IMHO the biggest thing thats ruined hunting for youth is the so called "hunting industry" and OUR(as a culture) focus on horns and trophies... it really misses the entire point of it...
it kinda bothers me to see a kids first deer:
1) happen when they're 14(when their parent has been hunting their whole lives)
2) is what we on our ranch would be considered a once-a-blue-moon wallhanger
3) is witnessed not by the child's loving parent, but a paid-for guide, in front of a video camera
4) was "given" to them as a gift
hunting is not a competative sport... it is a way of life, a way of belief, and a superior understanding that gets lost in todays focus on managing deer herds for "quality"...
But i suppose such is the way of things...