birds, clouds, whatever else) and see what we can spot while I drink coffee. I truly dont expect to get into a position to put down an elk and that's ok. Mostly I just want to get him out there with me and have fun... if he gets restless we'll go to a new spot. If he starts to hate it or become frozen and miserable we'll go get lunch in town. Regardless of how much time we actually spend out there it's going to be an awesome day and he'll know it as 'hunting with dad'.

Plus, he's got a pretty good cow call and bugle... complete with chuckles, maybe he'll pull some confused animals our way!

 

[ezmorningrebel]

i can't wait. my boys are 4 and 2 right now.

 

[jmez]

Started taking my boys turkey hunting at 4. Started taking them for short sits in a double deer stand at 6. IMO the best approach is to look at it as a day in the outdoors with your kids rather than a hunting trip. With mine, a 4 year old is going to be good sitting and glassing for about 30 minutes max and he'll be bored. They don't have much of an attention span and I think we as parents, often times forget that they don't share the same passion for the outdoors and hunting as we do. I'm often guilty of thinking they will look at it the same way that I do.

The most important thing is to make it all about them. If they really want to go home with 30 minutes of shooting light left, then you go home. If they are bored 1/2 hour in and want to go home, then you go home. Just forget about the "hunting" part of it and enjoy time outside with your kids.

 

[JollyRoger]

Looking back on my own experiences - When I was too small to keep up with my dad in the hills, he would take me duck hunting. Before I could even shoulder a shotgun, I took along my lever action pop gun and jumped up to 'shoot' with my dad and his friends when the birds came in. From there I graduated to a BB gun... same story and I got pretty good at calling ducks while we were at it. Eventually we started pheasant hunting once I could keep up a little better. Looking back I'm sure he slowed way down for me but he never complained or seemed irritated by it. I remember the grass being taller than I was in some places and how much work it was for me to keep up. I was motivated to keep moving cause I wanted to be on line with my dad so that I could see him knock a big rooster down in the event one popped up.

Several years later on one of my birthday's he bought me my own shotgun, a single shot 20ga. It was like I had entered manhood, even though I was still just a kid. For me it felt like I was now a contributor to the team instead just a tag-along.... I was able to do everything the adults could do and that was a cool feeling.

Lots of good times growing up hunting ducks, rabbits, pheasants and deer. I dont necessarily remember all the details about how many birds we brought home each time... but I definitely remember the good times freezing our butts off in the duck blind, and huffing and puffing our way to the top of a field after upland birds.

Bottom line with all this: You dont have to wait until your kids are a certain age to get them out hunting and enjoying the outdoors. They dont need to be able to work a weapon and dont need much of anything but clothes and your time. For young ones, make it about getting them out and seeing the world and they'll remember it forever.

 

[wasatchcomm]

just got back from idaho, my daughter was being very picky for her first deer and finally decided she found the right deer for her.
he was not the largest buck we had seen, but he was limping when we found him, we could see a wound on a lower front leg, below the knee, she decided she wanted to get him since he was hurt anyway. we stalked around this buck to get her to 100yds. he was bedded and we wanted to get above him for a perfect shot, one shot from the 243 and that was it, he was dead before he hit the ground.
such a great kid, and better than any animal i have ever harvested, so proud. this is what its all about....