Son's first big game tag, Advice for a demanding father.

[MuleDeerMike]

OP, I think you need to just relax a little bit and dont judge success of the hunt with your son on whether or not he fills his tag. He's only 14 and will have plenty of tags to fill in his lifetime, if that's what you're concerned about. The only thing that matters, if you want him to ever hunt with you after high school, is if he has fun, however that may manifest. If hard-ass "Coach Dad" comes out on the hunt then you can probably forget about having him as a hunting partner ever again once girls and then women come into his life, don't ruin it for him. My Dad coached me until I went to college and we've been hunting together since I was a kid. He's almost 70 now and I still look forward to every single chance that we get to hunt and fish together. Then again we never had a contentious relationship, but we've had a ton of fun and won several championships for baseball. Have also killed a ton of shit together. And during all that time, I was still able to learn those tough lessons from hunting trips and sports that make a boy grow up to be a man. All the things you want him to get out of a good and tough hunt will come, but only if he has fun first and foremost. Just my opinion of course.

I hope you guys have the trip of a lifetime together.

 

[vom Hochland]

My son drew his first big game tag this year ( Mule Deer, Area 6 Nevada) he is 14yo. I have coached him sports most of his life and can be very demanding of him. We have been preparing physically (Me mostly as he is in in great shape), shooting and getting comfortable behind the .243 he will be using, looking at field photos of deer and talking about shot placement, and making sure all gear and vehicles are ready to roll. I'm a seasoned hunter and know the area very well but this is the first time taking my own son on a big game hunt. I want him to be successful and have FUN.

My Question and reason for this thread.

What other preparations can I be doing to with him to hopefully have a successful outcome? As most of us know things can get contentious between dad and son. Is there something specific that you did with your kids that made the experience a good one?

Thanks for the advice.

The only thing he will remember is how he felt when he was with you so make sure they are good ones.

 

[BATTLEBORN]

Do you already have a bad relationship with him?

No, we have a good relationship.

 

[BATTLEBORN]

This is bugging me - Why’d you wait so long to get him hunting?

Nothing negative. He misses, thats okay youll get the next one. Spooks game, wow they sure can hear us! Is tired, yeah we been hiking all morning, lets take a break. Etc.

Bring some surprise snacks like his fav candy bar or drink or whatever. Things get rough or he gets down, time for that sugary goodness or whatever.

Have fun and good luck to you both.

He’s been hunting small game for years. We live in a state that you have to draw tags every year. First big game rage he’s drawn.

 

[EastHumboldt]

The whole point of these trips is To have a good time and intensify the connections you have with your hunting partners. I’ve been taking my son hunting with me since I started, he was about 11 or 12. When he got a little older I asked him if he wanted to put in for tags and he never did. He still went along on the trips and had a great time. I’ve never pressured him about it. He finally put in for tags I think four years ago. At the age of 41. So far he’s filled two buck tags, and came very close to filling and elk tag last year. Sometimes you just have to be patient, real patient. I value the close relationship I have with him far more than any definition I might have of success. As long as he is meeting his own goals I am happy. I remember one fishing trip where he got bored with fishing. I think he was eight or nine. What we did was Chuck a stick Into the river and pretended it was a boat we were trying to sink it. We just lobed rocks at it. Just two boys playing in the creek. I’ve never been super driven about filling tags or having to catch fish. It’s about being out there having fun, Sitting around the campfire at night talking about stuff. If you fill a tag or catch a nice fish that’s awesome, but it’s not the main point. If it is the main point for you, I’m glad you’re not my dad.

 

[Sizthediz]

Just be Dad. Dont be that "parent " you see trying to push. This will be a memory neither one of you will EVER forget.

 

[willtim]

Quit being so demanding and enjoy your son.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

My son is 15 now. He has been hunting with me since he was little. I am also ultra competitive and driven, I have coached his different teams growing up and still coach travel ball. When it comes to hunting, I agree with what other have said, you need to chill out. Even with all the preparation, there is a good chance he makes a poor shot or does something wrong and doesn’t get a shot. Buck fever is a real thing…lol. When my son is with me, the hunt is about him and making sure he has fun. There are no hunting scholarships that he is trying to get, at least not that I am aware of. My son continues to love hunting and looks forward to it every year. Good luck.

 

[Rich M]

He’s been hunting small game for years. We live in a state that you have to draw tags every year. First big game rage he’s drawn.

Sounds like daddy-o is just being a little antsy. You guys are already a hunting machine. The rabbits just got bigger.

 

[KenLee]

I have raised two kids. Through a divorce and each of us remarried. I have a doctor and a successful finance officer.

I was a hard-driving outdoorsperson as a kid and wanted to relive my glory days through them. One winter day after about 100 outings, my boys were around age 5 (twins) and we ended up ice fishing at a buddy's pond using meal worms to catch bluegill. Tiny bluegill. My sons had a blast because after about 10 seconds of dropping the hook into the ice hole there was a fish yanking on the end of the pole.

I wanted them to catch 10-pound bass and 30-pound catfish but they wanted action. They wanted time to walk on the ice to hear the ice crack and scream. To toss a stick and see it slide. They played. And fished.

I switched modes that our time in the outdoor was to put a smile on their faces rather than be the best at some metric I put in front of them to meet or exceed.

They love the outdoors but in ways I never did. I am okay with that.

Agreed. Make it fun. Don't treat him like a grown man. They'll be mistakes, but help him learn from them.

 

[Newtosavage]

OP, I think you need to just relax a little bit and dont judge success of the hunt with your son on whether or not he fills his tag. He's only 14 and will have plenty of tags to fill in his lifetime, if that's what you're concerned about. The only thing that matters, if you want him to ever hunt with you after high school, is if he has fun, however that may manifest. If hard-ass "Coach Dad" comes out on the hunt then you can probably forget about having him as a hunting partner ever again once girls and then women come into his life, don't ruin it for him. My Dad coached me until I went to college and we've been hunting together since I was a kid. He's almost 70 now and I still look forward to every single chance that we get to hunt and fish together. Then again we never had a contentious relationship, but we've had a ton of fun and won several championships for baseball. Have also killed a ton of shit together. And during all that time, I was still able to learn those tough lessons from hunting trips and sports that make a boy grow up to be a man. All the things you want him to get out of a good and tough hunt will come, but only if he has fun first and foremost. Just my opinion of course.

I hope you guys have the trip of a lifetime together.

Great advice Mike. You're a lucky man to have a father like that and I'm sure you know that.

This thread reminded me of one of the few times my dad took me hunting. We were living in Mass. and he had a friend with a cabin in northern NH. It was cold af and the only heat in that cabin was the fireplace. Well, true to form my dad got falling down drunk and so did my brother and me (I was 14). They passed out by the fireplace and I somehow made it to the bed in the loft and buried myself under the blankets. When I woke up, my head was pounding and I was freezing to death. I went down to get the fire going again and my dad and brother were still passed out from the drinking. Let's just say we got a late start that morning. LOL That's just about all I remember from that trip. We lost my dad last year and my brother and I told everyone that story after the funeral. Still a great story. We always shake our heads at how he thought hunting meant drinking and walking around with loaded guns because that's what his uncles did with him. LOL

 

[BATTLEBORN]

Sounds like daddy-o is just being a little antsy. You guys are already a hunting machine. The rabbits just got bigger.

Yep, I’d agree. Just want to be prepared and make sure he enjoys the experience.

 

[dsotm]

Make sure he has fun successful hunt or not. He's not going to want to keep going if he doesn't enjoy the hunt.

 

[swampthing]

You need to make the actual "taking" of a deer to be secondary. I mean, him taking a deer is certainly the goal, but, having a good time should determine whether the hunt was successful. If you dont take a deer the word "unsuccessful" should never be used. Your son thinking he is a success in your eyes should be the biggest goal. Enjoy your father son time and have a great hunt!

 

[Where's Bruce?]

I recall seeing a guy with a big deer in the back of his truck at a campgrounds off the 225...next to it was the same Rhinehart target I use. In talking to him he said he brought the target for daily practice but used it as a decoy on a watering hole which is how he filled his tag. Buck came in completely focused on the target. If your kid gets tired, cutting a natural ground blind, setting up a chair and trying this might work. Here's a pic of the 3D.

 

[scfreeman66]

I didn't read through all the comments, but I just listened, recently to a podcast with Robby and we all know his resume.
He stated in that podcast how he has to remind himself that it is his kids hunt, not his when taking them a field with him. That is a good reminder for all of us. For them to harvest something that they are happy with, that we may not be happy with ourselves, is sometimes hard to overcome. But we shouldn't drag our kids down into our own hopes for what the hunt should be. If they're happy with the animal, we should be happy with the animal.

Sent from my moto g stylus 5G using Tapatalk

 

[RS3579]

The hunting trip together is already a successful trip. Getting a mule deer is icing on the cake. Have fun and good luck!

 

[BATTLEBORN]

I recall seeing a guy with a big deer in the back of his truck at a campgrounds off the 225...next to it was the same Rhinehart target I use. In talking to him he said he brought the target for daily practice but used it as a decoy on a watering hole which is how he filled his tag. Buck came in completely focused on the target. If your kid gets tired, cutting a natural ground blind, setting up a chair and trying this might work. Here's a pic of the 3D.

View attachment 463847

Interesting thanks, if anyone gets tired it will likely be me. He is tough and a ball of energy. He was able to complete the Ruby crest trail with me in two days last.

 

[jblam]

I took my nephew (16) out in 051 for the opener last week on his first big game hunt. He was super excited to be out there “with the guys” (me and his dad) and we were super excited for him. My biggest takeaways were that he was doing a lot of this for the first time, stuff we take for granted, and I should have just let him figure it out instead of micromanaging / sweating some of the small stuff. When it came time to shoot, being very encouraging despite some missed shots, and when he did make contact, making sure his follow up shot was not rushed went very well. Little compliments went a long way and cost me nothing…”great job keeping up buddy”, “you’re doing a really good job keeping your binos on that deer”, etc. seeing how excited he was after the dust settled, man nothing can replace that memory!

 

[Yukon Cornelius]

Successful hunts don’t always end in blood shed. Sometimes it’s just about the experience and learning. As someone else said…chill out.

Your survival most likely doesn’t depend on the deer meat. But your father/son relationship could hinge on this hunt (being funny here).

Just have fun.