I used to be a serious bass fisherman...Back in the 70s I would stay in the boat all day....Just to see one come up and hit top water was worth it to me...I just loved being on the water....Then...I got married...

My oldest daughter (now 23) would go fishing with me when she was 2...And my wife was pregnant again...I realized that I didn't need to be THAT serious about bass fishing....When we went...we had fun...I let her drive the boat...We had picnics...We went swimming...I taught her how to skip rocks...

We went back to cane poles, cricket, minnows, worms...I even put beach music in the tape player an taught her how to shag on the casting deck...
We caught bream, catfish, crappie, bass...Whatever was biting...If they weren't we did other things....But, we had a ball...

Hunting with kids should be the same way....I started with a pellet gun...Then a .410 and squirrels...Then a .22...Then a double barrel 12 gauge and doves, quail, ducks and finally deer....Some of the most fun I have ever had with my dad was hunting squirrels with a squirrel dog....I don't think that we should expect a 8 year old to sit quietly in a deer stand for 3-4 hours and "have a good time"...What I have learned about being a good hunter and a good shot, I learned through my early years, usually squirrel hunting.....

I cringe when I see some of these shows....And as a hunter, we can tell which guys (shows) are made up of other good, careful hunters....That know how to setup, when you have a good clean shot and when you should pass on a shot...I have learned to pass on the other shows....