RE: Taking children to observe deer hunting
 

When my daughter gets old enough...I pan on taking her out into the woods (if she wants to). So what if you spook a deer or two, that is quality time that you and your daughter can share together. My wife's dad did that with her, and she remembers those times like they were yesterday.

RE: Taking children to observe deer hunting
 

I take my son and daughter with me on rainy days as I do alot of riding the back roads ( dirt ) and they like to see them or a moose or what ever else we come across. Last year I took my son and he jumped on every stick he could find making all kinds of noise for us. But, he loved being out there. This year I took him out and tracked down a deer I shot. He got to see first hand what tracking is like. We found the deer and I dressed it there, and it never bothered him at all. He did ask alot of questions and watch me very carefully so I hope it helps him someday. Now that my tag is filled I will be taking him out and try calling one in for him to shoot. I will be showing him how to scent, call, and rattle. I hope one of those big ones will come in for us. Good Luck to all and your little hunting buddies.

RE: Taking children to observe deer hunting
 

I grew up hunting, but I will say this:I think small kids should go small game hunting first if you want to peak their interest in hunting. I still remember my first squirrel hunt when I sat with my dad in a tree, just like we were deer hunting. I remember him shooting that first squirrel, and I got to carry it. It really peaked my interest in getting some myself, and my dad was probaby more able to see my reaction to a small animal getting killed and judge if I could handle a big animal going down. Squirrel hunting can be done just like deer hunting, and if you can skin a squirrel, you can virtually field dress any other game because they are pretty much the same. You can learn all the important ingredients of hunting by going after squirrels, but you get to shoot a lot more. A kid needs that. They don't understand the value of big game hunting necessarily. When I was about 10 or 11, I started tagging along on deer hunts, and by then I was more hopelessly hooked than my dad could ever imagine, and he had himself a hunting buddy. Now I still do hunt squirrels (both still hunting and with dogs), turkeys, deer (all methods), hogs, birds, etc. And I can still remember all the action of still hunting squirrels with my dad when I was a kid.

RE: Taking children to observe deer hunting
 

Thanks for all the replies. It seems the concensus is that taking my daughter to observe is a good idea. I like the idea of taking a book to keep her amused if the sitting still waiting on a deer to show starts to drag for her. This is something she likes to do a lot, and it would be a minimal amount of disturbance I would think.

As I say, she seems a little slight of build now to shoot a deer rifle, for example the .243 which I will be using this year. I think the idea of getting her started with small game hunting, maybe with squirrels, is a good idea. I can get her shooting a .22 at the rifle range to practice shooting skills. She already has a BB gun since last Christmas, though I haven't had her out in the backyard shooting it for awhile. Get her going shooting squirrels. When she is doing OK with squirrels and seems ready for the .243, we'll take it from there.

Yes, I'm in sympathy with the idea of cultivating a love of hunting in the younger generation to keep the tradition and rights of hunting alive. I've got three children. I've taken my son deer hunting twice and pronghorn antelope hunting once, a couple of dove hunting trips. My oldest daughter, 14 years old now, has no interest in shooting or hunting. She does like eating venison and pronghorn meat, so that is positive for hunting. Maybe I should make her take a hunter safefy course just for the benefits of learning in a serious, comprehensive fashion about shooting and hunting. I took this course with my son when I was 47 years old. I learned a lot of stuff I didn't know about -- the role of hunting in keeping game animal populations in proper scale to the carrying capacity of the land, the role of Pitt-Robinson (spelling?) taxes from sales of ammunition and firearms in fostering the recovery programs of many game species. Even if she never hunts -- and she probably will not -- this teaching may give her the proper understanding of gun and hunting issues so maybe she will cast her votes discriminantly when she is a voter?

RE: Taking children to observe deer hunting
 

I have found that outdoor experiences are a wonderful way of teaching some of life's principles to my son. He knows when to use his 'woodsmans' voice while stalking. More importantly, he is understanding the concept that fair chase is the way to do things.He doesn't know whenhe will see and or harvesteither a big fish or deer, but it's the time inGod's creation (with me) thatmakes it worth it. I'll ask him what did we catch today? when we don't get anything, he'll say "a good time with my daddy"...

RE: Taking children to observe deer hunting
 

I have taken my 2 girls ages 8 and 9 hunting with me one of whom is Autistic....
I didn't count on either them wanting to spend all day in the bush so I
took them on a couple of mid afternoon deer hunts...
Left after lunch and planned on being home before dinner type of thing..
I really don't anticipate on harvesting anything during this time although we have seen animals...
Its more or less a introductory time I do for the two of them...
Honestly,I'm not quite sure how they'd react to me shooting anything infront of them however they both get very excited when I bring game home..
So in the back of my mind I know I may have to pass up the odd
BIG ONE until they are a little older..
A small price to pay if I want these two as my hunting partners in the future....:D

RE: Taking children to observe deer hunting
 

I just have one question.....why would you do anything different with your daughter than you did with your son? How did he learn to hunt? How old is he or was he when he first went out with you? Why would it be different for your daughter? We have 2 sons ages 9 and 11 and a daughter who's almost 2. My 11yr old took his first deer last yr (115lb doe). We can't wait to take our daughter out. I would imagine that in another 2-3yrs we'll at least be taking her out in the woods. She already loves being outside all the time! Try to remember that your daughter can do anything that your son can.

RE: Taking children to observe deer hunting
 

My girlfriend wanted to go out with me the other day. So I picked up another ground blind for her to sit in next to me (I was bow hunting so there wasnt room for both of us in my blind). I was impressd she didnt complain at all. It was extremely windy that day and hadnt seen anything so I figured we could do some spot and stalk action. We actually came across a buck that has 9 lives. A few days prior he was les than ten yards from me while I was in my ground blind (talk about getting the blood pumping), but Iwanst ready and by the time I was done fumbling around trying to get an arrow knocked and drawn he was too far out.The buck was hot on a does trail so I figured I could cut him off at the pass. I had her sit at a great vantage point in case I lost him she could tell me which way he went. Well she told me that she never saw him again. But then a few days later she told me that if I had shot that buck she would have cried.... So I wonder did she not see him again or is she helping the deer out?? Oh well I had a great time having her out with me, she has never been out and experienced anything like that so I think she had fun. Anyone else had someone out hunting that didnt want the deer to get harvested??

RE: Taking children to observe deer hunting
 

now 17, having hunted by myself since i was 12, after my first successful hunt with my dad by my side, i can honestly say that my earliest memories of hunting and probably what got me hooked on the sport was my dad's willingness to take me in the stand with him before i was old enough to hunt. I can still remember the time i was out w/ him and we were sitting on the edge of a swamp and i could see a deer's legs coming through the trees, and i said "dad, i see a deer, and i think its a buck!" he couldnt see it right away, but eventually did and soon after he took the shot and we tracked the deer back into the swamp where we found it and he showed me how to gut a deer. That was an amazing experience that i will most likely never forget. I now hunt in a stand that is no more than 80 yards from where that stand was, and sometimes when i look hard enough i can find remnants of it and it just brings back memories. Good luck hunting with your daughter, if she loves it half as much as i do, you'll have a huntin buddy for life.

Schobs

RE: Taking children to observe deer hunting
 

i used to take my neice to the lease and let her throw corn out of a little bag and have fun, then about 30 - 45 minutes before dark we would get in the stand and look for deer......thats about all she could sit still. Now she is 15 and way past "the lease".