So I'll be that guy

[Bigterp]

Congratulations man! Best time of your life..... my son is 18 & my daughter is 15 I can remember them being under kindergarten age & in a ground blind. I will say that both kids really enjoy it when I’m out there for them & they’re not out there for me. You’ll get plenty of time to stay hardcore & do what you love. But try to separate them & find things to do that are laid back, just make memories. You want them to look back & tell stories of how you spent time with them that wasn’t shhh the entire time. Simple stuff makes some fun times, my kids
Loved camping, learning to roast the perfect marshmallow. Shoot a BB gun, handle a pocket knife, find things in the scope, read a map. There’s all kinds of fun life skills that are a chance to bond outside. Hunt smarter not harder, pick those perfect times & maximize your hunts!! Being a Husband & fathers is more rewarding that taxidermy( but you don’t have to give that up either) if you have a good woman she will want you to have some time doing what you love. Especially if she sees your not selfish & love them kids!!!

 

[EricS]

It really depends on the kid. Mine loves fishing and small game hunting but doesn’t care to deer hunt a lot. He’s 12 and mage about five sits last season. Probably totally my fault because he was less than a year old when he started going with me. And hunted at least once every weekend of rifle season until last year and I allowed him to stay home alone some. He wants to kill deer he just doesn’t want to spend a lot of time sitting still to do it.

 

[Cript2014]

Man congratulations on the twins! I can start by saying mine are 12 and 13. The 13 year old is like his mom will eat it but wants nothing to do with hunting. The 12 year old wants to hunt every time he can go. I have found that I pushed him to far sometimes. I hunt only gma as I have no private land and I also hunted out of climbing stands until this past year. I found myself wanting my son to carry his gear in to teach him (just like some on here) it was hard work and to make the kill all that more gratifying. Well I almost burnt him out before a man I was hunting with sat me down and talked to me. This past year we set presets out on gma and I carried them in for him and showed him how and why we were setting them where we were setting them up. Taught him how to read the tracks what happened if he didn’t pay attention to the wind. This year I taugh him more about using his mind to think about everything instead of making him use his muscles and not making it fun. He love it this year he was pointing out scrapes rubs trails telling me how he thought the deer were gonna come. Sometimes before we would go to the woods for an afternoon hunt we always look at the wind and he would tell me I wish I had a stand here so I could still hunt in this spot but not get busted. What did I do I carried a stand for him in. Hung it even if it meant getting to my location knowing I wasn’t gonna see anything bc I was sweating and got there late. I would just hunt somwhere I didn’t care if I busted deer. This year was all about getting him his first buck and letting him use his mind making it fun. He shot his first buck this year and his first deer with out me in the stand with him. The moment I heard his gun go off I knew what he shot. He called me and couldn’t even talk. I had always told him stay in the stand till I get there for safety reasons didn’t want him climbing up or down with out me. I got to the stand he was happier than I had ever seen him. Told me about how the buck came in just like he had told me it would walked infront if him at 65 yrd and he shot it. Than made me realize I had done what I needed to this past season. He now practicing every chance we get on saddle hinting this year so he can go deep with me and wants to carry his gear! He says he’s gonna shoot a bigger buck than me. Comes scouting with me since deer season has ended. We ar busting deer out of their bed and his is planning his attack for next year on how to kill them from there. My whole reason for typing this long thing is make it fun carry there gear if you don’t kill one so what. You will have plenty of hunts where they won’t be able to go but when they are able to go make it fun and make them want to go. This is him with his 135lb spike that is the buck he was so happy about getting! This is also the txt I got wile I was climbing down to go to him! This made me more happy than I had ever been about him comming hunting!

 

[KelvinM12]

So here is the question. What is the best advice you as a hunter and a parent. Give to someone that really wants his kids in involved in the out doors and hunting. What's the best way to start them and how soon can I get them out there and they enjoy it.

@Travis9221 Just wanted to say THANKS for this post. Reading these different experiences has been one of the more meaningful posts I've seen on this site.

 

[boyne bowhunter]

Man congratulations on the twins! I can start by saying mine are 12 and 13. The 13 year old is like his mom will eat it but wants nothing to do with hunting. The 12 year old wants to hunt every time he can go. I have found that I pushed him to far sometimes. I hunt only gma as I have no private land and I also hunted out of climbing stands until this past year. I found myself wanting my son to carry his gear in to teach him (just like some on here) it was hard work and to make the kill all that more gratifying. Well I almost burnt him out before a man I was hunting with sat me down and talked to me. This past year we set presets out on gma and I carried them in for him and showed him how and why we were setting them where we were setting them up. Taught him how to read the tracks what happened if he didn’t pay attention to the wind. This year I taugh him more about using his mind to think about everything instead of making him use his muscles and not making it fun. He love it this year he was pointing out scrapes rubs trails telling me how he thought the deer were gonna come. Sometimes before we would go to the woods for an afternoon hunt we always look at the wind and he would tell me I wish I had a stand here so I could still hunt in this spot but not get busted. What did I do I carried a stand for him in. Hung it even if it meant getting to my location knowing I wasn’t gonna see anything bc I was sweating and got there late. I would just hunt somwhere I didn’t care if I busted deer. This year was all about getting him his first buck and letting him use his mind making it fun. He shot his first buck this year and his first deer with out me in the stand with him. The moment I heard his gun go off I knew what he shot. He called me and couldn’t even talk. I had always told him stay in the stand till I get there for safety reasons didn’t want him climbing up or down with out me. I got to the stand he was happier than I had ever seen him. Told me about how the buck came in just like he had told me it would walked infront if him at 65 yrd and he shot it. Than made me realize I had done what I needed to this past season. He now practicing every chance we get on saddle hinting this year so he can go deep with me and wants to carry his gear! He says he’s gonna shoot a bigger buck than me. Comes scouting with me since deer season has ended. We ar busting deer out of their bed and his is planning his attack for next year on how to kill them from there. My whole reason for typing this long thing is make it fun carry there gear if you don’t kill one so what. You will have plenty of hunts where they won’t be able to go but when they are able to go make it fun and make them want to go. This is him with his 135lb spike that is the buck he was so happy about getting! This is also the txt I got wile I was climbing down to go to him! This made me more happy than I had ever been about him comming hunting!

Awesome story. Nothing like success on their plan to get them hooked. A couple of my hunting buddies are a father and son (the son is now 20 years old) that I have literally known all their lives. The father is the younger brother of a lifelong friend of mine and his son has become an addicted whitetail hunter. He picked his rifle stand location based on listening to his father and I discussing tactics and setups and has had some real success based on his own ideas. It's awesome to see a young hunter figure it out on his own. That process has a lot to do with building the self confidence that leads to wanting to be better. Once you know you have a knack for something it makes you want to get better at it.

BTW, I truly believe of all my hunting partners, this youngster will be the first to adopt saddle hunting as his next method of hunting. He just gets it.

 

[Cript2014]

Awesome story. Nothing like success on their plan to get them hooked. A couple of my hunting buddies are a father and son (the son is now 20 years old) that I have literally known all their lives. The father is the younger brother of a lifelong friend of mine and his son has become an addicted whitetail hunter. He picked his rifle stand location based on listening to his father and I discussing tactics and setups and has had some real success based on his own ideas. It's awesome to see a young hunter figure it out on his own. That process has a lot to do with building the self confidence that leads to wanting to be better. Once you know you have a knack for something it makes you want to get better at it.

BTW, I truly believe of all my hunting partners, this youngster will be the first to adopt saddle hunting as his next method of hunting. He just gets it.

That’s right I am glad he didn’t get to shoot the good 8pt I had put him on during bow season( it was at 40yds the longest he was allowed to take with the crossbow was 25). I think it made him appreciate it so much more doing it himself and not just being put on one. He will be in a tethered this year this is him in my homemade. He is learning how to adjust himself at ground level to get a shot off. So far he loves it and I love it bc I’m not having to lug that stand in for him this year lol.

 

[jbogg]

Twenty Two years ago my twins were born 10 weeks premature and spent 5 weeks in the NICU. They weren’t even 4 lbs when they came home from the hospital. Round the clock feedings every three hours using a syringe through a feeding tube to get them to put on body fat. It’s all a blurr now, but we have two happy, healthy kids about to graduate college. My advice is don’t start them to young, and keep it fun. I remember taking them both hunting at the same time on a few occasions and the ground blind floor being full of coloring books and dolls. Enjoy every minute because it goes by in the blink of an eye.

 

[Travis9221]

Twenty Two years ago my twins were born 10 weeks premature and spent 5 weeks in the NICU. They weren’t even 4 lbs when they came home from the hospital. Round the clock feedings every three hours using a syringe through a feeding tube to get them to put on body fat. It’s all a blurr now, but we have two happy, healthy kids about to graduate college. My advice is don’t start them to young, and keep it fun. I remember taking them both hunting at the same time on a few occasions and the ground blind floor being full of coloring books and dolls. Enjoy every minute because it goes by in the blink of an eye.

My two were born are 28 weeks we spent 75 days in the nicu. I know Excatly what your talking about. Thank you for the advise!

 

[Travis9221]

Man congratulations on the twins! I can start by saying mine are 12 and 13. The 13 year old is like his mom will eat it but wants nothing to do with hunting. The 12 year old wants to hunt every time he can go. I have found that I pushed him to far sometimes. I hunt only gma as I have no private land and I also hunted out of climbing stands until this past year. I found myself wanting my son to carry his gear in to teach him (just like some on here) it was hard work and to make the kill all that more gratifying. Well I almost burnt him out before a man I was hunting with sat me down and talked to me. This past year we set presets out on gma and I carried them in for him and showed him how and why we were setting them where we were setting them up. Taught him how to read the tracks what happened if he didn’t pay attention to the wind. This year I taugh him more about using his mind to think about everything instead of making him use his muscles and not making it fun. He love it this year he was pointing out scrapes rubs trails telling me how he thought the deer were gonna come. Sometimes before we would go to the woods for an afternoon hunt we always look at the wind and he would tell me I wish I had a stand here so I could still hunt in this spot but not get busted. What did I do I carried a stand for him in. Hung it even if it meant getting to my location knowing I wasn’t gonna see anything bc I was sweating and got there late. I would just hunt somwhere I didn’t care if I busted deer. This year was all about getting him his first buck and letting him use his mind making it fun. He shot his first buck this year and his first deer with out me in the stand with him. The moment I heard his gun go off I knew what he shot. He called me and couldn’t even talk. I had always told him stay in the stand till I get there for safety reasons didn’t want him climbing up or down with out me. I got to the stand he was happier than I had ever seen him. Told me about how the buck came in just like he had told me it would walked infront if him at 65 yrd and he shot it. Than made me realize I had done what I needed to this past season. He now practicing every chance we get on saddle hinting this year so he can go deep with me and wants to carry his gear! He says he’s gonna shoot a bigger buck than me. Comes scouting with me since deer season has ended. We ar busting deer out of their bed and his is planning his attack for next year on how to kill them from there. My whole reason for typing this long thing is make it fun carry there gear if you don’t kill one so what. You will have plenty of hunts where they won’t be able to go but when they are able to go make it fun and make them want to go. This is him with his 135lb spike that is the buck he was so happy about getting! This is also the txt I got wile I was climbing down to go to him! This made me more happy than I had ever been about him comming hunting!

Thank you for that insight I am going to have to remember alot of what every one has wrote but I do believe yours has stuck out to me the best. So again thank you

 

[Cript2014]

Thank you for that insight I am going to have to remember alot of what every one has wrote but I do believe yours has stuck out to me the best. So again thank you

One thing I can say my dad always love the song cat’s in the cradle and lived it. I was living it and working a lot most of the time 70-80hrs a week. Now I took a step back bought my own business and I get more time with my boys. I look at all the things I missed with them growing up and it kills me. Hunting is one place I feel my son and I connect and I hope we can for many years to come. Take in all the little things because I’d do anything to get them back, with every year that passes I realized there will always be time to make money but you can’t ever get time back that you missed find your balance whatever that might be. Enjoy the outdoors and make it fun. Like some one else said if they don’t want to go one morning don’t make them enjoy the morning sitting by the fire at camp and just talking and laughing. I’ll stop talking now lol but I hope you have a lifetime of memories with them!

 

[IkemanTX]

Small game,
And for deer... Box blind over a food source


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Autumnrider]

Forget about "YOURSELF" (quite, perfection, huge horns, ect.) Do this on your own time.
Remember they are "KIDOS" (NOISY, BREAK LIMBS, DRAGGING FEET, FALLING ASLEEP, QUESTIONS, HUNGRY)
Make them as comfortable as possible (pop up blinds, ladder stands, sleeping bags, foot warmers, ect.)
Yourself times will come again (THEY GROW UP) It's a sad lonely feeling when your #1 hunting buddy ain't with you as often.
TRUST ME!

 

[hokiehunter373]

One thing I remember as a kid growing up was how quiet my dad was walking and how he emphasized that. I tried my hardest to replicate it but that meant I was walking about a tenth the speed he was. You’re usually going to sacrifice something for another. In this case speed for stealth. Plan to allow more time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk