RE: How old should the little guy be?
 

I took my daughter when she was 5, bowhunting on the ground. Had a little doe come in about 25 yards from us and stomp its foot and blew at us. It ran off then she looked at me and said "Daddy, why didn't you shoot it?!"

RE: How old should the little guy be?
 

I think you should take them out and I would take both at the same time. They will keep one another entertained when the action is slow. Just remember to ensure they have fun. My daughter came with me a time or two when she was 3 and then tracked her first deer (I did the shooting) at age 4 with a flash light and impressed the stew out of me. She has been a great hunting partner and took her first deer last year just before her 11th birthday. My son will soon be 4 and has made serveral trips with us over the past two seasons. I only hunt a few days each year without at least oen of them and that is fine by me. They are only young once.

RE: How old should the little guy be?
 

MY BOY IS NOW 7 AND HAS BEEN HUNTING WITH ME SINCE THE AGE OF 5. I WOULD TAKE HIM ONCE OR TWICE A YEAR, PLUS TAKE HIM WITH ME WHEN FILLING FEEDERS AND CHECKING CAMERAS. I BELIVE THAT YOU AND YOUR WIFE WILL KNOW WHEN IT IS TIME. WHEN I FIRST STARTED TAKING MY BOY I JUST PLANNED ON BEING HERE FOR MAYBE AN HOUR OR SO. TO HELP THE BOYS OUT TAKE A DVD PLAYER WITH HEAD PHONES OR A HAND HELD GAME WITH A MUTE BUTTON. THIS HELPS THEM PASS THE TIME WHEN THINGS ARE SLOW.
BE CAREFULL AND GOOD HUNTING.

RE: How old should the little guy be?
 

My son was 2 years old when he started goin to the stand. In fact, he was in the stand with my wife and I when she killed her first deer. He is 6 now and he still remembers the whole thing, seeing the deer, waiting FOREVER for mom to pull the freakin trigger, waiting after the shot, getting down and following the blood trail.

Go ahead and take your kids to the stand sometimes. You never know when you'll get lucky and make awesome memories.

RE: How old should the little guy be?
 

I was around 6 when my father started to take me with him when "hunting". I knew later that he wasn't expecting any real hunting, but just had me along to learn to sit and watch, but more so to learn about the woods and the animals.
(face it, how many 6 year olds can actually sit still long enough, or walk and hike far enough to "go hunting". I know my 9 year old nephew couldn't)

RE: How old should the little guy be?
 

I took my son for the first time last fall at the age of 5. I build a "stand" forus that was 6'X3' with 24" side walls out of 5/4 treated deck boards and 2X6's that was 10' up in the air.
I brought him with me 3 or 4 times in early bow season when it was still pretty warm.
The best advise I have, is bring something quiet for them to snack on (gold fish, little crackers etc.) and put them in a bowl, so they're not reaching in a bag.And a bottle of water. It just gave my son something to help pass the time.

And pay attention to theweather. I have a buddy thatlives for dear hunting,but his son (who is now 20) has nothing to do with it, and has really never had anything to do with hunting. I asked him why once, and he said that whenhis sonwas 5 or 6I (theboys father)screwed up big time. He took himhunting during shotgun season in November and hefroze, he got some minor frostbite in his fingers and toes and the kiddidn't want to complain because he didn't want daddy to get mad, and he has wanted nothing to dowith it since.

I really paid a lot of attention to that lesson, and when Zac said he was cold last fall we went home.
Like some of the guys said, have fun with it. You will get some great laughs from the silly little stuff they say or ask when you in the woods.

We got the chance to see a couple of twins just barely out of their spots playing 18 yards from our stand and the look on his face and the focus in his eyes gave me a feeling I don't think I'll ever be able to describe, and then to see him almost explode when we got home and was telling my wife about it, I knew that I'd done the right thing by taking him.

My dad told me the day I shot my first white tail (I was 11), that out of all the deer he has ever killed, none of them gave him the feelings and emotions that he had when he watched my doe fall. It brought teers to his eyes. And I know, as excited as I get just seeing my son's reaction when he see's deer and goes hunting that we are going to get to share that same moment! I can't wait!!

I'd say bring at least the older boy, I promise that you will get a feeling of satifaction and pride that you will never forget!

I think a lot of parents nowadays don't spend enough time with their kids anyway and in my opinion a couple of hours in the stand with your boy will be an investment that will bring you and him together each and every fall for the rest of your lives!

Happy hunting!

RE: How old should the little guy be?
 

Take him. I was young when I went out the first time. The guy I was with never got anything while I was with him but hey. I am hooked.

RE: How old should the little guy be?
 

I agree with the some of the others and it's never too young to start. My oldest boy (now 12) started sitting on stand with me while bow-hunting when he was 8 years old. I put 2 stands in the same tree, kept them low, and of course he wore a safety harness. He sat with me at 8 and 9 years old to observe. At 10 he hunted for the first time with a crossbow ( I don't hunt with a gun) and he shot a beautiful buck his first year of hunting. Now I also have a 3 year old and he sat with me bowhuntingin a ground blind last year at the age of 2. This was more of a novelty thing because he is too young to sit still and quiet but I know that he loved that I was willing to take him even though he talked too much. At this point I enjoy exposing my boys to the joy of bow-hunting just about as much as hunting on my own. Here are some pics of his first hunt:

RE: How old should the little guy be?
 

Another one of the 2-year old last year:

RE: How old should the little guy be?
 

Here is one with the older boy with his 1st deer at 10 years old. He is showing his little brother how it's done: