Should hunting be uncomfortable? -Bringing up young hunters

[lintond]

Mental toughness and grit are something that is learned. That applies to hunting or even amplitude to struggle and DIY things around the house. I grew up on a ranch so there was a lot of grit and toughness to be had!

However IMO it’s like training for a marathon or something. You build up over time. No need to take your kid on the November backcountry bivy hunt their first excursion where they freeze their butt off.

Go summer scouting. Then on an easy hunt where you’re likely to see lots of game. Then work your way up to the mountain goat hunt.

….Im still waiting for my opportunity to hunt from a heated blind, but my inner desire for the difficult/adventure hunts seems to win out.


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[Headwatermike]

I've seen some really good advice on here but I didn't read every post, out of time. I have 3 from 17-13 who are avid outdoors kids. Most birthday and Christmas gift requests are hunting or dirt bike related, a decent measure of interest I think.

I would regurgitate most of the aforementioned tips. I didn't treat my girls differently than the boy and that worked. I tried to make it fun and always set some goals that we could achieve. I tried making it as comfortable as possible and mine are spoiled in gear, the suffering and misery comes naturally as little legs get stretched into bigger and bigger missions. Kids need to eat often, so plenty of treats. We've burned gallons of hot cocoa--there is nothing to warm a kid's spirit like a hot cup of cocoa on an ice shelf next to the canoe.

I have a couple of other notes for those wanting to get kids into the outdoors that I did not see above, factors I think helped my kids be successful in the outdoors (and they are quite successful, if I do say so myself). No cell phones until 13 or 14, depending on the kid. Maybe longer. I gave one a phone at 13 who is exceptionally mature. My other at 14, the third is tbd. If you are competing with a cell phone it is much harder to get them out of the house and I have seen many friends and family struggle to get the kids off the very phones they gave the children. We also are completely video game free. Getting them out of the hole without a phone makes them more independent of the phone in general and has so many other benefits that we could break the internet talking about it. My 16 year old boy forgets his phone all the time and I love him for it.

Another thing that helped with my girls was having the wife come along, she happens to be an enthusiast. The girls didn't have their Mom staying back and saying "if you don't want to go suffer all weekend with your Dad you can stay and go shopping with me." They didn't really have a choice, it was like going to school or church. It's just what we do.

Finally, don't wait. I have friends who meet my kids and say "you got lucky your kids are so interested in this stuff, I tried taking my 13 yo girl last year and she just wasn't interested." Well, mine probably wouldn't have been either if she had spent the last 10 years shopping with her mom and texting friends on the weekends, mine spent them in the woods. This doesn't happen at once. A kid's interest is like a fire, you start with a spark or a match and tinder and you carefully blow on it and coax it into existence, adding larger and larger fuel as it grows. You can't just throw a match on logs. But you can create a raging inferno with a little care and planning. Of course this means you put your wants aside, something that doesn't work for many.

 

[JMasson]

I think it’s important to keep young hunters wanting to come back. Between my nephews and son, we go through LOTS of snacks and try to make it as comfortable as possible. I think the uncomfortable parts should come after a desire and love to hunt has been established.

Haven’t read the whole thread yet but this resonated with me. I almost ruined my son by wanting him to hunt like me. It was a massive mistake. It’s been three years and he is finally talking about hunting again. My daughter wants to hunt as well and I won’t make the same mistakes.

 

[bergie]

Good question.
I have no idea.
My daughter is 8 and my boy is 4. Both have been 'hunting' since they were 2. I use quotes because it was sitting a privaye land farm field with either a bow or rifle and I had no intention of us getting close enough for a shot. Sometimes I would draw an extra doe tag and that would get filled, they think that was pretty cool. Havnet taken them out in the pouring rain. They have certainly been bored but not uncomfortable.
Turkey hunting is the most fun. Have filled multiple tags with both of them starting at age 4. My daughter and I have a standing date to go opening day of turkey hunting so I'll call it a win. I dunno if she likes to paint her face, or eat snacks or kill turkeys but I don't really care as long as she is excited go go with me. She at 6 did a 2.5 mile turkey hunt with me chasing a bird we never caught up to but he would gobble when she attempted to hen call so she was jacked.
I don't think you can go wrong by making what we kill into breakfast/lunch/dinner that is delicious and talking about the meat and the hunt while we eat.
I imagine I will someday soon introduce them to some more sucky hunts. I think I can get away with a little more suck with my boy as he seems more into it but we will see.
I will know more in 15 years if I did it right or wrong, but I am positive there will be things I wish I did differently.
Or, hell, maybe they would both love to hunt if I did everything wrong, I have friends who love to hunt and imbrace the suck and their parents never took them at all...
If I am being completely honest I take them in the woods as much for them as I do for me, I love experiencing things through their point of view

 

[prm]

I wouldn’t make them miserable, but do stretch their comfort a little. Celebrate the difficulties with them. They will appreciate the difficulties after it’s over. A little adversity should be fun.

 

[Amos Keeto]

@bergie
"... I imagine I will someday soon introduce them to some more sucky hunts. I think I can get away with a little more suck with my boy as he seems more into it but we will see. ..."

Needn't "make" a sucky hunt.
I hunted "with" dad and grampa. (from age 3)
In time, they would sit me down with a shotgun and a, "Stay right here. I'll be back." They'd be gone perhaps 30 to 45 minutes.
Long enough for me to maybe kill a squirrel, but it gave me a taste of hunting successfully on my own.
That lead to putting me on a deer stand alone for a 2 to 3 hour hunt. Now...THOSE got to be pretty sucky from time to time! Lot's of hours in a freezing deer stand with a deer only capable firearm and no deer showed!
But it taught me persistence!
I'm still impatient and fidgety.

 

[Szwampdonkey]

I've seen some really good advice on here but I didn't read every post, out of time. I have 3 from 17-13 who are avid outdoors kids. Most birthday and Christmas gift requests are hunting or dirt bike related, a decent measure of interest I think.

I would regurgitate most of the aforementioned tips. I didn't treat my girls differently than the boy and that worked. I tried to make it fun and always set some goals that we could achieve. I tried making it as comfortable as possible and mine are spoiled in gear, the suffering and misery comes naturally as little legs get stretched into bigger and bigger missions. Kids need to eat often, so plenty of treats. We've burned gallons of hot cocoa--there is nothing to warm a kid's spirit like a hot cup of cocoa on an ice shelf next to the canoe.

I have a couple of other notes for those wanting to get kids into the outdoors that I did not see above, factors I think helped my kids be successful in the outdoors (and they are quite successful, if I do say so myself). No cell phones until 13 or 14, depending on the kid. Maybe longer. I gave one a phone at 13 who is exceptionally mature. My other at 14, the third is tbd. If you are competing with a cell phone it is much harder to get them out of the house and I have seen many friends and family struggle to get the kids off the very phones they gave the children. We also are completely video game free. Getting them out of the hole without a phone makes them more independent of the phone in general and has so many other benefits that we could break the internet talking about it. My 16 year old boy forgets his phone all the time and I love him for it.

Another thing that helped with my girls was having the wife come along, she happens to be an enthusiast. The girls didn't have their Mom staying back and saying "if you don't want to go suffer all weekend with your Dad you can stay and go shopping with me." They didn't really have a choice, it was like going to school or church. It's just what we do.

Finally, don't wait. I have friends who meet my kids and say "you got lucky your kids are so interested in this stuff, I tried taking my 13 yo girl last year and she just wasn't interested." Well, mine probably wouldn't have been either if she had spent the last 10 years shopping with her mom and texting friends on the weekends, mine spent them in the woods. This doesn't happen at once. A kid's interest is like a fire, you start with a spark or a match and tinder and you carefully blow on it and coax it into existence, adding larger and larger fuel as it grows. You can't just throw a match on logs. But you can create a raging inferno with a little care and planning. Of course this means you put your wants aside, something that doesn't work for many.

Great advice man. Especially the video games and phone! My son is 11 and literally all of his classmates have phones already and some have had for awhile. I was astounded that that many parents thought it was a good idea to give a 9-11 yo a phone in a small rural town. Predictably most of them appear to never put them down.

Glad to hear there are others like my wife and i who haven’t allowed their kids to have a phone or video games yet by 4th, 5th or 6th grade. It often feels like we’re the only ones nowadays.

 

[bergie]

@bergie
"... I imagine I will someday soon introduce them to some more sucky hunts. I think I can get away with a little more suck with my boy as he seems more into it but we will see. ..."

Needn't "make" a sucky hunt.
I hunted "with" dad and grampa. (from age 3)
In time, they would sit me down with a shotgun and a, "Stay right here. I'll be back." They'd be gone perhaps 30 to 45 minutes.
Long enough for me to maybe kill a squirrel, but it gave me a taste of hunting successfully on my own.
That lead to putting me on a deer stand alone for a 2 to 3 hour hunt. Now...THOSE got to be pretty sucky from time to time! Lot's of hours in a freezing deer stand with a deer only capable firearm and no deer showed!
But it taught me persistence!
I'm still impatient and fidgety.

Oh I won't go out of my way to make it sucky but a handful of times per year I think to myself "how did I get myself into this position". It's never life endangering positions but man it sure does suck.
One day I hope they are with me for those hunts, and to do that they will need to experience some low level suck first.

 

[IAm_Not_Lost]

This is the balance that every parent goes through with everything. Or with anyone introducing anyone to anything.

“How hard can I push them?” “How long can we be out in the snow before they get miserable?” “Is this backpacking trip too much?” Etc etc

No one perfect answer. Ramping the activity up slowly is always a reasonable idea. No one does well being thrown into a brutal time without much warning.

 

[Headwatermike]

Great advice man. Especially the video games and phone! My son is 11 and literally all of his classmates have phones already and some have had for awhile. I was astounded that that many parents thought it was a good idea to give a 9-11 yo a phone in a small rural town. Predictably most of them appear to never put them down.

Glad to hear there are others like my wife and i who haven’t allowed their kids to have a phone or video games yet by 4th, 5th or 6th grade. It often feels like we’re the only ones nowadays.

Believe me when I say mine are/were the last to get phones, something I was regularly reminded of. Sadly for me, I had to argue with my wife many times over the subject--it was an uphill battle into the wind. A cell phone is the most dangerous thing in the house, but awfully convenient.