GMMAT

Took my son deer hunting for the first time last year. I'd told him what to expect.....watched shows with him (and told him of the reality...or LACK thereof).

I'm guessing he was in the stand.....Ohhhh.....MAYBE an hour.....and he came down. "We're not gonna see anything". I just laughed.....and got him in the blind with me (He was in a climber....and I was kinda just watching him.

We sat there for about 30 minutes.....and all the while I'm telling him that he HAS to learn "patience". I could have just as easily been speaking French......until the 4 does hopped into our set.

Thank you God.

We didn't take a shot......but the presence of those does did more for MY credibility.....and HIS excitement/eagerness to go hunting again......than any verbal lesson I could have ever taught him. He was a great partner the rest of the season. YES....kids need to see game to keep their interest up. GREAT point.

Jeff

nchawkeye

I used to be a serious bass fisherman...Back in the 70s I would stay in the boat all day....Just to see one come up and hit top water was worth it to me...I just loved being on the water....Then...I got married...

My oldest daughter (now 23) would go fishing with me when she was 2...And my wife was pregnant again...I realized that I didn't need to be THAT serious about bass fishing....When we went...we had fun...I let her drive the boat...We had picnics...We went swimming...I taught her how to skip rocks...

We went back to cane poles, cricket, minnows, worms...I even put beach music in the tape player an taught her how to shag on the casting deck...
We caught bream, catfish, crappie, bass...Whatever was biting...If they weren't we did other things....But, we had a ball...

Hunting with kids should be the same way....I started with a pellet gun...Then a .410 and squirrels...Then a .22...Then a double barrel 12 gauge and doves, quail, ducks and finally deer....Some of the most fun I have ever had with my dad was hunting squirrels with a squirrel dog....I don't think that we should expect a 8 year old to sit quietly in a deer stand for 3-4 hours and "have a good time"...What I have learned about being a good hunter and a good shot, I learned through my early years, usually squirrel hunting.....

I cringe when I see some of these shows....And as a hunter, we can tell which guys (shows) are made up of other good, careful hunters....That know how to setup, when you have a good clean shot and when you should pass on a shot...I have learned to pass on the other shows....

Zim

That excuse is should not be carte blanche approval for every hunting related company/outdoorsman/organization. Take a look at what SFW is doing in Utah. Freakin raping Joe Lunchbox to cater to outfitters and thewealthy. I completely refuse to support every dope out there.

GMMAT

nchawkeye......GREAT POST.

My son also knows, now.....that he holds a HIGHLY deadly weapon in his hands (he's 14). It IS a bit more serious, now.

We have fun shooting 3D's in the yard.....and at the range......and I let him shoot squirrels (But he's CLEANING THEM!...lol). But when we go to the deer woods.....it's all business, now (and boy do we have fun getting ready.....and talking to everyone about what we see!).

Great story about your daughter. really nice.....

Jeff

Kybuckhunter

The best thing to do about these shows is ....hold on now... this is a radical concept......DONT WATCH.

The sponsors will not support them if no one watches and the show will not last. If you only watch the shows with fair chase then the sponsors will see that's what the public wants.

I hate high fence hunting as much as anyone but its not up to me to tell someone else not to do it. I just don't spend my money or time on it. If someone wants toshoot penned animalsand think they are truly hunting then more power to them. It's their time and money.

Iowa Monsterbuck

I have to disagree there. I think the best thing to do is to let these sponsors know how much we dislike the shows. I doubt if anybody would know whether I watched a certain show or not but if I call or e-mail them they will. If you don't think something is ethical or sporting then you should contact the sponsors and ask them why they approve of such behavior and if they say they don't then ask them why they would support it with their sponsorship money.

As far as the original thread, did anybody see the Nuge taking some guys buffalo "hunting" on his ranch a couple weeks ago? That was pathetic. Those guys didn't seem like they knew which end of a gun the bullet came out and Ted was walking them up to close range and having them shoot them then was talking it all up afterward on what an "experience" it was. Ugghh! Make me sick![:'(]

Anthony T.

Seems like you're the only one for them in this whole thread. Fellow freinds of yours or something?
You're preaching to the choir dude! Any ethical hunter will agree that hunting tame herds is wrong and I'm confident any ethical hunter will not want to support them. I am behind some shows 100% but not the tame herd hunters association! I'm glad you support them, at least someone does. I do watch some just to see the magnificence of some of the monster bucks, elk, ect. But that don't mean I believe in it.
Everyone has anopinion here! Don't bash us for ours...

GMMAT

Anthony:

What's he's trying to tell you is this......

The biggest enemy we have as hunters.....is fellow "hunters". The PETA's of the world are one day going to try to take what we hold sacred away from us. The words/phrases/photos/etc...they're gonna rely MOST on.......are the ones they see us saying to one another during bouts of in-fighting over everything from this subject....to Sunday Hunting (or lack thereof, in my state)...to baiting.....to (___________fill in the blank).

That's all I think he meant...though I wouldn't begin to put words in his mouth. He's NOT against YOU............OR........ ANY PERSON harvesting game in a manner that is legal in their state/province/etc...

Jeff

Kybuckhunter

What do you think your doing everytime you tune into a show? You cast a vote. Your saying I like your show, please show me more. You can also email the sponsors but the greatest effect will be to not support the show. They do know when ratings go down it's time to spend their sponsor dollars somewhere else and the show goes off the air.

Just look at any TV show that gets axed. It's because the ratings are bad so it will not make money. The more people watch the more money it will make. Plain and simple.

hillbillyhunter1

excellent post nc,

generally I think a kid's FIRST hunting experience should not be in a deer stand. Start them out having fun and getting some trigger time on small game then let their hunting experiences mature as they do.