jackflap

Preface
I started going hunting with my grandfather and uncle at age 8 and hunting has been my favorite activity ever since. However, my cousin never really enjoyed it, but his dad would make him go all the time which even turned him against it even more.

Because of this, at an early age, I vowed that when I had kids I would never make, coerce, or pressurethem do any activity with me on a regular basis (just expose them to it and then let them make their own decisions)

I started taking my son hunting at 8 at let him carry a gun on a limited basis at the age of 10. He liked it when he was really young and I limited the number of hunts to3 or 4 a year so as to not burn him out. He has killed multiple deer, turkey, quail, and pheasants.

As he has gotten older, he has preferred to go less and less although I always INVITE him as I go hunting at least 1 day almost every weekend during a 4 month season. He is now about to turn 15and he has only hunted 1 day each of the last two seasons. He is more into sports, girls and friends.

We have a very good relationship andI am very involved in his baseball and snowboarding and I couldn't be more proud of him as he makesstraight A'sand is a hardworking and caring young man.

I am proud he iscomfortable telling me he just doesn't enjoy hunting that much. So I am not troubled by this at all, just curious if this is a common occurence or if he is the exception.

statjunk

I don't remember who said this but there are well known and famous. The saying goes something like this, "Man loves to chop wood, because you can see instantaneous results." Something to that effect anyhow.

Kids now a days are all about instataneous results. Hunting is a difficult sport that takes patience and putting in your time. Kids lack these things now a days.

Maybe when he gets older he will come back to hunting and you can be there to enjoy it with him.

Tom

KansasBBD

You're doing a great job on not pressuring him and just offering the chance. When i was younger my brother and dad would go hunting alot and i would a little bit. Then when i was15-16 i got into girls and other things that im not too proud of but glad that i experienced. I kinda got out of some of the sports i played. I was kinda lost which alot of teenagers go through at least a little bit and hunting really changed my life around. Instead of going out and partying all the time i started to spend more times in the woods. It really made me mature alot faster. I still party but when my other friends are out smoking weed im in the woods gettin high on nature I wouldnt be too worried about your son, if he wants to be a hunter he will. Sounds like you have a great kid too. I bet once he gets a little older he'll realize it is fun hang out with pops!

LKNCHOPPERS

I have a 12 year old son. He likes the outdoors and shooting, but he is not into hunting. This is hard for me but I have to respect what he wants and can't force him. My daughter is 9 and she has shown an interest. I think she will kill a deer if she has the chance. Some how,I feel that with young boys these days they do not like to work and hunting seems like work to them. There are too many instant gratifications these days with the Wii, Playstation, computer games, TV, cell phones, it urks me but that's the way it is.

mauser06

id say your approach is best...get them exposed and let them make their own decisions. forcing kids to do things, wether its sports, play an instrument, or hunt or fish, is just wrong and usually makes kids hate what they are being forced to do. i know alot of kids whose parents made them play sports and such and they hated it.

im only 21 and dont have kids...but i can tell you how i became the outdoor fool that i am...

when i was barely walking and still in diapers dad had me fishing...got pics to prove it..once i could walk decintly, i was walking in the woods with him...he was always teaching me sign, tracks, trees, etc...but always let me be a kid..let me chase worms and snakes and frogs and turtles and throw rocks in the creek and if i was ready to go, we were done. always kept it fun...not long after he started taking me groundhog hunting, then squirrel hunting. i remember he always acted like he couldnt see and i was his eyes pointing out game (sometimes i wonder if that was an act...it wasnt long after that he got glasses! lol..) id always point out the groundhog or squirrel for him to shoot and he would say "well i dont see it point it out..OH! you got better eyes than me! i never seen that one!" not long after that we started running coonhounds..i was probably 4-5 years old...lets just say it was all down hill from there

continued to take me hunting and fishing and shooting every chance we got..and we got many...when 12 came around and i could legally carry a gun, there was no questions wether i wanted to...i was ready to go!

also remember being real young and him throwing a tin can out in the yard and letting me shoot BBs at it..and then he would setup his archery target and i would fling arrows beside him with a wanna be youth bow...wish he didnt get out of archery, i would have been doing it all my life...but he goto out of it before i was 12..i didnt get into it till last year...

i never wanted to play sports...i wanted to go hunting or fishing or scouting with dad. thats what i know and love. i cant catch a ball or shoot a basket to save my life...but you hand me a bow or gun and i'll shoot that ball i chased alot of girls..and still do...and love hanging out with the friends...but they all know when its hunting or fishing season, they arent gunna see or hear much from me...i got college buddies that know they wont see me till the short time between hunting and fishing season...

i thank dad for raising me how he did. its what i know and love and i dont want anything else. who knows what i would be doing or who i would be if i wasnt an outdoor nut...i certainly dont wanna know...mom often complains about me going out coon hunting in the dark alone...or spending weekends in the woods hunting or fishing...i just say "mom...you know theres alot worse things out there i could be doing..."

wallhangr

Sounds like the same thing with me, except it was my retired neighbor that took me out as a kid. When I got to high school I didn't do much hunting, but did run a trap line before BBall practice every morning. Didn't get back into it until after college and now I can't get enough. I'd bet he'll come back to it when he gets older.

glockman55

My Son, 27 now. Chooses not to hunt. I took him at a young age along with fishing in Canada. It's not for everyone.-I wish he would but for now he has other interests. I laugh at some that say, I'll make my kids do this and that. LOL In the real world it don't work that way.

BrentH243

I'm 22...and would have never got into hunting if it wasn't for my dad. He never made me go, but once I was old enough, he bought me a hunting bow and I've been hooked ever since. I used to watch him shoot his bow all the time and I think he gave me a bow when I was about 5. I used to shoot in an indoor league and he made me do that, athough if I wouldn't have liked it, I probably wouldn't have done it.

I plan on taking the same approach to my kid(s) (someday) that my dad did with me and you did with your son. If they're into it, fine. If not, that's fine too...it'll probably save me a lot of money...and a lot of time...and I will get to hunt my "good spots" when I want to...instead of letting him/her. Haha...I'll just take interest into whatever they like to do and know that if they are happy, then that is fine with me.

kshunter

Some great info so far. I don't have any children but i've been around plenty of people & friends, whichseem to have been in the sameposition as your son.

First of all, it's hard to complete with anything when you're ayoung adultand have girls on the mind. I think that's true to most even to the most dedicated younghunters out there. From the sounds of it, the friends of your son, aren't really into hunting either. Plus if he is really into other sports, I could see where he is coming from. But those 3 things, which are probablykeeping him from getting intohunting,will change within the next 3-10 years. It is a phase and his priorites and interests will change. They might change to the point where he likes hunting, but also may not change his perception on hunting at all.

Like was said earlier, when we grew up, there wasn't the instance gratifications as there are nowadays. When I grew up in a rural area,& was miles away from any kids my age, so hunting, fishing & workwas the only thing to keepme busy. Nowadays with more family been in urban area's, it's nearly impossible to have that same experience.

I think you're doing a good job in regards to not forcing him, and letting him make his own choices regarding the sport. But keep asking, and possibly things will change down the road.

hunter211

I'm not a parent but I just have to say that my dad supported me in whatevery I did and I didn't hunt at all during high school but had plenty of friends that did. After high school after I quit playing sports and really started to get into hunting and can't get enough of it. I wish I would have started earlier but I don't regret playing sports and having other interests in high school.