How to take a kid hunting?

rimfirematt · Post by **rimfirematt** » Tue Oct 26, 2004 10:15 pm

I want to take my nephew hunting with me. No one on my wifes side of the family hunts and I want to do my part to spread the joy of hunting. I will do the same with my kids when I have them. But for right now Ill start with the nephew

I believe he is 7 or 8. He has not had a father in his life. He is very hyper and has no attention span. On the upside I think he is pretty smart.

He went fishing with me this spring but After 5 minutes he was bored and wanted to leave and wouldnt quit bugging me too leave. I tried to act patient and instill some enthusiasm in him but to no effect.

Im thinking about bringing him rabbit hunting. This should be pretty fun and productive as long as my beagle performs (Wich I think he will)

I remember when my dad took me I was often cold and tired but he told me not to complain and made me tough it out. And often I was glad when I did because I was there when he got something.

Is his age too young? What should I do when he (if) starts complaining? Any pointers you patient dads and mentors can give me would be appreciated.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Oct 26, 2004 11:15 pm

Matt:
feel him out on the subject.see if there is an interest there.Make the sessions short and try and keep him involved.Not a lot different than training a pup.If you can let him shoot a rabbit then do so(as long as you are following local game laws).Obviously you will want to be in control of what is happening the whole time.Dont get discouraged if he isnt as enthused as you are. Alot of todays kids have more to entertain them than we did.Nowadays kids have xbox and playstation.
I think it is great that you want to involve him with hunting.I hope you guys have a blast.
J.Murphy/Murphy's Kennel

DRamey · Post by **DRamey** » Tue Oct 26, 2004 11:42 pm

Matt, I have a son going on 7 whose attention span was short until just recently. He does well in a canoe now, I had him in a bass boat during the summer for 10 hours once. He never complained. Last weekend of rabbit season here I drove him 150 miles one way to hunt for a full day. Your nephew isn't going to be as enthusiastc as you are about hunting the first time out, nor fishing. When we fish off the river bank, my son fishes for a while and then goes and explores. His attntion span has GRADUALLY gotten longer. This is good for him. If your nephew wants to play with sticks and rocks when you're out with him, let him. Be sure he has warm, comfortable boots and you can get him to the truck without too mcuh trouble if he becomes uncomfortable. Take candy bars and hot chocolate. Several hours of your first few hunts will be sacrificed to keeping him from being miserable. Each child is different. My daughter is almost 3 and will sit for hours with a fishing pole in her hand! And she seems immune to cold, as she chooses to wade mudholes even in the chilliest evenings' hunts. Be patient with him. Put yourself in his shoes and never discourage him. Buy him a pup so he can get hands on experience handling. Going hunting without a dog of your own is like sitting and watching someone else fish! Let us know how he does and good luck.

josh · Post by **josh** » Wed Oct 27, 2004 3:34 pm

well said dramey

Bob Graves · Post by **Bob Graves** » Wed Oct 27, 2004 6:26 pm

I agree with everything said so far. I found it helps when you let them contribute to the whole experience. Give him his own lead to carry over his shoulder. Let him lead the hound/s and turn them loose when your ready, and if they handle well let him hook them up when they come in. Give him his own pack to carry his snacks and drinks in. And hey, if he's got something like a gameboy or toy that is small enough to bring along without too much trouble, bring it. It might be the thing that keeps him occupied until something exciting happens. When my oldest daughter was a youngster, she accompanied me many times in the field, and had her share of boring trips I'm sure. One old trick I used to pull out of the hat was to have her gather sticks and limbs to make a ground blind for deer or turkey hunting (at least thats what I told her! lol...) but she enjoyed the fact that she was helping out, and it kept her occupied while things were slow. looking back, there are a bunch of piles of sticks and limbs in the darndest places! But the most important thing (as was pointed out) is to just have patience, and know when to pack it in for the day. Good luck to you, and I hope it goes well for the both of you.

Bob Graves

Dale Pea · Post by **Dale Pea** » Wed Oct 27, 2004 6:41 pm

I think the most important thing is make sure the kid has fun. let him shoot the gun. Make it an easy target. Be smart about it though. Don't start him off with a 12 gauge. Take your 410 along and start teaching the gun safty stuff.

Jr Walker · Post by **Jr Walker** » Wed Oct 27, 2004 8:58 pm

What I loved alot ween was lil is ween poeple would let me do stuff like lead the dogs or call for them stuff like that some thing to make them fill included that will HELP ALOT!!!!