Introducing children to hunting

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

"Women make us poets, children make us philosophers." ~Malcolm de Chazal

I find this statement a little more accurate each passing day as a father (my poetry still sucks though). Hunting is our way of life, but it brings up challenging to reconcile in a child's mind. I've always been of the mindset that I will preserve my children's innocence as long as possible because the world is a cruel place and will take it from them soon enough on its own, but this brings to mind more questions all the time. How do I preserve this innocence yet perpetually present them with the harsh realities of hunting? How do I temper teaching them kindness with destroying a life? How do I reconcile in their little minds respect for these animals that we pursue and ultimately kill? How do I teach them that violence is not the answer in most cases but in this one it is?

My children have been exposed to hunting since birth and they are aware of its realities, but it brings up interesting conversations. My 3 year old didn't understand why we couldn't shoot my neighbor's chickens and in the subsequent explanation that they don't belong to us and they are egg layers, he indicated that they are mean, to which I replied "no they won't hurt you, they are friendly". "Friendly" was a poor choice of wording and now he thinks we only kill "mean" animals not "friendly" ones, which for the time being is sort of ok but he thinks when I go into the woods or mountains that I'm doing some sort of battle with these animals. Children are funny little creatures.

I'm interested to hear your tales of challenges with bringing your children up around hunting?

 

[elkyinzer]

My daughter is 7 months old and I think about this a lot.

Many of those thoughts revert to my childhood.

One of my very earliest memories was a buck my dad shot with his bow and brought home. Calculating back based on other events I was about 3.5 at that time. Just admiring the magnificence of the animal. Don't think there was any discussion or thought of death, it was just "there".

As the years passed, I tagged along on all kind of scouting trips and was generally immersed in the outdoors, but come hunting season I was left behind. Still remember the intense anticipation, every time the guys would return from a hunt, asking them if they got anything and eagerly asking for the full recap. Constantly asking questions about hunting. By the time I was 11 I was absolutely dying to do it myself.

I think in retrospect that was for the better, it created such a burning desire to do it. Like I really earned it. At the time you had to be 12 to hunt in PA. Now there is no minimum age provided parent/guardian is present. I see kids as young as 5 or 6 posing with animals they shot. To me that isn't the right way to go about it. Not so much moral implications of killing, of which I think there are, but who am I to judge another persons ability to deal with that. Jeez, at that age my brother and I were still pretend hunting with nerf guns for crying out loud. Moreso, I just don't think that creates the same burning desire as having to wait until you reach that magical age. Just my personal experience.

 

[Beendare]

I listened to my wife and waited until they were older.....a mistake.

The guys I've seen with success......make it all about them

 

[dvm_hunter]

my kids started going with me around 3 years old. They've watched me clean I don't know how many before that time and never reacted. They were just enamored with seeing them up close and feeling their fur. They're still involved today, hunting and fishing, and they love it. My daughter loves hunting more than fishing and my son loves fishing more. I think he likes riding in the boat more than anything, cause he gets all jacked up to ride the four wheeler or ranger too.


Beendare is absolutely right. I never went with the intent of taking an animal and made it more about answering the million questions they have and showing them all the different animals (birds, squirrels, mice etc...) through binoculars. Always bring them their own pair to use. Lots of snacks and drinks. Fishing we spent a lot more time playing in the water. So i'd never take them to my great spots, because I knew we'd end up swimming. Then, I'd take them to a good spot to catch fish.

 

[MallardSX2]

I shot a crow flying over the house last weekend and my 5 year old went down and grabbed it by the wing and brought it up to the porch. She likes it when I "Shoot the crows!"

We always take her fishing with us and let her reel everything in. Loves it.

Got her a little bowfishing setup rigged up for her birthday. Im hoping to take her soon as the weather breaks.

 

[JPHuntingAUS]

I shot my first rabbit at 5. It was the best thing my old man could have done. My brother is always making his 18 month old
son have fun around his heads and guns.

It's far more about what you teach them rather than when. I was taught about respecting firearms and animals I hunted. I know guys that didn't get into hunting until like 12 year old and were never taught the respect. and from what I've seen they shouldn't be allowed to own firearms or hunt animals.

 

[bean outdoors]

"Women make us poets, children make us philosophers." ~Malcolm de Chazal

I find this statement a little more accurate each passing day as a father (my poetry still sucks though). Hunting is our way of life, but it brings up challenging to reconcile in a child's mind. I've always been of the mindset that I will preserve my children's innocence as long as possible because the world is a cruel place and will take it from them soon enough on its own, but this brings to mind more questions all the time. How do I preserve this innocence yet perpetually present them with the harsh realities of hunting? How do I temper teaching them kindness with destroying a life? How do I reconcile in their little minds respect for these animals that we pursue and ultimately kill? How do I teach them that violence is not the answer in most cases but in this one it is?

My children have been exposed to hunting since birth and they are aware of its realities, but it brings up interesting conversations. My 3 year old didn't understand why we couldn't shoot my neighbor's chickens and in the subsequent explanation that they don't belong to us and they are egg layers, he indicated that they are mean, to which I replied "no they won't hurt you, they are friendly". "Friendly" was a poor choice of wording and now he thinks we only kill "mean" animals not "friendly" ones, which for the time being is sort of ok but he thinks when I go into the woods or mountains that I'm doing some sort of battle with these animals. Children are funny little creatures.

I'm interested to hear your tales of challenges with bringing your children up around hunting?

i have 3 boys and a ground blind works wonders for us

i have found thay not staying too long and letting them be kids help even when they spook game away

I will never forget my sons statement after he shot his first turkey at age 8 " This is the greatest day ever, Dad"

 

[realunlucky]

I took my oldest duck hunting for her first trip. Got her some camo set up a comfortable chair with blanket and heater. Put all decoys out just waiting for it get light you know coldest part of morning. Daddy I'm cold! I tried to get her to hold on till the sun came up. A few tears later we were back in the truck with heater cranked full sun just coming up and shotguns blasting everywhere. We headed for home and honestly I was a bit disappointed so stopped and got her an ice cream cone. Got home and she told mom BEST HUNTING TRIP ever! I learned right there they just want to be part of the team no matter what happens. It's been years and she still remembers it and tells people about the best trip ever. Kids are the best and each one is different

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[D_Eightch]

I have always brought it up with my son as we are eating venison or pheasant, or fish we have caught.

I took him fishing this past summer for the first time, let him know the ones we were keeping would be supper and let some others go. I let him see the meat when I was done cleaning the fish, tried not to show him the cutting up portion of it to start.
He is only 4 1/2 years old, so obviously doesn't totally get it. But he knows I feel pretty strongly that we don't kill something that won't be getting eaten. He even went as far as scolding grandma when she killed a bug, lol.

He has made up the idea that we only kill dads, not moms and babies. Not sure how he came up with that, could be the precursor to a future trophy hunter, or I have something to start worrying about

The main thing is exposure and doing things gradually. I want to let my son come sit in the tree stand with me for White Tail this fall, but wouldn't shoot anything in front of him our first time out (unless it was a big dad deer ). I definitely wouldn't take him out during shotgun season and blast the first deer that comes running through either.

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

He has made up the idea that we only kill dads, not moms and babies. Not sure how he came up with that, could be the precursor to a future trophy hunter, or I have something to start worrying about

.

Mine came up with the same thing, apparently dads deserve to die.

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[cnelk]

This is me and my dad - circa 1968
He has been gone for a long time but his teachings and memory lives on with me and my kids as I have taught them about hunting as he taught me.

You definitely get out of them what you put in to them

 

[jmez]

I've got 4 boys, they have all been exposed since they were infants. They have all crawled around on a dead deer before they could walk. Every time I get something I bring it home and show it to them. Let them touch and mess with it. I don't believe in shielding them from anything. Everything we eat died, whether I had a hand in it or not. I think it is important for them to learn that. Mine are 7, 5, and twin 4 year olds now. The older two have been on several turkey, pheasant and dove hunts, a few bowhunts and this year rifle antelope and deer.

We sat in a ground blind for the rifle hunts. I talked to them about what we were doing and told them the hunt was for them, we could shoot an animal or not. We were shooting something, I left what up to them. We can wait on a good one or shoot the first thing we see. We were going to wait for a big one until a small antelope buck walked by and they were all in. The killing part has never bother them. They have "helped" with butter knives in dressing any game or fish I bring home since they were toddlers. We talk about muscles, bones, organs, what we eat and don't eat and why. They have been brought up being involved with every step along the way.

Some lessons in life are difficult, if we are to live then something has to die. It's that simple, best they learn that from the start.

Some of the lessons are easier for me as I live in the country and we always have a yard full of turkeys and deer year round. They, at times, want me to shoot every one that shows up and we've talked about that. We don't shoot them in the yard because they are there. We have a license and the hunt is important and there is no "hunt" involved in shooting one off the deck bedded in the back yard. We only shoot what we need, not what we want etc. They already understand the difference. They also watch and enjoy them in the yard at times as well.

I haven't really seen it as a challenge I guess. I've been a hunter my entire life, it is part of me. If my children choose to be that is fine, if not, that is fine as well. They will make that decision. I'm just honest with them about the realities of the situation from start to finish and have never shielded them from any portion of it.

 

[LostArra]

It's important to remember kids are still individuals and not clones of their parents. I introduced hunting and fishing to my daughters at early ages. Some loved it, some showed a little interest. They all like to fish.

Move ahead 30 years now. One daughter is a serious hunter and also loves fishing. Another loves fishing and backpacking. The other two are not hunters but enjoy sharing the outdoors with their own children. They all love cooking and especially game meat. I don't think you can make your children love something just because you love it. You see this all the time in kids sports.
One thing my daughters appreciate is the time necessary to become proficient with a weapon in order to humanely hunt and I think that is one reason the two older ones don't hunt. They can't work that weapon practice into a busy schedule right now.

An interesting idea I heard from Steve Rinella: taking kids hunting should introduce to them the concept of being a little miserable and how to deal with it. It might be the hiking or just a little cold and wet. We aren't talking survival or dangerous situations. But they should learn that hunting is not golf.

 

[SWVA_Tim]

Good Thread guys .... sorry but had to throw in a few of my own ..... I absolutely love taking my boys out...it's always an "adventure"

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

Good Thread guys .... sorry but had to throw in a few of my own ..... I absolutely love taking my boys out...it's always an "adventure" View attachment 47813View attachment 47814View attachment 47814View attachment 47815View attachment 47816

Pics didn't work

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[dvm_hunter]

I took my oldest duck hunting for her first trip. Got her some camo set up a comfortable chair with blanket and heater. Put all decoys out just waiting for it get light you know coldest part of morning. Daddy I'm cold! I tried to get her to hold on till the sun came up. A few tears later we were back in the truck with heater cranked full sun just coming up and shotguns blasting everywhere. We headed for home and honestly I was a bit disappointed so stopped and got her an ice cream cone. Got home and she told mom BEST HUNTING TRIP ever! I learned right there they just want to be part of the team no matter what happens. It's been years and she still remembers it and tells people about the best trip ever. Kids are the best and each one is different

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I learned that lesson the hard way. I took my son deer hunting for the first time on his 6th birthday for a morning hunt. I should have known better because i had been seeing a lot of hog pictures at the feeder. My brother in law took us to drop us off and we get out of the truck and i'm getting my bag and bow out of the back of the truck and my son is by me. Well, there was a sounder of hogs that came running from the feeder and I had to throw my son in the back of the truck cause a big boar came charging at us. Scared the living crap out of him, rightfully so. Ruined him for about 2 years, I couldn't get him to sit to deer hunt at all. I tried forcing him, like an idiot, and it only made it worse. He's 9 now and he'll go during the afternoon, but we have to leave before it's dark or I have to have someone drive up to the blind and pick us up.

 

[D_Eightch]

Mine came up with the same thing, apparently dads deserve to die.

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Maybe their mothers need to be questioned, lol

 

[boom]

my brother and i came out of nowhere. dad didnt hunt, mom..hahaha..no way.

we just gravitated to it ourselves. i was reading books like BIG RED right from the beginning. i wanted that single shot shotgun from the SEARS catalog bad. IIRC it was the model 39A youth.

so we started while older. my dad bought me a .22 when i was 11 and took me out. i hit a running jackrabbit after practicing on cans. my dad knew he just created a monster. after that he would get his hunting friends to take us. he had GREAT buddies that took us..two annoying chinese kids. but we were hooked. i owe my dad's friends.

sometimes hunting love comes out of nowhere.

 

[16Bore]

I started at the dinner table and worked backwards with my girls. It's OK for people (even a hunters kids) to not want to be involved in the process of acquiring game meat, but important to understand. My Buddhist friend doesn't like guns and doesn't believe in killing animals. However, she's read two Rinella books and wants eat venison backstrap w/port reduction.

If I had boys, it might be different....

 

[kicker338]

To me it's more about grandkids. Not any particular age as they have been going camping with me since they were babies, hunting was just a part of camping. My most important one is my oldest grandson Joe. Joe has downs syndrome so a part of him will always be young even though he will turn 17 in a couple of mths. He's been hunting with me for the last 3 yrs. has his own bow, binos and fanny pack. Hoping at some point i'le be able to put an elk down with him along and if I do he will have to poke an arrow at it so he can think he got it.