Youth Season has went to the dogs...

[Hoytmania]

I commend you HT on how you handles things.

Me personally had Austin in a treestand for the first time when he was 8 years old. He spent time in the stand for two years before he ever hunted himself. The whole time he was at home shooting his bow working on getting to the 40 know. draw weight requirement to be able to hunt with his bow. He finally got there when he was ten. So I had him out in the woods and he missed a great eight pointer. He did end up getting his first deer that youth gun season though. A small button buck. The next season he git his first archery kill. A small doe in the late season. The next year he bagged a awesome doe on opening day of archery season and later in November he got his first hard horned buck with his bow.

The past two seasons have been quite trivial for me in the fact he has only hunted once. I keep asking him and he says he wants to but his actions have been speaking louder than his words. He has spent very little time practicing and I have told gin that if he doesn't spend the time practicing that I won't take him due to the fact I don't want him harming deer. This has been tough for me because of how much I enjoy having him with me but I am not going to force him to hunt either. I don't think that does any good either.

 

[finelyshedded]

I commend you to Steve! He'll regret his not using your guidance and mentoring in the future. Your doing all you can.

 

[hoot gibson]

my oldest grandson is 7 . we hunted both days of youth season . i can garentee you he done it right . he did not shoot a deer , but is more than capable of it . he shoots his bb gun . or his pellet rifle or bow when ever he wants , in the yard by him self . so far he hasnt messed up . meaning no broken glass . lol i understand adults being slobbs and teaching there kids to hunt that way . but its not every one who does that .
i think that if you guys that are so sure you have seen the law broken should use the number and call the odnr . we all have to do our part . if you see a bank being robbed and dont call the cops you are just as guilty as the person who broke the law . ( in my book ) when you see an adult carrieing a gun and killing deer illeagle . then call someone . if you dont make the call then dont get on a forum and bitch . i feel the kids have as much right to hunt as us adults . my grandson did not kill one . but he told me he had the best time , and he hunts with me alot . but this weekend he was the big man .

 

[saddlepants]

While I agree that the OP should have called the number I dont nec agree on how everyone teaches the kids but thats my op. I used to take my step grandaughter out and we had a blast. She idolized the fact that we girls could do it and practiced and did everything I told her with the crossbow. She was ready and like a pro in the blind. Now her Dad decided to take her out Youth weekend and she had NEVER shot anything larger than a 22. Thats not really fair at all , He just told her it was the same - bigger bang. She shot at a buck and missed and had a fear in her from that gun (410) that was so deep I watched her sit with my crossbow for twenty minutes until I finally asked her what was going on (she was a quiet girl who never liked to say she was afraid) I sat down behind her and shadowed her on the crossbow and we pulled the trigger together. The rest of the practice she was fine. Way to go DAD. She was terrified to pull that trigger even though she knew and had done it a thousand times before. We have to remember KIDS are KIDS and their mind works differently. Ive known boys to be gun shy as well when they dont have the experience. Gun shyness and inexperience can be deadly and drives during youth season are absurd! Hell its hard enough for a seasoned hunter sometimes, to look beyond that monster rack before you shoot - am I right?

 

[bowhunter1023]

Yeah, great idea on calling the law. Not. Do I need to talk about the "politics" of a being a landowner in a community you don't live in and on turning in "extended" family?!? Not a great move on my part...

 

[saddlepants]

Thats the problem, hunting shouldnt be polotics and a poacher is a poacher is a poacher...ruining things for everybody but then every case is different. I see what your saying and I wouldnt call on my neighbors because they let me graze horses on their land but he saw lots and lots and I dont know when and where but If this is the case what point is there for a youth season?? In my book if it just attracts more poachers and drivers then its no safer than taking the kids out opening day like we always did.

 

[bowhunter1023]

In my book if it just attracts more poachers and drivers then its no safer than taking the kids out opening day like we always did.

Therein lies my overall point. Each year, I see youth season as less and less beneficial in regards to the intended purpose for its creation...

 

[hickslawns]

there have been some great points. I commend Horton and Hoytmania and Gern, EPE, SP, and the others out there doing it right. We can do our part. We can't change some of the other stuff. I have had my kids out. They are not shooting a gun, bow, or crossbow yet. I do not feel my son is ready. My daughter is not pushing me to get out, so I am not pushing her. Being older, I feel her maturity shows she is ready. My son is getting closer, but I simply do not feel he is ready. It would be tough to take her but not him. It would break his heart and I don't want to kill either one of their spirits right now. I feel next summer they will both be out shooting the 22 and maybe it will be time for a crossbow. Kudos to those teaching their kids the right way. I know I forgot some of you. Schu? Yep, forgot him. If i forgot someone, forgive me. Lots of good guys showing their kids the right way. Dang, Cotty. I know there are more. haha

 

[Huckleberry Finn]

My 2 cents would be that like the rest of gun hunting and hunting in general, there are some bad apples out there and they are probably the most visible. You don't hear much about the guy that quietly shoots a few does with his bow every year, but the orange wearing, slug toting slob makes it known at every gas station and bar. I would have no qualms about banning driving and party hunting during youth season, and now that I have bow hunting, I wouldn't have a problem banning it during the regular gun week either (I believe Wisconsin does that? we certainly don't want to take a page out of their deer management, that's for sure).

I know that my youth season experiences were positive. I didn't hunt until I was 15 or so, so I was old enough and had a good teacher. Although my dad doesn't hunt before, he had 15 years of gun hunting in PA and NY to teach me and I know I was taught firearm safety first, and then hunting. We used to sit until 9 or so until it was too much for me to sit still (and I reckon he was probably bored) and we'd walk around the wood block together and go home. Never pushed, none of that stuff. There's a small triangle (2 acres) of honey suckle in the back, and he used to walk on one side and I'd walk on the lower side, never out of eye sight. The way I look at it now, is that he was teaching me how to push deer in a controlled, planned and safe way. I don't have any problem with that and I'm glad that was a lesson I was taught - there are small pieces that deer hide in during gun week and with two guys - not thirty - you can often kick up a deer. I did a great deal of led slinging in those days because I was a terrible shot and I wish I had started on a gun smaller than a 12 (bought my own 870 after my first summer of working, so that's what I hunted with!). In the early years before my driver's permit, I hunted with dad. I got dropped off a few times during muzzleloader though and had a spot that I could walk to after school. Once I had my own wheels, I pretty much stopped hunting with my dad and have taken off from there. Those memories during youth season, though I didn't even shoot my first deer, were beneficial to my hunting career and instilled the basic rules and skills for hunting. Thanks, Dad.

 

[Milo]

youth season is what the couple days are after thanksgiving are....still don't agree with its placement.

 

[Hortontoter]

Thanks guys for letting me know that you feel I handled things in a suitable fashion. I decided later in the spring to take my grandson on his first casual hunt. Nothing more casual than hunting woodchucks. It was great being there for his first chuck.

 

[hoot gibson]

Yeah, great idea on calling the law. Not. Do I need to talk about the "politics" of a being a landowner in a community you don't live in and on turning in "extended" family?!? Not a great move on my part...

star 67 then 1-800-poacher the caller id wont work and they have no idea who called . but the catfish cops will really check it out when there is a kid involved . a jerk is a jerk . someone has to burn them .

 

[tuffshot]

Youth season was a good thing for my youngest son. I believe I did everything right.
He understands gun safety and harvested a deer almost every youth season with me sitting right beside him.

Read in the paper that a MAN shot himself during youth season.
He was pulling his laoded shotgun up into the tree stand and it got caught and ended up shooting himself thru the foot.
Lucky he didn't blow his head off. Strange thing the artical didn't mention he was hunting out of season.
The problem is too many adults are shooting deer and the kids are tagging them in.