trkyhntr247

I will have my 10 yr old son deer hunting with me this year for the first time, Im thinking of going with a protable pop up blind?? We would be hunting some public lands so a double ladderstand is out of the question.
I will be bringing along his gameboy and a book to help keep him occupied, Once hes tired of waiting.
I would like to hear some other tactics for youth hunters, Thanks!

skb2706

Has he done any kind of hunting before ? My son started going with me when he was very young and although we hunt totally different here in CO I think it helps if he sees some action. Keeping 10 year olds focused on sitting and waiting can be a difficult thing to do. If he has been hunting before even small game he will know that there are times when game and action just don't happen. Remind him that we call this hunting because 99.9 % of the time it is....the other .1% is shooting.
We don't hunt from a blind or tree stand here so we have the option to walk about which opens up some alternative interests. For my son is was finding artifacts and fossils.

arrow2512

247- Have you taken your son out with you while your scouting so he understands there more to hunting deer than just seeing someone shooting one .There so many guys at work that take young family member out hunting with them to hunt deer and all they know is they've seen someone shoot a deer or shot onr themself but realy don't understand what goes into hunting deer or any other animale for that matter.

trkyhntr247

Ive taken him turkey hutning with me alot this past season, weve done a few scouting trips so far, I did notice towards the end of turkey season as the gobbling slowed down he became restless. We will do some dove hunting prior to deer hunting and probally take him squirrel hunting some to, Hopefully this will help..

BuckRogers

I know it may be hard to do depending on the type of cover, but spot and stalk would obviously keep him occupied. Also depends on the type of firearm.

steve25

With my sons when they where young both 10 when they started I just had to remind myself that it is about them do what they want to do. If your son is bored, cold or tired and is ready to go by all means go. Patience is something that will come in time for him and if pushed to much he will lose intrest.

whitetaildreamer

When I started mine out I wouldn't take them along on all day hunts. I would take then on the evening hunt for the time period was much shorter and the big action up here is usually during the last few minutes of available light. I would let them have my binnoculars so that they could scan the terrain for me. (involved them in the hunt). Even if I saw a deer first, I wouldn't let on and let them point it out to me. I know that this truly added to their excitement.

Seif5034

I'm a fan of allowing the kids to do what they want. This way they'll learn from mistakes they will most definately make. If they want to spot and stalk they will jump deer. If they wait in the blind they will have to be patient and learn when the deer like to move.

Jimmy S

I started taking my 3 boys when they were 10 years old, they are now all in their mid-late 30's.
Each son spent time alone with Dad which made it special for them.
We hunted Maine, mostly still hunted, and stopped for as long as the each boy felt comfortable.
They understood the less they moved, the better.

We also scouted as we walked so they felt like they were really in tune with hunting those deer.

If you setup in a ground blind, do whatever it takes to keep them intersted. As soon as it stops being fun, it's time to leave.

Good Luck to you both this upcoming season.

D Rock

One thing my dad forgot to do when I was young that would have made things a lot more enjoyable is that he didn't put me in very comfortable chairs. We would be out there sitting on a bucket with nothing to lean against. I tended to not want to go back out if I knew I was going to be sitting on a bucket again. Once I learned to do things formyself I learned the more comfortable my seat was the more I wanted to be out there. So my advice would be to think about yourkid'scomfort as much as possible. It will make things more enjoyable for you and your son.