how old to take hunting

how old do you want your kids to be when you take them out in the field hunting, or how old where they when you started letting them hang on your coat tails in the field. as far back as I can remember, I was running with my dad out in the deer stand every year, he didn’t get to hunt other birds and stuff, due to the fact he was in a wheel chair for a couple of years.

thanks

shane

I don’t remember my dad heading to deer camp without me. Not sure how old that would mean I was when I started going, but I can gaurantee they were some of the best memories of my life. I can still remember every deer he shot when I was with him. I think my dad shot more bucks with me sitting by him talking and shooting the Daisy BB gun than he ever did after I was old enough to hunt solo.

I really think that it depends on the child and what as well as how your hunting.
Hunting deer in a tree stand, both of my kids have sat in a stand with me. My daughter went when she was 7, the boy will go next year when he is 6. Now I need to say I will not shoot anything when they are with, too me now is the time to teach sitting quietly and being quite.
Now bird hunting is a different story, my daughter tried this year but could not keep up walking through the grass. Even thought she is very tall for her age it was just too much for her.
I was sitting in the duck blind at a early age, I remember watching flock after flock of Northerns setting their wings into the decoys. Watching the dogs eyes focus on incoming birds, ears listening for the whistling of wings and shoulder muscles twitching waiting to get the command, Fetch them up. Just a few memories of a youth duck hunter sitting in the blind with his father while holding a bb gun waiting to get his perfect shot.

It really depends on many different things, things only a parent can decide.

Ron

my 4 year old daughter is excited to go out hunting with me and I can’t wait to get her out there. I’m planning on taking her out next year to sit on the edge of a corn field or something to just sit in a blind with me and take a camera with to shoot some pictures.
She’s too young to see a live impact shot (even though she loves watching hunting shows with me) but i think it will be a good way to introduce the outdoors to her.
For the real deal, I’ll just have to wait and see how she does. Its going to be at least a couple few years though.

I was taken the to field at an early age, but wanted to go sooner.

I started taken my kids with my while still in diapers. Lots can be learned at an early age, and they will find things you miss. Granted you are not going to spend hours on stand with a real young kid. Heck it’s hard for a 12yr old to sit for hours. Lots of nice short scouting walks can be taken all summer long.

A friend of mine started bringing his daughter with bear huting at 2. Nothing was more fun to hear on the radio then her screaming bear in the air!

A little judgemnet on keeping the kids safe, comfortable, and having fun is all that is needed. Other than that just take them with!!!!

JMO,

Steve

I don’t remember my exact age but I think it was around 10 or 12. My dad was a big pheasant, rabbit and squirrell hunter and didn’t hunt deer and I think I was around 12 when I first went. I remember walking through weeds helping kick out what ever was in there. Back in the 60’s Iowa was known for it pheasant hunting because it was so good and dad shot plenty of pheasants. I had a break open 410 that I carried too and remember it didn’t have a shell in it until dad though I was responsible enough. I don’t remember the first pheasant or rabbit I shot but I do remember bringing some home and my dad teaching me how to clean them. I remember getting up befor dawn and walking into the timbers when dark and waiting for the sun to come up to squirrell hunt. Dad was also a big wild mushroom hunter and loved to hunt mushrooms, especially in the fall when thier more plentiful, his favorite one was goatsbeards. Moms side of the family were big hunters also and I can remember the whole family siting around at thanksgiving and talking hunting and mushrooms. I also remember a few thanksgivings they went hunting early and came home in time to eat around noon, then clean the birds and rabbits after that. Dad also took us camping and trout fishing in the streams in N.E. Iowa. Even though they were hatchery raised we caught alot of them and ate them at dinner, we had alot of good times. I remember cleaning alot of fish and game when I was between 12 and 14. My boy has been in the field and on the river with me since he was young enough to carry a bb gun, now my daughter just took up bowhunting this year and catfishes with her boyfriend all the time. It pays to get em started right.

Great topic and something I have struggled with for a while…I have 4 kids Boy 11 that will be 12 in Dec., boy 10, girl 8 and boy 6. Ugh…

Anyway, I haven’t taken them with me much….YET. I didn’t start duck hunting till I was 13 and deer hunting till I was 15. That was my dad’s choice. Every year when I bring it up about taking them out hunting, he says “Man there still pretty young”. The other problem…the 11 and 10 year olds are best buddies. However, i don’t think the 11 year old will have much interest in hunting, but, since his 10 year old brother does, he will…for the first year anyway.

My plan is this…next year, I want to take the two of them on my Saskatchewan duck/goose hunting trip. I don’t get out duck/goose hunting as much as I’d like and this is the only trip I make due to not having any place to go around home for a quick weekend.

I will be building some new deer stands over the winter, much like the ones Rob posted pictures of. I want to get 3 or 4 done this winter so that the boys can come up deer hunting next year and have a warm place to go if they get cold.

Anyhow, seems I’m a bit different than everyone else as to the age at which they start taking them. Everytime I read stories on here about you guys taking your kids etc I feel guilty.

That’s my 2 cents on this subject….I have used the line “I should take up bow hunting so I can bring the kids along with when it’s still warm out” to the wife. It may be working a little bit, as now our neice also wants to give it a try. May be in the bow markey this winter as well.

The first time i was allowed to go hunting with my dad was when i was 5. We went pheasant hunting so it was pretty easy but i got tired after the first field but it was a great expierence that i will never forget. That was the day that i fell in love with hunting. I have been trying to figure out a way to get my nephew interested in hunting and what was a good age to take him out at.

The earlier the better! Just remember to be PATIENT and try to make it fun for them!

My dad first took me waterfowl hunting when i was only 4 or 5 and deer hunting when I was about eight. Lots of good memories.

I was fortunate enough to carry the ol’ red ryder bb-gun from ages 5-8, than a pellet gun from ages 9-11 on alot of bird hunting trips when I was younger.

Spent a few times bowhunting with my dad when I was 5-10, but never got the full effect of sitting on stand until I was 11.

I figured I wanted to go with ever since I was born, considering I have pictures of me when I was less than a couple years old holding dead deer in the garage!

Needless to say, those younger years of carrying a bb-gun tought me gun safety at a very young age, and I think it is a very good way of teaching your children the importance of it.

thanks guys, please keep the posts comming, I am going to take this to the wife and talk to her about it as well. I just want to be sure that they get the opportunity to experience the outdoors adn then let them decide if they like it. just trying to feel out what has worked for others.

shane

If you take him deer hunting and are going to shoot when he is there make sure you have good ear protection for him.

I took the gun with, but had no intentions on shooting unless it was a deer that you couldn’t pass up, a once in a life time buck or something. but we went out there to sit in the fort, eat some candy bars, drink some juice, watch the birds fly around, I was hopping to see some other wild life out there, like squirrels, grouse, even that wild turkey that was out running around my stand. but all in all, I was just wondering what age I should start to take him grouse hunting, pheasant hunting, duck hunting, and some of the other stuff that I enjoy doing.

I am really liking the replys and the stories that are associated with this post. please keep them comming.

shane

My daughter is 4 and loves watching the hunting shows with me and even tells me that’s a little one we only shoot big one’s, right daddy…well she was heart broken that I wouldn’t take her this year and I told her in 3-4 years she can come with. Her brother who is 1 now will be the same, I think around 8 or so they should be ready.

I have a friend that took his son this year for the 1st time, he is 10, and didn’t shoot a deer but told his son to try to shoot one….his son missed and was dissappointed when I got home he told me that and I said, Jake I’ve been hunting for many years and I missed 4….just great memories and great stories…

as soon as the wife says they can go I take my 9 and 5 year old boys out with me. Sitting still and being quiet are very hard for the 5 year old. I would say, when you think they are ready and if you have the patience to have kids talking, and moving around. You can’t get mad at them, cause then they may not want to go any more. I always plan on not seeing a deer when they are with but we have seen deer, and other critters. ground blinds are great for hunting with kids, have them bring a couple books or the PSP, or Nintendo DS for the slow periods, helps immensly most important have fun, and teach them something new on every outing.

I have two daughters 2 y.o in Jan and 1 y.o on Sunday. Cadence my 2 y.o already knows about hunting. They both watch OLN with me on Saturday mornings since mommy works then. Cadence has been learning to duck call for about 5months, and is starting to figure out hale call patterns. She also gets daddy’s boots and coat when I get out one of the guns.
I take them both out to check traps with me. They stay in the truck until I check the sets, and then they come down if I have critters in them. I will take them out hunting with me in a few more years. I am mostly interested in teaching them to respect the land and the animals on it. If they want to hunt great, if not they will understand the importance of hunting, and how to take a step back and see the big picture.
I love my girls and hope that they enjoy being outside as much as I do.

I am excited for this situation. I am getting him a BB gun for xmas this year. I am going to take him out in the woods with me every chance I can.

shane

This is a topic that is very important to me. My boys have gone with me since they could walk. There is something about a kid wearing a blaze orange vest that hangs down to their ankles or a kid sitting up on the stack of decoy bags in the duck boat that really makes you feel good about life. Last year my middle son (5 yoa) walked through snow up to his knees carrying a heater just so he could go with and see dad shoot a deer. My oldest shot his first duck at the age of seven. I have gone round and round with some people on this topic as they try to condem me for letting him shoot at that age. It all comes down to practice. I strongley believe in the saying, “take a kid hunting now,it will save you from hunting for your kid later in life”. I know some people that say that they are not bringing their kids until the age of 12. IMO that is to late now a days. I enclosed a photo of my son with his first duck, and my middle son after a good hunt. Their smiles say it all.
DT

awsome pictures and great memories. thanks to everyone for sharing thier memories with me and the rest of us. I know I have shown my wife this post and it has seemed to get off of the edge of her not letting me take him. it has been a struggle for me to get him out in the field, woods, and duck blind because she don’t want him hunting until he hits that 12yr old mark. I want to start him early and let him grow into it.

keep sharing memories and pictures.

shane

My dad grew up in a strict farming household and nobody got to join the deer hunting gang until they were 12, not carrying a firearm until 13. The reasoning was the reality of the harsh conditions they often hunted in and granddad just felt like they had to start getting some “man” in them. The daughters never wanted to go in the first place cuz they had no interest in the hanging around a bunch of guys or trudging through snow and cold. However, for as long as all the boys have been alive, they were allowed to shoot BB guns and hunt whatever a BB gun could take. They grew up on a farm….so life was altogether different for him than it was for me, growing up in the suburbs. Holding to the tradition of deer hunting, I wasn’t in the woods until I was 12 and I had to do a lot of crash course learning. See, I really didn’t know anything about hunting so I didn’t know what I was missing. But that first time I was able to hit the woods alone, and I came back with something for the table, suddenly I understood it all! I’ve been hooked ever since.

Neither of my boys, having spent their childhood in the suburbs as well and having relatives that didn’t have any hunting tradition inbedded in the family culture, ever voiced any interest in what I was doing out in he woods. If it didn’t go Vrooooom…. the older boy was bored and if it looked even close to having any work involved, my younger boy wasn’t interested. Well, there’s other ways than the woods to teach values so I never pushed the subject. However, once they both discovered they like “vennie and eggs” for breakfast, I could start sharing photos and stories and the next thing I know, both were interested. The older for the shooting and the younger for the photography. Once an interest in getting in the woods was established, I figured they’d give it a better chance and they hit the woods at ages 12 and 8. By the time the older boy was 16, the thrill of the woods was passed up for the thrill of girlfriends and he’s missed the last two years. He’s never harvested a deer and experienced the frustrations of seeing them but not getting a shot and compared to other things, it just hasn’t stuck with him. The younger one is still quick to want to give up, nothing’s gonna happen cuz nothing’s happened yet, but at the same time, when we talk about getting the guns out and going hunting, he can’t wait! He loves watching hunting shows, product demos, and eating the game I’ve harvested. He sees me as a good hunter because he’s seen me come back with meat when he’s given up. He’s been with me when I had to make the shot because he couldn’t pick out the animal in the cover. He sees me as a person who has a knack for being successful in the woods and honestly, it’s a kick to see him doing all he can to try and duplicate what he thinks he sees and that look of strutting confidence that overcomes his face when he makes the shot! He loves to hear the stories my dad and I share and he’s thrilled that he’s got a couple of his own to share now too. All in all, I think he’s starting to “get it”. The only drawback is that when things are slow, he’s quick to want to throw in the towel and watch a hunting dvd instead. I haven’t got him cured/sold on the endurance end of things but hey, he’s 13. I wasn’t always too enduring at that age either but maturing has a way of helping us develop our “tough” side.

Part of me wishes I would have started them earlier but I don’t know that I would’ve gained anything by doing so. If a kid wants to learn, they will. If not, it’s tough. So I simply waited until their curiosity opened the door of intreage for me. They know I’m good for teaching fun stuff so once they see that spark in my eye and hear the excitement in my voice, they’re quicker to get on board with it.

I have a nephew that had a BB gun by 7 and was in the woods and water by 3. Up until he was 18, he couldn’t wait for hunting…..anything!!! His dad taught him well and he’s a good sportsman but he too discovered girls and now he hasn’t hunted but one season since he was 19. He still talks like he’s got the itch to get back at it but seldom does. So, what’s the right way? I dunno…… every kid is different and every parent does the best they know how. I think the biggest key is to pay attention. If you have an outdoorsey youngster, like my nephew was, go for it! It is still some of his fondest memories of his life thus far. If they’re more of a house kid, try your best to create an interest so you can share your passion and tradition with them but it might not be best to push the issue.

If I were to render any advice, I’d encourage you to just do your best with whatever the circumstances of life may be and “listen to what your child/children SHOW you”. Your kids will often show you how to raise them if you pay attention in this fashion. Good luck!