Introducing your kids to deer hunting

[hickslawns]

I have pushed off allowing my kids to hunt thus far. My son is now 8 and my daughter is 11. Neither has really pushed me and I didn't want them to feel pressured into hunting. I really wanted them to want it themselves. They have enjoyed shed hunting. They have been in ground blinds with me. They have done more road scouting with me than they wanted. They simply have not had the opportunity yet to hunt deer themselves.

I started talking to my son seriously tonight. I asked him if he could kill a deer. I asked him if he realized he would be taking the life of one of God's creatures. The life of a living being. He hesitated but then said he thought it would be okay as long as we can eat it. lol I told him I already had 2 does in the freezer and we didn't need anymore. His reply impressed me. Without hesitation he said, "Do you think we could give one to some poor people?"

From here I proceeded to talking about the necessity to make a good shot. I made it clear he would NOT be hunting if I didn't feel he could make a kill shot. I then explained if you shoot an animal, it is your job to kill it quickly. You do not want it to suffer. Then I informed he it would be his job to track the deer. He smiled and proudly boasted "I can track a deer."

After this, I talked about field dressing and butchering. He said I would have to do the butchering. I smiled and told him I could take care of that. I asked "What about field dressing?" He said he could help. I gave him a full and graphic description of what field dressing included. I talked about it from cutting the deer open to cutting the windpipe, to cutting around the butt hole and removing everything. He was onboard until I said cutting the windpipe. He said I had to do that. When I got to grabbing the butt hole and pulling it out he changed his tune. His reply was something like "I will take the windpipe Daddy. You can have the butt hole." lmao

Next comes weapons. He says he wants to bow hunt and doesn't want to shoot a gun to kill a deer. Quite frankly, I think it would be a good fit for him anyway until we do more shooting. With this said, I would love some crossbow knowledge if anyone has a good starting point.

Does it sound as if I missed anything? Should I forget deer hunting this season and get him out squirrel hunting instead? Are there any other pointers or suggestions I may have missed? Do you think there is a better way to go about this or any steps I am missing? This is the first time I have entertained the notion of actually allowing the kids to hunt so I am open to any and all suggestions. Thanks

 

[lung buster]

I started taking my son squirrel hunting with me at the age of 2. There was no pressure, he just wanted to go hunting with dad and i was tickled to him! When he was 4 i took him deer hunting with me and again the next year at 5. I knew that he was ready and he killed 4 squirrel and 3 deer last year at 6 years old.

As far as weapons, being so young he is recoil sensitive and not into the bang. I put lead in the stocks of his muzzy and shotgun and a limbsavor recoil pad on each. He prefers hearing protection in the field also.

I got him a low end horton crossbow last year for Christmas and it does the job. He has yet to draw blood with it.

We use a rest or tripod when he is deer or turkey hunting.

We practice and prepare and i know that if given the opportunity he will do his part. When the time comes for a shot i swear he is calmer than some adults I've been around,lol.

I say go for it if you/they feel their ready. The best times ive had hunting in the last 20 something years have been with my kids!

 

[Huckleberry Finn]

Go shoot a squirrel or in a week, a rabbit. Then go from there.

 

[motorbreaker]

Sounds like hes ready, Get him out there.
If you dont already have a weapon then you better move on that. Stryker makes a nice lite crossbow that will
shoot 35+ yards with one pin. Multipal pins will just make things more diffacult for him, I like the single red dot scopes.
You will also need a good shooting stick.
I started my son with a youth h&r 20ga. He shot his first deer at age 6, What a hunt that was.
Good luck to both of you.

 

[Fullbore]

Do you include the kids on your tracking jobs and recoveries? I think those are really good teaching periods. It includes them and maybe intrigues them enough to get their interest. Other than that, I would say that you did a very good job covering the bases. Memories in the field with your kids will be held dear TOO both you and your kids in the future. Take plenty of pictures of your endeavors! Good luck and enjoy..

 

[Diane]

My 7 year old granddaughter wants to deer hunt. (She'll be 8 in December) It is all she talks about, so several months ago, Rick bought a "child's" crossbow. It is a real crossbow, but is not deer legal, but he bought it for her (and the other grandkids) to practice with.

Problem was, when it came time for her to shoot, she panicked, cried, and would not pull the trigger. I believe she was afraid of the "noise" she thought it was going to produce.........like a gun shot. Even though Rick shot it in front of her, she was still afraid and wouldn't shoot.

We bought a dart-toy crossbow and her and I (plus my 6 year old granddaughter) now spend time shooting targets with it and she loves it, so I think she is now ready to shoot the next level up.

Even though this only shoots plastic darts, I have stressed over and over that this is a weapon and you do not goof off with it. When we shoot, we shoot as if it were real.

I want to get her in the woods with me this year, even if it is to just sit quietly and watch for deer. Whether or not she shoots is irrelevant at this point. I think her younger sister is more than ready to truly hunt, but Tay needs to take baby steps. Each child is different.

As for shooting, steadying the end of the crossbow is important and Rick taught ZJ (and me!) about needing to be able to shoot a plate size target on the deer decoy before we could consider hunting.

If you do go with a crossbow, make sure you stress about keeping his thumb or fingers off that d*^n rail or he may never want to shoot again. I was warned, got careless and about took my thumb off. That's a lesson you never forget, but on a small child, it might ruin them for life. Seriously.

I agree about using a single dot scope for now and that he/they should go on tracking jobs and recoveries.

It's all about baby steps.

 

[cotty16]

Just get him out as much as you can. Try to make it days when it is not too cold. Let them enjoy themselves.

You're looking into it too much.

 

[Diane]

Just get him out as much as you can. Try to make it days when it is not too cold. Let them enjoy themselves.

You're looking into it too much.

I agree with this.

 

[badger]

Just get him out as much as you can. Try to make it days when it is not too cold. Let them enjoy themselves.

You're looking into it too much.

I agree with Mike. I'd keep it simple and just get him into the woods. Like Huck said, go shoot some squirrels or some rabbits. The field dressing is the same, just on a smaller scale. At eight years old, I bet he does fine on a deer hunt as well.

Diane has some good advice on the safety of shooting a crossbow. You don't want him to get his thumb up there and be shell shocked.

Personally I took both my kids as soon as they said they wanted to go. Remember that you are out there for them and not so much the hunt. Each child of mine was ready to be serious at different ages. Take some snacks and don't plan on being out there that long, unless they want to be.

 

[Dannmann801]

"....you can have the butthole." :smiley_clap:
Priceless!

Good stuff Phil.....I like the kid's responses....yer doin' good.

 

[cotty16]

If you take him deer hunting, be sure to pack a gameboy or something he can play on to pass the time. If not, he will drive you nuts and want to leave at the perfect time for deer to move.

 

[brock ratcliff]

1. Make it fun for them. If they are sitting out in windy, cold miserable conditions, it isn't fun.
2. Get them good gear. They can tolerate cooler temps with good clothing. Don't make them wear two pair of jeans and rubber boots...my dad did that to us as kids and it was horrible!
3. Horton Scout. It's a great kid's crossbow.
4. Explain to them it isn't if you shoot, but how. In other words, it isn't important to get a shot off but to make a good shot, and explain what that is...deer's angle, relaxed, etc. A kid losing a first deer could be the end of their hunting.
5. Explain to them you will always be proud of them, if they hunt or not. It isn't your decision for your kids to hunt, it has to be their's without the pressure of trying to make dad happy.
6. If they want to leave at prime-time, explain the situation and leave if they still want to. Let them make those kind of key decisions.
7. Remember, you do this stuff for fun. The frustration kids sometimes bring to the equation can suck some of the fun out of it - but only in the short term. The term " you either fish, or you take a kid fishing" applies here. You can only coach and try to guide them. Ultimately, it's their hunt and they will either suffer the consequences or reap the rewards for the decisions they make. It's our job to guide them into making the right decisions as best we can.




And after all your effort, if they decide they don't like hunting....call 'em names.

 

[cotty16]

Yep, vagina works.

Great post Brock.

 

[hickslawns]

If you take him deer hunting, be sure to pack a gameboy or something he can play on to pass the time. If not, he will drive you nuts and want to leave at the perfect time for deer to move.

This is where we have been in the past Mike. Our sits were not as long as i would have liked. I realized at this point, whenever i took the kids hunting it was not to hunt. It was nothing different than taking a walk in the park or playing ball in the back yard. We were not there to "hunt" but rather to simply enjoy the time with them.

You're looking into it too much.

I would disagree here Mike. I take this very seriously. Taking the life of one of God's creatures is not something I take lightly. The fact i did not grow up in a hunting family is probably why I am asking these questions. Had I grown up hunting as part of my childhood I might think nothing of it. As it is, I want to put some serious thought into it.

 

[cotty16]

This is where we have been in the past Mike. Our sits were not as long as i would have liked. I realized at this point, whenever i took the kids hunting it was not to hunt. It was nothing different than taking a walk in the park or playing ball in the back yard. We were not there to "hunt" but rather to simply enjoy the time with them.



I would disagree here Mike. I take this very seriously. Taking the life of one of God's creatures is not something I take lightly. The fact i did not grow up in a hunting family is probably why I am asking these questions. Had I grown up hunting as part of my childhood I might think nothing of it. As it is, I want to put some serious thought into it.

You're right, and I didn't mean any disrespect in my post. Trust me, I explained and asked questions of my boys before they started. I asked some similar things about if they really wanted to kill something, etc...

I guess I meant, in the short term, keep it simple in regard to getting them involved. Don't overwhelm them in the beginning. If you are planning on having your boy pull the trigger on the crossbow, get him out and practice before the weather turns bad permanatly for the winter.
Get him a shooting stick and comfy chair to sit in a blind.

The rest will take care of itself as you progress in the game. you will have plenty of time to talk about proper hunting ethics while you are out in the field.

I think my boys, and Brock's boy too, have learned alot just by example. Pass on your knowledge, techniques, etiquette, etc.. and your kids will learn to love and respect hunting as much as we do.

 

[hickslawns]

I didn't take it in a disrespectful way Mike. You and I grew up differently. You grew up with a hunting father and it seems as if it has always been part of you. I am in year 5 of deer hunting. I think it is different for those of us that didn't grow up in a hunting family. It is probably more natural for you and not something to think about as much as it is simply something everyone does.

 

[Curran]

Great thread & great advice give by All. I'll be keeping up with this one TOO since my son has flat out asked if he could kill a deer this year.

Literally last week he asks me, so we sat down and talked it through. It came up almost as a side conversation when he asked me why I liked to hunt so much. He's been deer hunting with me and duck hunting with me, always as a tag along, never as a shooter. He's helped me hang stands, scout for ducks & deer, shed hunt, etc. He understands that we do not kill what we cannot consume or provide to other to consume. I'm planning on a squirrel hunt tonight if the rain holds off, and he'll be pulling the trigger. We're gonna start there and see how that goes. I want to see him take some small game first before moving into deer. Mainly because my son gets bored quick, and with deer hunting sitting still and patience are part of the equation. Small game will give us the opportunity to hunt, develop his skills, and also stay active. Maybe we'll progress with bunnies or more birds this season to get him some small game hunting experience. Then if the fire is lit, I'll be getting him a crossbow for his birthday in March.

Good luck Phil!! I look forward to seeing this thread grow.

 

[bthompson1004]

Both of my stepkids (11 and 9) have been in the woods with me several times...all of those experiences went exactly like Badger said in his last paragraph...Only thing I could add to that is be prepared for a lot of questions and a lot of shushing! Everything is a teaching moment though and a great time has been had on all trips.

9 year old didn't do so well when it came to field dressing last year though...He liked spotting deer with the bino's and for shotgun season I always make the kids wear hearing protection...Guide Gear (sportsmansguide) had a pair of ear muffs that you could turn up the volume on and hear everything going on around you, which is great because you can whisper and the kid can hear you. When the decible level is too high (like a shotgun being fired) the volume turns off and protects the ears...Anyways, I wasn't going to force him to help me field dress or learn more about it because he was about to pass out...so I had him go to the truck and get the deer drag and put the blind away while I finished up with the deer...He still came home with a smile and a very exciting story to tell.

I would love for all of my kids to enjoy the outdoors the same way I do...but they're just not ready for all that yet. We're taking it one step at a time for now and if they ever want to harvest a deer, I'll be glad to do all the dirty work for them until they are ready to do it themselves.

I'm very excited for you Phil with this opportunity you have ahead of you and I know you will have great things to post about this journey with your son in the future.

 

[brock ratcliff]

But Phil, your kids have grown up in a hunting family... Try to imagine their perspective in everything you folks do. You're a good dad, you know how this stuff works. Just dress 'em up and go. They don't HAVE to shoot anything. My daughter used to hunt with me all the time. She had a 20 yard shot at a doe and decided not to shoot due to it being sorta dark and hard to see through her little scope. I bought her a better scope the next day. Still, I was mighty proud she didn't take a shot she wasn't sure she could make. She has never shot a critter, but we always had a good time hunting together.

 

[Hoytmania]

Phil Austin was eight when he started to go with me hunting. I took him out and had him getting some stand time with me before he was the one hunting himself. He was able to witness me taking a deer before he ever got the opportunity to take a shot on one. He wanted to hunt with a compound. So when he was eight that was what he got it took him two years to be able to get to a legal hunting draw weight. So for two years he just went hunting with dad. I would just start taing him out with you, I realize the situation you are in as far as deer go, but like others have said take him out to shoot some squirrels or rabbits. Get him a weapon that he wants to use and start teaching him how and where to shoot. I also got a 3D tartget and would set it up at different angles so that Austin could shoot the target like he would need to shoot it in the woods.

Best of luck and just enjoy the journey. When it is all said and done this isn't the stuff you will remember it will be the times that something got messed up or something silly you guys seen in the woods that you will cherish and laugh about.