Kids and hunting

[horshur]

Probably a little late--but a good discussion none the less.

How about your tips and suggestions. It is not an easy transition from Good ole boys deer camp too--kids in camp.

Road hunting a highly effective and practical means to starting a young hunter--don't drive past them ditch chickens.

How to stuff a weeks worth of clothes in a day pack--cause your kid will use a weeks worth a clothes in a day. Why you must pack at least five pairs of shoes--for a weekend hunt.

Weiners--a campfood staple.

Come on everyone--I'm sure theres lots more.:wink:

[newhunterette]

we have had kids in camp since diaper stages - they have seen and heard it all - as y'all know good ole boys are just that - men never grow up even when they become dads - like the song called Tough Little Boys by Gary Allen tough little boys grow up to be dads they turn into big babies again - we have always let the kids pack what they want then we tell them do it again and bring only what they need and from that we say okay now this is what mom says ur taking - works every time and as it goes now I end up packing more than them - that other good ole boy saying underwear are good for 5 days frontwards backwards insideoutfront insideoutback and non at all

heheheheh

[NEEHAMA]

I take my little boys out on a few kid friendly hunts early season. then as the weather gets colder, it's time for me and the other dads etc to go hunting, drink wiskey, and talk about @#%$ !


(the wiskey is after the guns are away and it's campfire time).

[Will]

Well I have nothing to offer.........my Son just turned 6, my Daughter is 2 so awhile yet for either ;)

I can say My son does enjoy the Grouse expeditions immensely and spots em before me as a rule :D

Took him out for a few Coyote sessions last winter and he really enjoyed that...never seen any with him but he loves calling them and absolutely gets the Funniest look on his Face when they answer the howls :biggrin:

I will be watching this thread with interest for tips on helping adapt the Youngins to Hunting and adapting Us Hunters to the Youngins:lol:

[frenchbar]

Good idea when rd hunting with more than one child.when ya see some chickens or deer is just let who eversgoing to do the shooting get out ya never know when a youngster might venture into the path of the shooter.if im on a overnighter trip i take a pellet gun for the boys to mess around with at camp .plinking cans.keeps them from getting bored.

[Rob]

My daughter will be 4 next month and has been there for a deer and a bear being taken and lots of grouse. She watches Bambi but is still able to explain why we eat deer/bear and grouse(she loves eating all of them). Ive let her shoot a .22(with me helping her) and for her Birthday I'm buying her a Daisy Red Ryder BB gun. They're never to young to learn, My son is 14mos old so were just getting started with him. Today I took them both hunting around Princeton area, I got about 20mins from the house and remembered I forgot the diapers:oops:, back to the house we go. Everything takes a bit longer with the kids, but it is definatly worth it! Rob

[SUAFOYT]

Good topic- This is what we did. As long as the kids were in grades 1-7, we took them out of school for a week on our annual moose hunt. We didn't ask for anyone's permission, we just let the teachers and the school know what we were up to. If there was any daily work that the teacher insisted on, we said fine, come up with what you want from our child each day, and we'll make sure they do it. As the trip was always late in Sept early October, it's early enough in the year that they won't miss too much. We did this for both of our kids and they looked forward to it each year. They always had a blast- sometimes literally, and have nothing but good memories. So to those parents out there that have grade school kids, go for it. Take charge and tell the teachers what you're doing, don't ask. If those that live in urban areas have teachers that have a problem with the hunting aspect, tell 'em to get the hell over it. If they say a week is too long to take a child out of school blah blah, then taking kids out of school for that silly 2 week party in 2010 is off as well.

[frenchbar]

I always give the kids hunting tips and advice on how to hunt the areas there in ,what to do if ya get separated from the group or get lost .make sure they got a lighter or matches ,make sure they know enough to make a shelter if need be . knowing how to survive severe weather is a must know for youngsters or any body for that matter.i find my kids like to listen to my old days hunting storys around the campfire seems to get them more interested and just getting them out there is well worth the bonding of parent and child. i learn alot about my kids other endevours out hunting .they seem to yak about other things in there life more openly than if they are at home and every bodys doing their thing,work ,school ect.

[horshur]

23 seconds or less is how long an average kid will take to get his/her shoes wet--even during an Indian Summer.

Directly proportional to how dirty a kid gets--is how happy they are. No need to wash off yesterdays supper.

Kids have a natural honing instinct towards water--very helpfull when your lost in a desert--not so much when they are in the last of there dry clothes.

[dana]

You can never pack too many dry clothes and dry footware. If there is water they WILL find it and they WILL fall in.:smile: I've been taking my kids out since they were babies. There are a ton of tricks I've learned over the years. Food, food, food. You need to bring the snacks. A kid can always be appeased by snacks. If they say they are warm enough and don't need a coat, don't believe them. Jam their coat in your pack. The relief on their faces when you pull it out when their teeth are chattering is priceless. Ask them lots of questions about how THEY are doing? A cold kid or a tired kid, ain't normally having fun. Short walks, dispersed with road hunting normally works well. If they are getting cold, head back to the truck and do some road hunting. Don't underestimate their abilities though. I'm finding out this year my son can walk a lot furthur than I ever would have thought. We did a 7 1/2 km hike a couple weekends ago. When I asked him if that was too far, he said, "Piece of cake Dad."

[frenchbar]

Always a good idea to bring 2 tents if your kids cut wind allnight like mine did last year for six nights last fall;)no deer jerky coming on this yrs trip:-);)

[rock]

Taking your kids for outing from a young age is very beneficial, they learn as well as yourself, food, clothing,footwear, are very inportant as well knowing what to do and when. As Dana said make sure your prepared as a parent to have what they need, a enjoyable trip in the bush keeps them coming back for more and thats what we want to accomplish. I've been fortunate because both my kids enjoy the outdoors, early season hunts where a start dew to the warmer weather and a mixture of hunting by foot and truck, actually the best was are scouting trips both my kids helped out every year in may for clearing shooting lanes for are trails as well help find new areas. At times both of them where so small we where walking threw a stand of blow downs me and my buddy are fighting getting over them both of them just walked right underneath all of them pays to be smaller in that situation.
Key is make sure they have a great time and they will always want to go even as they get older which I'm at right now.

[Dad and son]

I started my kids hunting at age 10 and now they are 12 and 14. I wanted them to have positive experiences hunting so I made sure they could shoot accurately. We spent a lot of time at the range shooting reduced recoil ammo so they were comfortabe shooting. They are now both quite good shots out to 125 yds. Next I wanted them to be successful. That meant shooting grouse when I thought we were in a great deer/moose area. That also meant they shot first not me. We have missed harvesting deer/moose and bear because I was helping them get set up to shoot. Lastly like others have said we have spent way more time than I wanted road hunting, have packed tons of clean clothes and brought lots of snacks.

[Krico]

Make it fun for THEM, save the hardcore stuff for when they're at home. Bring lots of food and dry clothes/footwear. Keep them busy, get them involved and make it a learning experience. Before you know it they'll be begging to come on every trip. Worked on me as a little guy, my daughter is this way about fishing already and will get started on the hunting this year.

[longhairmtnman]

I too look foreward to the hunts with the kids. Just starting off with them handling guns now. Pic is of my 2 year old boy, and his Rossi combo gun.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v464/longhairmtnman/aug.longweekend025.jpg

[mapguy]

my grandson is 5 he's allready help us gut a deer loves salamanders butterflies toads has a stick gun and a vivid imagination . great fun

[newhunterette]

try giving a listen to this here song - I think it says it all for kids and hunting (Tracy Byrd - song is called "Mossy Oak Song (Pass it On)"

Mossy oak swamp bottom, dew drop falling
Old Tom answering a hoot owls call
Nothing like the sound when the day breaks
Me and Daddy in the woods on a Saturday
you see his Granddaddy hunted these hills and
I hope someday my kids will
He said, Do me a favor before i'm gone,
love this land and pass it on
Pass it on

Oh, he showed me how to cast a line
Where the white tail live and how to read their signs
He'd lean my gun up against a tree,
so he could hold a barbwire fence for me
Yeah I learned a lot from watching his ways,
like how to hunt smart and how to be safe
He said, one of these days son, you'll be grown
Remember what i told you and pass it on

Pass it on in the name of conservation
Pass it on to another generation
Pass it on

But on the day that I turned 21,
my Dad walked in with an old shot gun
He said this belonged to your grandpa
It's yours now son, so handle it with love
and pass it on

Pass it on in the name of conservation
Pass it on to another generation
Pass it on
Pass it on
Pass it on

Nothing like the sound when day breaks
Me and my boy in the woods on a Saturday
Pass it on

(hugs)Ali

[model88]

Twisted my ankle on the first night of my hunt so I was demoted to camp manager. I headed for town to pick up my 5 year old, first week of kindergarden and he was already missin school. He spent 4 days with me at camp.

He LOVED every minute of it. Make sure you have some toys or something for them to play with cause sooner or later they will get bored. We roasted marshmallows, spotted grizzlys, had a 4 point bull bugling his head off, watched goats climb with there kids, got his picture taken with a hunters 6 point.

He was up a 5:00 every morning helping me saddle the ponies, gathering firewood and getting the stoves stoked up. Talks about it everyday.:biggrin:

[Phreddy]

I'm picking up my grandson from P.G. in 100 Mile today to bring him here for a weekend of hunting. It's his first hunt and I'm really looking forward to it.

[DavidGordon]

My brother and I got each got a single shot .22 on our sixth birthday. Swiss army knife on the 10th birthday.

Times have changed a little. My oldest is now six, he didn't get his own rifle but he shoots and started coming hunting and fishing as soon as he could walk for an hour straight.

http://www.canoefish.com/miscimage/boyhuntinginthesnow.jpg (boys are age 4 and 5 in this picture)

I am an adequate hunter but poor fisherman, the wife and boys come with me none-the-less. (http://www.canoefish.com/miscimage/boysdogsharks.jpg)

I have found a couple of pints of hot chocholate will fuel little guys for hours.

[Upearly]

Kids always enjoy seeing animal tracks and following them. You can have a lot of fun "reading" the signs in the mud with them and teaching them what has been happening there prior to them being there. A bear or wolf or cougar track means a lot more to them than to us. Cultivate their curiosity and knowledge of the outdoors. I think at the beginning that this is more important than gun knowledge. My kids did learn the basics of gun safety, though, while very young. They all learned on a plastic toy rifle while they were still todlers....roadhunting and short walks. They learned to not fear a gun, to handle one properly and where to point it. No problem when they eventually were handed the real thing.

[DBM]

Bring lots of snacks, make sure to have a campfire, roadhunt if the weather is crappy, and don't camp in a tent later in the season. My son seems to sleep fine in freezing weather but I don't since I'm up half the night covering him back up. We always bring a couple of pairs of boots, and lots of underwear. Of course the underwear can stand on it's own when we get back, and the toothbrush is just to appease mom.

Most of all, approach the hunt more along the lines of it being a father/son or father/daughter excursion more than a hardcore hunt.

[newhunterette]

My brother and I got each got a single shot .22 on our sixth birthday. Swiss army knife on the 10th birthday.

Times have changed a little. My oldest is now six, he didn't get his own rifle but he shoots and started coming hunting and fishing as soon as he could walk for an hour straight.

http://www.canoefish.com/miscimage/boyhuntinginthesnow.jpg (boys are age 4 and 5 in this picture)

I am an adequate hunter but poor fisherman, the wife and boys come with me none-the-less. (http://www.canoefish.com/miscimage/boysdogsharks.jpg)

I have found a couple of pints of hot chocholate will fuel little guys for hours.

OMGoodness they are so cute - I really need to get back to work - I miss teaching - pricelss facial expressions :) with those fish

[Phreddy]

My grandson, 12, is down from Prince George this weekend. He's never hunted before and his mom and grandmother, with whom he lives, decided that he needs to learn to do some "guy" things.
He bagged 4 road chickens and boy, is he ever proud. (Papa is bustin a few shirt buttons as well.)

[sparkes3]

get em out there as soon as possible the sooner they learn good ethics and respect for the animals,laws,and other people in the bush/everywhere the more likely they are to keep it with them for the rest of thier lives.

[sparkes3]

i had my two year old out with me last year and i dont know what was worse kept losing him in the tall grass or when he kept screamin for the monster mulie mooses to come out where we could see them. we have gone out twice this year now he knows he has to keep quiet when were in the woods.. its all ok till we see something then just try to keep a three year old from getting excited.last year we got skunked but being the first year hunting with my own son /starting to teach him what i know and any useful knowledge we can get from others in the field made it the best hunting trip ever.now with that said i gotta get the little buddy up so we can get out today .happy hunting everybody

[Sooke Hunter]

My daughter will be 4 next month and has been there for a deer and a bear being taken and lots of grouse. She watches Bambi but is still able to explain why we eat deer/bear and grouse(she loves eating all of them). Ive let her shoot a .22(with me helping her) and for her Birthday I'm buying her a Daisy Red Ryder BB gun. They're never to young to learn, My son is 14mos old so were just getting started with him. Today I took them both hunting around Princeton area, I got about 20mins from the house and remembered I forgot the diapers:oops:, back to the house we go. Everything takes a bit longer with the kids, but it is definatly worth it! Rob
Hey.....did you see any deer/moose while you were out on your trek.....goin there in 12 days (12 VERY long days).Still not exactly sure where I will be setting camp. Appreciate your help....do you like Pacific hailbut....I'll bring you some=in exchange for some info. Thanks!:smile: