Overall there is this idea that you should make it as easy as possible- clip the rifle into a tripod, move the rifle onto the target and let them pull the trigger. Same for when hunting “make sure the have success”. No. I followed that line of thinking for quite a few people when I started- it’s terrible advice. It’s not that you artificially make it harder, it’s that you let them have a challenge to overcome and to be apart of the whole process.
What would happen if your kid got on video game, but you controlled the character, moved it into position for them, aimed at it, and all they did was sit and watch you do that, then reach up and pull the trigger? They would quit and never want to play again.
That’s why kids don’t get lifetime addicted/passionate about hunting anymore- there’s no experience, there is no challenge, there’s nothing but walk behind dad as he carries the rifle, stand there he spots the animal, stand there as he sets the tripod/bipod up, stand there as he ranges, stand there as he dials, stand there as he loads the rifle, stand there as he aims it in, then lay down/stand behind it and pull a trigger- yay what fun. If I did that to any parent that does that for kids- he’d rage quit, yet we are told that is how you should do it.
I’ve seen it done, and did it like that for dozens of kids and women- not one is a hunter as an adult. That isn’t fun.
The reverse is to make them apart of the whole thing- the rifle is fit to them and is light enough that they carry it always- it’s their rifle, they load it, they zero it, they dial it, they build the position, etc. It recoils low enough that they can shoot it without any effects whatsoever for 100 plus rounds a day. Once past the fundamentals of shooting on demand, then practice is treated like a game- timer, targets, race each other, etc. Treat it like play- yes it’s a gun, but it can be safe and fun.
When it comes to scouting, they are involved in every aspect- it’s their hunt, not yours. Go walk around the woods, teach them woodmanship, track, game trails, stalk a squirrel- etc. When the hunt comes, let them have a say where you go and how you hunt- just because valley “A” has more animals, doesn’t mean if they want to go to valley “B” that you shouldn’t- let them hunt and learn. If your plan was to hike then sit and glass, but they want to get up and still hunt an hour in- get up, teach them how to still hunt, or track through snow, etc.
When you see an animal- it’s their animal. It’s not about you, nor is it about how much you want them to be successful- let them setup and make the shot. When the animal is down, it’s their animal- they are primarily responsible for gutting it/quartering it, etc. Of course help, but let them have agency over the whole process.
On that, it’s a serious mistake to take a person and have their first animal and experience be a big game animal- especially a child.
There is a psychological component to killing, but there also is an “what now” component with it. You kill a buck or an elk in the beginning- where do they go from there? They didn’t earn it, they didn’t build up to it- you turned the video game on, went right to the main bad guy at the end of the game, they shot him once and it’s over. Again- yay, so fun. People do much better starting small and working their way up- spot and stalk squirrel hunting is probably the best thing one can do.
Children and woman primarily dislike hunting because it isn’t fun. Make it an adventure from start to finish. Certainly make suggestions when it’s prudent, but if they want to get up and go look over the hill, let them or go with them- let them lead. It’s their hunt not yours, so let them hunt. If they get tired sitting at your bestest, most favorite glassing spot- so what. Get up and start stalking- play army or whatever they want. It’s ok to put the guns down and have a pine cone war. A boring sit on a hill can turn into a wrestling match and make a memory forever. It also can be a boring thing with no challenge and no adventure, where they really don’t care to do it again.
I have introduced dozens of new hunters, women, and children; and seen them introduced in about every way possible. Every single one that was introduced and taught as I wrote above- making them apart of the whole adventure- has stayed with it and became lifetime hunters of their own volition. About 90% that were introduced how the masses say to do it, don’t hunt at all, or only extremely rarely- they are not into it.