ORIGINAL: bawanajim
Was there a fault in the way you were introduced to hunting?
I really have to question how many seven year olds look forward to 4 AM alarm clocksand dark woods as to a warm bed and sponge bob.
Myself, I think sunny days bluegill fishing after hot dogs over a camp fire are more likely to draw kids to the outdoors than apredawn plunder through the woods being really quite.
We have plenty of those sunny days spent catching bluegills. This hunt last year was a one day occurence, not a week or month long routine.That is for us older hunters...ahh, the insanity otherwise known as spring turkey hunting! She thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the hunt. Thatis the gauge of the youth hunt success...not a dead bird. Do I wish I was introduced differently? Perhaps. I know I longed to participate for several years before I was twelve, and though I "tagged along", I still wished for the chance to get a deer. I had been shooting deer rifles very well for a couple of years by that time. I think I would have definitely been ready and prepared to harvest a deer by the age of 8 or 9 with the proper supervision. A good friend of mine several years ago started taking his young son to out of state hunts where he could hunt at the age of nine. Now at age thirteen, this young man has harvested close to a dozen deer mostly with bow, two buffalos with his bow, and several exotics as well. He absolutely loves hunting and I know his dad never pressured him to do anything he didn't already want to do. It is all in preparation. If you don't feel your kids are prepared enough, then just don't paticipate. Don't hate those of us that feel our kids are ready.