Suggestions educating the next generation

[Crazybaldarcher]

I grew up in a non-hunting home.
Fishing, yes. Hunting, no (don't want to get into).

My son is turning 12 and I have a nephew who's turning 14.

Each has expressed a desire to learn to hunt deer.
I've started them on the path by requiring each to study hard and pass the hunter safety course.

I will take them out into the field prior to them passing the safety course.

The overall plan is for them to experience the whole thing from scouting to dragging to butchering.

What else would you do/have done/recommend I do if you were in my shoes?

 

[Westdesign03]

If you’re not already, I would have them also learn the value of what they’re doing and why. The value of the food and nutrition we get from the deer, why were hunting them to begin with and instill the values of respecting the animals. Then I would branch off from there and teach the values of the land, the trees and plants and the rest of nature, how it all works together and why we need to care for it and continue to take care of it.

My kids are only 3 and 5 and I’m already trying to do this with them.


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[Nutterbuster]

Let them do some of the crazy, goofy stuff they come up with sometimes. Cut 'em loose as much as you can. Don't powder their butts, but let them have some success. The answer to "Can I shoot that little spike?" should be "yes." The answer to "I'm tired, can I go in the house and watch tv while you clean him?" should be "Sure, but that's the last deer you're shooting."

 

[boyne bowhunter]

I thought I remembered a similar thread from a while back. I think there might be some similar info here too, hope it helps.

Introducing a 12 year old to Deer Hunting

I'm really excited to take my 12 year old brother-in-law hunting with me this fall, and I am hopeful that some of you dads/brothers/mentors out there can give me some pointers on Do's and Don'ts or lessons that you have learned bringing a young person out hunting for the first time. I was not...

saddlehunter.com

 

[bj139]

I would introduce them to squirrel hunting and eating first. Deer are just big squirrels. Anything you need to do with squirrels you need to do with deer, only bigger. I am just the setup man on this one. There are tons of potential jokes here.

 

[swampsnyper]

I started my kids off young shoot archery 3D. It’s a fun family sport. Even the wife got involved. Plus archery is something they can practice shooting in the backyard of just about any home. Not so much guns.
I also started getting them ready to deer hunt by shooting guns at a life size deer silhouette I cut out of cardboard. I think it helped them get on target better than shooting at bullseyes.
Let the hunts be fun. Shoot what they want. Bring home the bacon to feed the family and be proud.

 

[BTaylor]

I agree with starting them on small game and learning basic woodsmanship skills. I also agree with getting them started in archery if there is interest but I am a bowhunter. Dad started me skwerl hunting and duck hunting at 7. He had been taking me duck hunting since I was 3. At 7 he also started me climbing trees bowhunting with him though I was only observing. He started me bowhunting when I was 12 because that's when I was strong enough to shoot a 45 pound bow accurately. At 14 he started letting me hunt on my own, first 2 years bowhunting we would climb in sight of each other or I hung somewhere between where he was going to hang and camp. So at 14, I had 7 years of learning and instruction about reading sign, scouting, tree identification, navigation. I had killed a pile of small game and ducks and knew how to process them. Teach them to call, deer, ducks, turkey, elk, skwerls, geese. If you dont know how, there is no better time to learn than with the kids. My dad couldnt call a fat kid to bowl of ice cream but he encouraged me to learn. Teach them about public land and what a limited resource it really is.

 

[Jefferson10940]

I am not sure where you are located but I think a good way to get the kids into hunting is turkey hunting. Its more action packed and involved. Where I hunt some days we sit without seeing deer. Some kids tend to get uninterested in that not seeing stuff situation.

 

[SNIPERBBB]

Big thing with starting kids and even adults into new things like hunting, trapping, fishing is starting them on something that has a high success rate without taking them somewhere that you don't even have to even think about trying to have success.

Expectations - results = Frustration.

Managing expectations at this stage is important so that the frustration doesn't turn them off. The more discipline and patience they have would make it easier for them to move to move more difficult animals sooner.

 

[Kurt]

Just the fact that your thinking about it is a leg up. If they see you hunting and having fun and being successful that's a great start. I started with a small bow in the back yard and a BB gun. Let them shoot some stuff. I used to eat every song bird I ever shot. I'd steal matches from the house and shoot chickadees and breast them out and cook them over a pine fire. Small game hunting came next with a single shot 22. Let them know they can shoot what they want but be prepared to eat it. It has to be fun and there has to be excitement. My family used to trap. It's a great way to learn the habits of the game your after. You won't hold a kid whose bored. Who doesn't love to shoot into the water. My step dad used to take my brother and I to the dump(target rich environment) just to shoot. Take them on plinking walks so they can shoot leaves and stumps and chipmunks and just shoot, and if you happen into some deer sign well that's a bonus. Teach them the art of sitting, and looking, and listening. But in short bursts that get longer over time. Let them track stuff. We used to fish the creeks but spent half the time tracking raccoons and getting soaked and muddy. Bring some food and snacks, and you hump the extra things so they can be comfortable(plenty of ammo). Sit in the middle of the woods or on a creek bank and split a pb&j with the boys. Get them each a cheap set of camo and if their into it paint their face a little. Try to think like a kid and do the things you remember liking as a kid. Impart the rules, safety, fair chase, wanton waste, but don't lecture them. Bring that stuff up as a matter of fact a little at a time along the way. Let them see you pick up some trash and put it in your pocket but don't make them do it all at once, it can't turn into trash day. The little peckerheads see more than you know. But the second it starts to turn into a drag your fighting a losing battle. All that drudgery can come later. I call it drudgery, but it's the real work of being a law abiding successful sportsman and steward of the land. Let them be kids. Lead by example. Don't let them take short cuts. and 0 tolerance on unsafe acts. Let them know that it can be dangerous and they need to act responsibly, no horsing around when your carrying a gun. Just writing this brings me back to when I was a kid starting out, it's the best memories. Good luck and be patient, Rome wasn't built in a day.

 

[Topdog]

When I was a kid, the phone would ring about an hour after dark, and that was how you learned about a family member, friend, or neighbor that got a buck, my brother and I would pile into my dads truck and we would make the short drive to see the deer, hear the hunters story, and be genuinely happy for the successful hunter, now it’s hero pictures on phones with everybody's arms stretched out, and the buck has a name like Titan or something else stupid, it drives me nuts.... Maybe I am just old school but anytime a friend or relative has a good day and gets a deer I make it a point to round up my son and we make the drive to take a look at it, it mite not sound like much but I think it’s the little things that make a difference.