IN_Varmntr
Lil-Rokslider
First off, let me say that I understand there will be many subjective outlooks on this subject driven by personal experiences. That's exactly what I'm looking for, but instead of just stating your opinion, please provide some context for your answer. I feel forums are good platforms for long-form discussions so please dive as deep into conversation as you'd like while remaining respectful.
This will undoubtedly be seen as silly to some but it's something I've been considering as a parent and is very much going to be a parenting as well as a hunting discussion.
For example, I grew up hunting whitetails by myself in Indiana, which is a no bait state. My father provided the vital role of teaching me about building arrows and playing around with our equipment, but when it came to the pursuit and taking of deer, I was on my own to learn tactics. He hunted quite a bit and I can remember sitting in a stand with him many times as a kid. He doesn't have the passion for deer hunting like I do but still hunts on occassion.
I killed the first deer that gave me a chance at 13 with a bow. I have never picked up a gun in pursuit of a whitetail, it's been all bow for me since the beginning. It was a button buck and I heart shot him. There wasn't a soul on this earth that could have convinced me that it was a small deer, I was proud and hooked on bowhunting from then on.
Nearly 22 years later, I now own my own farm in Ohio, a state in which we can hunt over bait. I've never been big on baiting and don't utilize the tactic. This is partially due to the fact that we weren't able to in Indiana but more so due to the fact that I find the pursuit of the animal an enjoyable part of the process and don't consider sitting over a bait pile much of a pursuit.
I have 3 boys with 6 being the oldest, and want to instill in them a love for hunting. That said, I'd love for them to get hooked on bowhunting mainly because it's my passion that I'd love to enjoy with them in the future but don't want to curb their enthusiasm for the hunt by limiting them to any one piece of equipment. We now have a crossbow that both my oldest son and my wife practice with and use to hunt.
Naturally, over the last few years as my oldest son who's 6 has been accompanying me in the woods. We watch select hunting shows together and he shoots his kids bow with me as well as the crossbow as we prepare for season. The subject of his first deer has come up numerous times and I always lean towards him shooting the first deer that gives him a chance. Naturally he wants to shoot a "big buck" and nothing else. That said, I feel weary of allowing that first deer to be a large buck, or even a buck for that matter.
It's hard for me to understand why I feel that way, and that is where I'm looking for input.
I feel like it's in large part because it's how I began and naturally want my kids to follow my footsteps. I think that's natural for any parent. As the years went by I shot larger, more mature animals as I learned how to hunt and became more comfortable being around animals in the woods. It helped drive me to pursue larger deer but I had a hard time passing up opportunities at quality animals that would provide meat for our table. I don't hunt for the meat but at the same time if I didn't get meat from the hunt I would hang it up.
I feel like I want to provide my kids with a foundation similar to mine to enjoy a quality hunting experience as they grow up. This is where subjectivity comes in. They're obviously not mature enough to create their own experiences at their ages so it's up to me to pave the way for them, but nothing guarantees they will get out of it what I'm wanting them to.
I could go against my gut and put a blind over bait piles providing them the best possible chance of killing any deer. However, I fear the consequences of unintended lessons they may gain from it when it comes to gratification and other feelings.
I could do what I want, immersing them in the pursuit that I enjoy so much and observe how they react in an attempt to keep them on a path that gives them just enough to keep them interested. This may involve making them pass deer I that I don't feel fit the narrative of what I'm trying to teach them. I want them to learn the value of hard work and preparation and how it leads to success.
I feel I need to end up somewhere in the middle and start there.
To play my own devils advocate here, this could also stem from the fact that for the last 21years, hunting has been something I have done my way and have kept to myself. Admittedly, it's been a difficult thing for me to throttle back my love of the pursuit and I've struggled with becoming more selfless and less selfish when it comes to this time of year. This has become very evident to me as my wife and I banter over who gets to hunt and who gets to stay home with the kids.
Now, please don't take any of this as me crapping on your tactics. If you hunt over bait with a rifle, good on you. I'm more interesting in observations that could help me expand my thinking from those further along in parenthood than where my wife and I are and what their experiences have taught them with kids. Thanks for reading.
This will undoubtedly be seen as silly to some but it's something I've been considering as a parent and is very much going to be a parenting as well as a hunting discussion.
For example, I grew up hunting whitetails by myself in Indiana, which is a no bait state. My father provided the vital role of teaching me about building arrows and playing around with our equipment, but when it came to the pursuit and taking of deer, I was on my own to learn tactics. He hunted quite a bit and I can remember sitting in a stand with him many times as a kid. He doesn't have the passion for deer hunting like I do but still hunts on occassion.
I killed the first deer that gave me a chance at 13 with a bow. I have never picked up a gun in pursuit of a whitetail, it's been all bow for me since the beginning. It was a button buck and I heart shot him. There wasn't a soul on this earth that could have convinced me that it was a small deer, I was proud and hooked on bowhunting from then on.
Nearly 22 years later, I now own my own farm in Ohio, a state in which we can hunt over bait. I've never been big on baiting and don't utilize the tactic. This is partially due to the fact that we weren't able to in Indiana but more so due to the fact that I find the pursuit of the animal an enjoyable part of the process and don't consider sitting over a bait pile much of a pursuit.
I have 3 boys with 6 being the oldest, and want to instill in them a love for hunting. That said, I'd love for them to get hooked on bowhunting mainly because it's my passion that I'd love to enjoy with them in the future but don't want to curb their enthusiasm for the hunt by limiting them to any one piece of equipment. We now have a crossbow that both my oldest son and my wife practice with and use to hunt.
Naturally, over the last few years as my oldest son who's 6 has been accompanying me in the woods. We watch select hunting shows together and he shoots his kids bow with me as well as the crossbow as we prepare for season. The subject of his first deer has come up numerous times and I always lean towards him shooting the first deer that gives him a chance. Naturally he wants to shoot a "big buck" and nothing else. That said, I feel weary of allowing that first deer to be a large buck, or even a buck for that matter.
It's hard for me to understand why I feel that way, and that is where I'm looking for input.
I feel like it's in large part because it's how I began and naturally want my kids to follow my footsteps. I think that's natural for any parent. As the years went by I shot larger, more mature animals as I learned how to hunt and became more comfortable being around animals in the woods. It helped drive me to pursue larger deer but I had a hard time passing up opportunities at quality animals that would provide meat for our table. I don't hunt for the meat but at the same time if I didn't get meat from the hunt I would hang it up.
I feel like I want to provide my kids with a foundation similar to mine to enjoy a quality hunting experience as they grow up. This is where subjectivity comes in. They're obviously not mature enough to create their own experiences at their ages so it's up to me to pave the way for them, but nothing guarantees they will get out of it what I'm wanting them to.
I could go against my gut and put a blind over bait piles providing them the best possible chance of killing any deer. However, I fear the consequences of unintended lessons they may gain from it when it comes to gratification and other feelings.
I could do what I want, immersing them in the pursuit that I enjoy so much and observe how they react in an attempt to keep them on a path that gives them just enough to keep them interested. This may involve making them pass deer I that I don't feel fit the narrative of what I'm trying to teach them. I want them to learn the value of hard work and preparation and how it leads to success.
I feel I need to end up somewhere in the middle and start there.
To play my own devils advocate here, this could also stem from the fact that for the last 21years, hunting has been something I have done my way and have kept to myself. Admittedly, it's been a difficult thing for me to throttle back my love of the pursuit and I've struggled with becoming more selfless and less selfish when it comes to this time of year. This has become very evident to me as my wife and I banter over who gets to hunt and who gets to stay home with the kids.
Now, please don't take any of this as me crapping on your tactics. If you hunt over bait with a rifle, good on you. I'm more interesting in observations that could help me expand my thinking from those further along in parenthood than where my wife and I are and what their experiences have taught them with kids. Thanks for reading.
