Quote"Dad and Jr. get to Dad's stand opening morning. Jr. has not been in the woods at all except for his one day hunting last year. A deer shows up and Jr. shoots it. Dad loads the deer up and takes it to camp. Jr. is dropped off at the house so he can brag to Momma and his friends. Meanwhile, me or someone else helps Dad clean the deer (or track or drag, depending on the circumstances). Dad is happy because Jr. killed a deer and he can brag on his boy. Jr. is happy because he killed a deer and can brag to his friends. My question: is this hunting? What has Dad taught Jr.?"
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I can't say I would agree with the above senario but I also would not blame the kid for it. I think the father is the one you should be upset with. I is our responsibility as adults be it a father, mother, friend or relative to teach kids about hunting.

Do I believe that kids should hunt when they can't field dress a deer?

Sure as long as they are involved in the process in some sort. It would prob. surprise you how many adults do not scout for deer or spend very very little time in the woods before season. Most will go back to the same place every year and hunt without giving it a thought. We need this type of hunters to help control the population.

Alot of people on this board grew up around guns and had hunting parents or friends that introduced them to the sport. This can be done in alot of different ways.

I think we should teach all aspects of the hunt from start to finish but age is not always the best judgment as to when someone should be allowed to hunt.

Supervised deer hunting or any hunting for that matter should be the way you start a kid. I am not saying aim the gun for them (although I doubt this is happening because I don't know how you aim for someone else.) But sitting beside you kids in the stand and watching them shoot a deer, then teaching them to gut it (even if you are doing it), helping drag it out (obviously doing most of it yourself), and skinning it out or whatever, this is how they learn it. I didn't know it the first time, they have to have practice and that takes experience.

I don't know if we should judge someone for thier method of hunting if they are following all the game laws in thier state. For me personally deer hunting doesn't end until the deer are skinned and deboned then the jerky, summer sausage, brats, polish dogs, and steaks are cut up and in the freezer.

Does that make me more of a hunter than the guy who drops it off at the locker?


" Anyone can be a father, but it takes a real man to be a Dad"