Taking a Kid Hunting

[tlh2865]

I have been approached by some family friends, asking if I will teach their 8 year old son how to hunt. Hunters being few and very far between where I live (just plain killers being very common) I happily agreed to take him hunting with me and teach him all I can. I'm just not sure how exactly to go about it. I'm only 20 years old so my 8 year old teaching skills are not exactly well honed. Can you all with more experience steer me in the right direction here? Any and all advice will be appreciated!

 

[tlh2865]

Obviously, keeping him from getting bored is important, and I can put us in an enclosed space where he can move around and make a little bit of noise if need be and we can talk. Im just most unsure of how to make sure that he gets something of value out of the experience beyond just seeing deer

 

[farmer]

I started my boys with small game. Doves, squirrels etc. They can move around and talk, it's alot to put a kid in a blind and expect them to sit quiet and still for long. Take a book or game to entertain them, take snacks, but most of all keep it fun. If they are miserable they probably won't want to do it again.

 

[DocHolladay]

Small game first, then work on the larger stuff. When he says he is bored and ready to go, see if he will wait 10 more minutes. If still bored and ready to go, leave. I don't care if it took you 2 hours to get set up and he wants to leave after 10 minutes, you don't want to ruin the fun in it by making him miserable. Take a sleeping bag, so if he gets cold and/or sleepy he can be warm and nap. If he wants to blow the deer call and it messes up the hunt, fine, its about him having fun and trying to get him to come back and do it again, maybe longer the next time. Take snacks and drinks. iPads and iPhones are great at entertainment, be sure to take ear buds or headphones.

 

[j-bird]

Start with small game like rabbits and squirrels.....teach them about nature in general, about being out in the woods....different trees and what they do for the animals. Teach them about different animal tracks and how to follow them. Each them about how animals need different things to live and things like the food chain and the like. Take them fishing where they will catch fish like crazy if at all possible. teach them about conservation and taking care of the environment. Then how hunting plays a part in all of that. Take them hunting with you but be prepared. They will get bored easily and will either talk your arm off....which is good because they are trying to connect or will be bored silly. Take them where they will see deer....you don;t have to shoot one. Let them play their video games and the like in a blind where them being restless is more easily hidden from sight. But the "magical" hours.....that last and first hour of light. They need to pay attention. Like was mentioned take drinks and snacks and the like as well. Remember it's about them and not you. Be prepared to show up late and leave early.....so DON'T go to the one place you have saved all year for that killer buck hunt. If you go in the morning - get there as late as you can and be ready to only have an hour or maybe two tops on stand. Same thing with the evening hunt....hunt for only 2 hours or so. There is no way they will sit all day or several hours. BE PATIENT. You will gain a whole new level of appreciation for those that took you.....trust me! Take the time to teach them to be hunters....not killers.

 

[catscratch]

LOTS of GREAT ideas here ^^^

Personally, I would buy the kid a BB-gun (one of the easy to cock el-cheapo's), dump a bag of milo in the woods, and take him for a walk through those woods a couple of days later. Let him shoot at anything that moves, including leaves, sticks, and bugs.

 

[j-bird]

BB guns are great to start....I had my first given to me as a first communion gift! I was a bird and chipmunk hunting fool as a kid and when those critters figured out it wasn't safe.....my action figures where next on the list! Spending time with a kid outdoors will create memories you will never forget. They just see the world differently.

I was at a family reunion once and my cousins little boy wanted to go for a walk in the woods, so I agreed to take him. He was roughly 5. We start walking and talking and the first thing he does is find a stick to beat the crap out of everything we walk past. When he found a bigger stick...he would "upgrade". I showed him acorns and deer tracks and we splashed in the water and mud a little bit. And then it happened. I asked him, "Noah, you know what kind of tree this is?" He stepped back, looked it up and down with a real serious look and said, "Big!". Well, obviously that wasn't what I was looking for, but it demonstrated how he looked at the world vs my perspective. We where gone for almost an hour but we had a blast in the process. He wanted to investigate everything....and I let him. I doubt he will even remember that....but I will. Make it fun, have fun and introduce details of information slowly. Becoming a hunter will take years. I started my boy fishing and small game hunting and then taking him with me deer hunting. Now he hunts on his own, reads deer sign, understand how to read terrain features, understand thermals and how we as hunters and even the deer use the wind.

 

[catscratch]

BB guns are great to start....I had my first given to me as a first communion gift! I was a bird and chipmunk hunting fool as a kid and when those critters figured out it wasn't safe.....my action figures where next on the list! Spending time with a kid outdoors will create memories you will never forget. They just see the world differently.

I was at a family reunion once and my cousins little boy wanted to go for a walk in the woods, so I agreed to take him. He was roughly 5. We start walking and talking and the first thing he does is find a stick to beat the crap out of everything we walk past. When he found a bigger stick...he would "upgrade". I showed him acorns and deer tracks and we splashed in the water and mud a little bit. And then it happened. I asked him, "Noah, you know what kind of tree this is?" He stepped back, looked it up and down with a real serious look and said, "Big!". Well, obviously that wasn't what I was looking for, but it demonstrated how he looked at the world vs my perspective. We where gone for almost an hour but we had a blast in the process. He wanted to investigate everything....and I let him. I doubt he will even remember that....but I will. Make it fun, have fun and introduce details of information slowly. Becoming a hunter will take years. I started my boy fishing and small game hunting and then taking him with me deer hunting. Now he hunts on his own, reads deer sign, understand how to read terrain features, understand thermals and how we as hunters and even the deer use the wind.

Exactly!

 

[gasman]

There is so much more to becoming a hunter than sitting in the stand. When you think back to childhood hunting memories, there are a lot more of being in the woods learning things and having fun than sitting in a deer stand. Include him in all aspects of hunting if you can, setting stands, scouting, sighting in shooting (bb gun would be great for this). At 8 years old he may only want to "hunt" a few times but maybe you can spark an interest in the outdoors that will last for years and draw him into hunting more seriously later on.

 

[Tap]

I doubt this will be very popular but IMO, there aren't many pre teens (or younger) that have the psychological maturity to actually hunt. I realize that the current belief is that we need to get kids involved as young as possible. In some cases, witnessing (or actually killing) may do more harm than good.
This is not to say we shouldn't introduce kids to nature at a young age. Even toddlers can be shown the basics of nature. Geeze, I know some ADULT hunters that have no clue about bird or tree species, or a lot of other things that I learned BEFORE I was 12 and helderly my 1st hunting license.
There should almost be an apprenticeship to be served before actually hunting.
In grain understanding, ethics and appreciation of nature in young minds before you take the next step into the more mature pursuit of hunting.
Catching bait in the ceek and going fishing is a good start.

 

[dogghr]

I doubt this will be very popular but IMO, there aren't many pre teens (or younger) that have the psychological maturity to actually hunt. I realize that the current belief is that we need to get kids involved as young as possible. In some cases, witnessing (or actually killing) may do more harm than good.
This is not to say we shouldn't introduce kids to nature at a young age. Even toddlers can be shown the basics of nature. Geeze, I know some ADULT hunters that have no clue about bird or tree species, or a lot of other things that I learned BEFORE I was 12 and helderly my 1st hunting license.
There should almost be an apprenticeship to be served before actually hunting.
In grain understanding, ethics and appreciation of nature in young minds before you take the next step into the more mature pursuit of hunting.
Catching bait in the ceek and going fishing is a good start.

Well said Tap. I️ wanted to say just that but bit my tongue not to go there. Of my people I️ know who started kids under 10 they are now less than half who still will hunt whereas of those that waited till 10-12 to start nearly all them still hunt. Just my opinion and observations. Life and death is a precious thing and requires learning and development My son hung out w me on some hunts as observer long before he shot his first deer while stalking at 15 yds. And he still hunts.
You can teach without killing. BB guns and 22s plinking targets, especially the metal ones are a blast and teaching curve for kids before they shoot to kill. No need to rush.
Pretty admirable that OP is cool enough to be a kids mentor. I’m impressed.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tlh2865]

Thanks for the compliment dogghr, and I would like to say that I agree with you and Tap. I can honestly say that the best thing that ever happened to me as a hunter was not killing a deer for a stretch of 5 seasons from 12 to 16 despite trying to do so. It completely changed my point of view on and enjoyment of hunting. I was not blessed with a mentor to learn from directly, I have just tried to be as good a student of the Good Lord's lessons as possible. I want to try to impart that as best I can, thus my asking for advice.

 

[Keithw247]

I think letting him target shoot with a bb/pellet gun is a great start. It gives you the opportunity to teach gun safety first and foremost. I've done that with both of my kids and they really enjoy target shooting. My daughter is 11 now and has graduated to shooting a 22. My 7 year old son started with a red ryder bb gun last year and has graduated to a pump pellet gun this year. Sometimes they bring friends to our property and they will all shoot for hours if I let them. They love it. Start with large paper targets so they can figure out how to aim. Once they master that set up some milk jugs or large cans that fall down when they shoot. Over time move to smaller cans. Even me and my friends have fun target shooting with pellet guns and it's cheap. Once they are proficient with a pellet gun move up to a 22. At that point if the child has mastered the art of aiming you can take them on a squirrel hunt. Walking through the woods pointing out trees with acorns, deer scrapes and rubs, animal tracks, turkey feathers, etc. with the chance of shooting a squirrel is about as good an education as you can give a child and they love it!