How old till you take your children hunting with you?
10-13-2008, 07:17 AM
#21
Fork Horn
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Helena, MT
Posts: 375
RE: How old till you take your children hunting with you?
we had the same discussion on the IowaDeer site, and we couldn't agree on an age either. Most said it depends on the child, and are you talking just taking them with you to watch or are they going to be doing the harvesting.
which ever one you do you have got to make fun, most kids will lose interest fast if they aren't having fun.
don
which ever one you do you have got to make fun, most kids will lose interest fast if they aren't having fun.
don
10-13-2008, 07:28 AM
#22
Typical Buck
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Posts: 800
RE: How old till you take your children hunting with you?
I've had my son out only squirrel hunting and he had a little trouble staying focused. But me and my dad have taken him out into the woods to do things such as cut trails, check on stands, etc. He is 9 right now and he has been in the woods the past 3 or 4 years, I'd like to take him deer hunting in the next year or so.
10-13-2008, 07:41 AM
#23
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Lake County, Florida
Posts: 3,313
RE: How old till you take your children hunting with you?
my son just turned 3 yesterday. when he hits 4 years of age i will have him out scouting and hopefully by 5 years of age he will be sitting in the stand with me. my biggest fear is him stepping on a diamond back or cotton mouth, small children normally don't fair to well when snake bitten.
10-13-2008, 08:06 AM
#24
Fork Horn
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Wilmington, DE
Posts: 182
RE: How old till you take your children hunting with you?
Just wanted to add.
My dad did not always take me hunting a lot when I was younger. He did however, take me scouting all the time. Also, took me for walks in the woods constantly in the fall with him. During the summer as well. This was very good as I loved learning about the woods and deer signs etc.
As I got closer to hunting age, I did get out with him a few times hunting. Also, my first two legal years of hunting in PA, he would take me every weekend for Archery, Rifle, and Powder and spend the entire time with me teaching me. He was not one to just tell me where to sit and come back hours later. I learned to still hunt really well since we never had a tree stand till much later in my hunting career.
I have a 17 month old now and thinking about how I am going to get him into it. I can not take him into the woods as he can not walk in them. He knows what a bow is, can blow the deer grunt, a crow call, and knows deer...when looking at mounts. I'm raising him red neck so....it's in him and can't be taken out!
My dad did not always take me hunting a lot when I was younger. He did however, take me scouting all the time. Also, took me for walks in the woods constantly in the fall with him. During the summer as well. This was very good as I loved learning about the woods and deer signs etc.
As I got closer to hunting age, I did get out with him a few times hunting. Also, my first two legal years of hunting in PA, he would take me every weekend for Archery, Rifle, and Powder and spend the entire time with me teaching me. He was not one to just tell me where to sit and come back hours later. I learned to still hunt really well since we never had a tree stand till much later in my hunting career.
I have a 17 month old now and thinking about how I am going to get him into it. I can not take him into the woods as he can not walk in them. He knows what a bow is, can blow the deer grunt, a crow call, and knows deer...when looking at mounts. I'm raising him red neck so....it's in him and can't be taken out!
10-13-2008, 10:22 AM
#25
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location:
Posts: 346
RE: How old till you take your children hunting with you?
I started taking my son with me once in a while when he was five. Attention span is a little lacking. You have to go into it with the attitude that this is his day and notreally yours[ as far as seeing deer ]. All he cares about at that point is that he's hunting with dad. Sitting will be hard but stalking through the woods will keep him happy.My son is seven now and I put up two, two person ladder stands on two of the farms I hunt so he and his older sister can be up offthe ground and see more. We had a six point walk under us last Wednesday evening. I thought he was going to explodebecause he was so excited. I love it. Ken
10-13-2008, 10:39 AM
#26
Typical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Fremont, NE
Posts: 552
RE: How old till you take your children hunting with you?
I have been taking my 3 kids and my wife out just to sit in the fields in the truck lately. My daughter is 5, sonis 4 and my youngest little girl is 2 weeks. My daughter has had very little patience in sitting, even for an hour and a half. My son, has been great about it. He sits very quietly, after the first 15 minutes or so, but an hour and a half is about his limit, unless we are seeing lots of deer. My daughter knows a lot about hunting and will sit and watch every huntingshow that is on all weekend long. She can tell you the difference between a buck and a doe, Muley and Whitetail, Moose and Elk, Caribou, and the different types of bear. I am considering taking each of them out into my quad stand this weekend to see howwell they will do.
They loved it last year when I took them out after I had harvestedmy biggest buck ever. They are truly great about it. I agree that it all depends on the child. Some mature and come to it quicker than others. Just to keep their interest and make them want to go more is why I started with mine so early.
They loved it last year when I took them out after I had harvestedmy biggest buck ever. They are truly great about it. I agree that it all depends on the child. Some mature and come to it quicker than others. Just to keep their interest and make them want to go more is why I started with mine so early.
10-13-2008, 11:13 AM
#27
Typical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: North Central Idaho
Posts: 539
RE: How old till you take your children hunting with you?
I try to take my kids as much as possible. My oldest was with me for a bear at 2 1/2 and went coon hunting at 3. I think as long as you make it enjoyable and don't force a child to do things that make them miserable, the earlier you get them out the better. I can't wait for my boys to gt a little longer in the legs so they can go more. What better stories can your kids have to tell than being able to say they were with their dad for a bear at 2 years old, especially when they are telling the story to their Grand kids after your dead and gone.
10-13-2008, 11:41 AM
#28
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 1,598
RE: How old till you take your children hunting with you?
My son will turn 3 tomorrow, and I've had him out with me this preseason setting up my trail cameras and helping me when I put out a no plow food plot. He enjoyed helping me sew the seed. He knows where I'm going and what I'm doing when I go. Just last night when I got back home from an evening in the deer stand, he asked me if I saw any deer and if I shot any deer. Then he said he'd like to go with me next time I go. I'm planning on taking him during muzzleloader season with me to sit in a box blind one evening (weather permitting).
