Teaching Boy Scouts about Hunting

[Scrubbuck]

My boy is a new scout. He’s 7 and likes sports and fishing. At a scout meeting they asked parents to help lead meetings with topics they can teach kids. I live in NJ with a very philosophically diverse crowd.... doctors, lawyers, finance guys etc. nobody hunts. When they ask what I do for fun they scratch their heads. They play golf and get fat.... I scratch my head. Maybe I can help their kids. Does anyone have a good resource for presenting the benefits of hunting to kids and clueless parents? NJ has a lot of opportunity for hunting. Unlimited antlerless seasons on deer that aren’t very pressured. Could be a lot of fun for the kids that would never get exposed otherwise.

 

[ncstewart]

I thinking if your son is into fishing that’s a great way to introduce kids and adults that aren’t exposed to outdoors. Just have your son invite some kids and go from there. It’s a great way to spark interest in outdoor without freaking out parents that aren’t use to guns and hunting.


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[netman]

Start a fund raiser to raise money for some rod and reels along with some tackle. Get everyone involved. While your in the fund raising mode reach out to some retail stores and see how much the gear is going to cost and see if they are willing to assist.
Contact your Fish and Game office and see what they have available. I’m sure they have some type of program.
Reach out to your local bass fishing or fly fishing club.
If you was closer I would help.
Good luck!

 

[7-Pointers]

I'm a cub scout den leader myself, in the San Francisco area, so I get what you mean by "philosophically diverse" parents. Personally, I don't start with the killing stuff parts of hunting when I'm introducing kids (and parents of kids) at that age. I take the kids hiking in places where I know we'll see deer and turkeys in "the wild". I bring all the binoculars and tripods I can round up and let them sit and watch deer or turkeys through the glass when we find them and experience the awesomeness of just seeing them up close. I also have a picnic right after the nature hikes where bring all exquisitely prepared game I can and let the conversations roll from there.

 

[TheGrayRider]

The NRA has excellent programs to introduce young and old persons to shooting and hunting. Good luck bringing that topic and organization to your New Jersey scout group. You’ll most probably be labeled a domestic terrorist and misfit parent.

I earned the Eagle Scout rank years ago but have long ago given up on that organization. I do not encourage any young people from pursuing involvement with the Boy Scouts of America. They bowed to political pressure and lost their moral compass. Not the same organization as they were in the ‘70s and ‘80s.

Good luck with your quest, TheGrayRider!

 

[seawolfxix]

Do these NJ & CA scouts have access to BB gun and/or archery ranges at summer camp?

 

[dtrkyman]

A guy I work for lives in an affluent Chicago suburb, we take a few scouts crossbow hunting late season in Illinois for some doe management.

There are always a few open minded individuals willing to let kids try things they are interested in.

Last hunt 3 scouts that had never fired a crossbow in their lives prior to the day before the hunt went 5 for 5 with only one marginal shot

Two of the kids had some experience shooting but one had zero shooting anything, kids are typically coordinated and have great vision and they pick things up quick!

 

[Poser]

I’d consider starting from a consumptive angle.
Maybe bring in some rabbits and have them skin them, break them down, cook and eat them. You could also potentially organize a hunter safety course just for the troop. I think the relevance for Boy Scouts would be more of the bushcraft angle I.e. how to survive in the wilderness not necessarily the modern approach to hunting. I also think you should focus exclusively on small game. Deer hunting is probably the worst way to introduce young hunters to the pursuit. It’s boring, it’s cold, it’s inactive, and largely limited to certain hours of the day. You could take a group of boys rabbit hunting in the afternoon and squirrel hunting at dusk, for example.

I was in Boy Scouts in a more rural area of the South. We didn’t do any hunting, though I do remember one of the Scoutmasters was a deer and duck hunter and at least a couple of the boys (who’s fathers hunted) did some hunting, but it was never much a topic of conversation. We did, however, do a lot of target shooting. My dad, who wasn’t a hunter, even ended up buying a .22 target rifle for me to shoot in the backyard.

 

[CApighunter]

Do these NJ & CA scouts have access to BB gun and/or archery ranges at summer camp?

When I was in scouts our summer camps had rifle, shotgun and muzzle loader ranges.

 

[danrobles1987]

You may also want to reach out to your state's wildlife conservation dept. ours offers a youth fishing program where they provide rods/reels and several volunteers to help. They also provide clinics throughout the year Trout Fishing clinic might help with your crowd as they also make sure the parents get involved in helping the kids fish.

 

[nodakian]

I'm a cub scout den leader myself, in the San Francisco area, so I get what you mean by "philosophically diverse" parents. Personally, I don't start with the killing stuff parts of hunting when I'm introducing kids (and parents of kids) at that age. I take the kids hiking in places where I know we'll see deer and turkeys in "the wild". I bring all the binoculars and tripods I can round up and let them sit and watch deer or turkeys through the glass when we find them and experience the awesomeness of just seeing them up close. I also have a picnic right after the nature hikes where bring all exquisitely prepared game I can and let the conversations roll from there.

Something like this to ease them into just being outdoors without electronics for a few hours. The food is a nice bonus; I wish I’d have thought of that.

I took lots of Cubs hiking and just exploring. Of course folks here are less “philosophically diverse” than in NJ and CA, but most are still strangers to even minimal exposure to outdoors. Start them very easy. With just a little observation, kids that are interested in more will stand out.

 

[Lionhound1975]

I volunteered as a Scoutmaster for 2 years when my son was younger. BSA has changed a lot since i was a Scout 30 years ago and it was sad to see them go that way. But we were with a church-sponsored group so at least we didn't deal with confused souls about which bathroom to use. I still had great experiences teaching the boys about the outdoors.

You can introduce boys to the outdoors where an interest in hunting comes eventually. If you start out with hunting a lot of the parents will probably have a fit. Doing wilderness survival activities with 10 to 13 year-olds is a great way to start them off since they are too young to be into girls and still think lighting fires and building shelters is fun. Fishing is a good way too, especially if you teach the boys to make bows and then do bowfishing for carp or perch in some little stream. Fishing will fly better than hunting with most parents but some boys will get hooked on it and will eventually want to bowhunt something besides perch.

I taught the Scouts in my troop to track. We started out with basic mantracking skills and I would make a game out of it where i would walk through a wooded area and drop certain items and then they would have to find me. They had to have the items i had dropped next to my own sign to win so as to teach them to actually track and not just wander through the woods looking for me. Kids have great eyes and some of the boys really got into tracking and got to the point where they could follow a human trail over different surfaces here (leaves, pine needles, grass, etc.) for a few hundred yards without relying on mud, sand or snow for big obvious tracks. Then we would have a nature class (mammal study merit badge) where we have to identify tracks of 10 different mammals. Then how to track the animal. That, combined with archery and .22 rifle shooting competitions at scout camp can lead some boys right into hunting, even if they come from a non-hunting, urban background. Others might never hunt but if it gets them away from their phones and teaches them a love for the wild places that is ok too.

So teaching tracking skills to kids is a good way to start them in hunting. It also helps them become more aware of their surroundings. I taught my own son to track before i ever took him hunting. We were living in Africa at the time and i wanted him to learn there is more to hunting that just killing something so before i took him out to hunt antelope, i had him show me that he could successfully track a nyala or impala for a few hundred yards and tell me what they ate, where they slept, etc. I also felt better knowing he can backtrack his own sign if he ever gets lost in the woods.

 

[nodakian]

Yeah, we covered lots of critter tracks, poop, food, and beds, too. And basic plants such as cactus, sage , etc. Some kids got really interested, but their parents were ambivalent so didn’t prioritize additional opportunities.

Put boys in the outdoors with access to sticks and rocks, and a good share will naturally try whacking something (including their friends, of course), building spears and bows, etc. Testosterone just seems to work that way. Fun times.

 

[dragunov_elite]

I know I am not the OP of this thread. some very awesome advice and lessons. I am going to have to do some of these things with my nephews this spring. Thanks guys.

 

[7-Pointers]

Do these NJ & CA scouts have access to BB gun and/or archery ranges at summer camp?

Yep, I run the archery range and another guy runs the bb gun range. We both need the standard firearms and rangemaster training. Biggest difference is the attitudes and experiences of the parents here, not the actual laws I would guess.

 

[Scrubbuck]

Thanks for Some great ideas. These boys are real young so I am probably jumping the gun a bit. The more I think about it, talking about conservation would probably bore the hell out of 7-10 year olds. I love the idea of organizing a group hunter safety class when the age is right. So much of the hesitation could be something as simple as taking the time to get knowledgeable about safe hunting practices and I know that’s where most parents would want their kids to start whether they end up hunting or not. I’ll focus on getting my kids in the field as much as possible and then start recruiting friends. Merry Christmas to everyone. I still have 2 weeks of muzzleloader hunting ahead of me in January.

 

[gwl79902]

My boy is into scouts and loves it. My wife and I set up a fishing day and it was a huge hit. We talked a lot about hunting and fishing that day. I took a dad and son from the pack out on a youth duck hunt this fall.

I usually have a camo coat on and miss a lot of meetings becuse i am on a hunt. I take my bird dog to the meetings that allow it. The kids love to learn about him. I took some training quail once and let him work them. The kids loved it. I just kind of throw out the bait and see who is interested.

Get ahold of you local fish and wildlife department they should have an angler education program. If not lots of flyfishing clubs have programs. Or at least the old farts in the clubs love to help kids learn to fish. I would talk to your local hunting club and see if they will help out and let the conversation on hunting start there.

 

[Packin_packout]

1. From a scouting perspective hunting is not supposed to be an activity. (it's not lnt)
2. start them off with 22's teaching safety & marksmanship and 20 gauge shotguns.
3. Dovetail trail to first class ( orienteering, wood chip for learning fires..what kid isn't a pyro ) and wilderness survival badges in
4. Load them up w/ a good menu of wild game at the cracker / barrel for the campouts...questions will come up about when and where and how. Dove / quail / deep fried turkey / jerky / sausage
5. Get them involved w/ local game & fish about why hunting is necessary.
6. Do the nature hikes / glassing let them see stuff is actually out there. Have the rangers at the state parks talk about the cull hunts done there ( at least in texas ) so they does don't cause too many car wrecks and overgraze.
7. Transition them venturing at 14 and find another adult then let them start organizing stuff like small game.
8. Next big game after they show proficiency.
By 14 they want to stay away from the first years, venturing let's them do centerfire and they can have an older scout activity that sets them apart and get practice to see who is ready. The older scouts end up bringing the steaks for the campouts after that...my kids routinely supply the troop campout with wild game. We are at the last step (my kids are already dropping elk/muleys) now will have some other kids on the hunts this coming fall it looks like.