It’s Time

[mooretitan]

Well my oldest son is at the age to start hunting on his own. Not sure how I feel about it. I know that 99% of the time everything will be fine but part of me still has a little uneasiness about it. I pretty much start hunting big game at 12 and by 13 it was nothing for my dad to turn me loose on the mountain. I don’t think I shot a buck next to my dad until I was in my 30s. From 12-17 I killed a deer every year. Gutted and drug them back to camp. Anyways my son is very driven and loves to hunt, I am little worried he won’t know when to turn back and will push himself into some tough situations. Also worried that one slip of a knife and bad things can happen.
He has done a lot of quail and rabbit hunting on his own and has shot a couple pigs and deer own his own. I was only a few minutes away.
I am a worrier by nature but know it’s something that I need to let happen. It will give me more time to focus on his younger brother and sisters.
We have shared in some great hunts and kills over the last 5 years. It’s crazy to think how successfully he has been.
For those who have let go what made your mind stay at ease
Thanks

 

[dieselchessy]

Just let him go. He will come back when he’s hungry.
Kids have much better odds of dying in a car wreck than out in the woods with a gun.
Yet I worried more letting my kid head out hunting than I do letting him drive to school.
The way I look at it, I can let him do this stuff while I’m around to offer advice and correction. Or I can shelter him and then he will go do it without me when he moves out. And his idiot friends will be the source of advice.

 

[Steve300xcw]

How old is the kid?

 

[MattB]

Did you wish your dad had held you back for the same reasons?

Sounds like more of a "you" thing than a "him" thing.

 

[Rich M]

My dad had me hunting alone at 8 years old.

 

[Yoder]

Just be glad he's passionate about something that is good and worth while. Adventure is part of being a man. He's more likely to get hurt in a car accident than hunting. As long as he's safe with a firearm I wouldn't worry too much.

 

[USMC-40]

Will he push it too much? Sure, we all have probably. This is where we learn, and looking back I didnt really start pushing past where the safe/stupid line exists until my early 20's. I learned and now I dont. Parenting is hard, especially considering all the societal influences but count yourself lucky that he is into something productive and has a passion for it. Thats a tribute to his parents. Good work.

 

[ShortMountain91]

Sounds like a blessing more than an issue.

 

[Couescrazy33]

If you are worried give him an inreach and send him on his way.

 

[mooretitan]

He will be 16 in May. I know this is a me thing and not him. He will need to figure out things on his own which will be good for him. Like I said I worry a little bit in general but also know that its not right to stop him from something that in the end is part of life. I try not to be a parent that is overly protective. I am sure I will get some type of communication device and let him have at it

 

[Pony Soldier]

Part of life is learning your own personal limits. Only after you push too far a few times do you learn your boundaries. As a parent you just try to control the situation enough to allow for communication ( when they need retrieval) and navigation so the understand maps, altimeters, gps, compass and various tools.

 

[Huntindog45]

I have a funny story about this. My father was a game warden. I would go on patrol with him all the time as as a kid and often times he would drop me off for a couple hours at a time to go duck hunting at a club we took care of. This probably started when i was about 10. He would probably get arrested for that now. There was a little club house on site so if I got bored or tired I knew where the key was so I would just ride the three wheeler (yes one of those death traps) back to the house and chill while I waited for him.

 

[RS_Non-Res]

Maybe you'd feel better about it if you teach him a little first aid and triage (what is an emergency and what priorities are important in an emergency)?

 

[robby denning]

Maybe you'd feel better about it if you teach him a little first aid and triage (what is an emergency and what priorities are important in an emergency)?

Yeah, that’s what I was thinking, and get him a satellite messenger, but don’t teach him to rely on it too much. Obviously navigation would be huge.

My dad let me home alone in some cases starting around 12 years old. But I did get lost a few times, and scared the heck out of him.

You’ve done great job so far. Glad to hear that young man is amongst us.

 

[robby denning]

Just realized this was an old thread. But still timely.

So OP, how did he do last fall?

 

[mooretitan]

Sending him out solo this spring for scouting and pig hunting. Really need to get him more time on the knife. I usually use the gutless method and watching him on the last couple pigs has me a little nervous.
But it is time to let go. Hopefully enough preaching from me about safety he will be ok

 

[mooretitan]

He tagged out on a Wyoming antelope and utah buck.
Hopefully he will be hunting H this year in the high country with my dad. 5.5pts hopefully will be enough

 

[5MilesBack]

Kids have much better odds of dying in a car wreck than out in the woods with a gun.

Ya. I started big game hunting in CO at the required minimum age of 15 back then. My buddy was 16 and he drove (4-5 hours each way to where we hunted and we'd camp until we filled our tags). We'd normally split up every day to cover more ground. Pretty sure my parents worried more about the drive there and back than our actual hunting. I was always taking off on my own adventures from the time I could crawl, and then walk, and then run. At a very early age I'd head for the river bottom on my own and spend hours down there exploring. By the time I was 15, heading into the backcountry and hunting was the least of my parent's worries. Let him run free.