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Old 04-20-2008, 04:23 PM
  #6  
Gruntr Huntr
Fork Horn
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Southern Illinois
Posts: 199
Default RE: Starting a kid hunting

Both of these are good advice. I have three kids who all hunt with me and they range from 20 to 12 (at least they were kids when we started). I started them all by taking them with me and making the hunt an educational field trip. I tried to keep things fun and interesting. I didn't push them when they got tired or cold or hot. Honestly, on hunts with them along, it was more about developing their interest and excitement than it was about actually killing something. About the time they turned 10, I had them shooting .22's and light load 20 gauges in preparation for the fall seasons. By the time hunting season started, they could shoot good enough to hunt. Too keep my focus on them, which I felt was very important, I decided to not carry a gun when I took them hunting. This took everything off my mind except helping them learn to be safe with their gun, and build the skills needed to be successful at what they were hunting. This worked really well for me and my kids.
ORIGINAL: Ausie-guy

Probably the best advice that could be given, is when you do take them afield and they start loosing intrest while hunting, stop hunting. Whether you are deer hunting or tukey hunting, etc., if they are ready to go home or do something else then stop. If you force them to stay in the woods and they are not enjoying it, they'll remember that the next time you want them to go and choose to stay home! It has to be fun for them when they are young.
Ditto on that.

Just remember a childs attention span is not the same as yours and as long as you make it fun then they will want to keep going with you.

Try doing a spot and stalk on pigs with them that way they will always be doing something and not just sitting in a blind where boredom will quickly set in and we all know what kids are like when they are bored
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