When my son, now 13, was 4 I started taking him hunting with me. Hunts lasted about 30min before he was hungry, "dad i gotta gotta pee" or we started laufing so hard we had to go. Our blinds have crayon colored pokemons & scooby doo all over the walls. We never did see much but had fun. Kinda wish he was 4 again. Just wondering how many of you take your young ones with you and dont see a thing but rabbits and birds but still have a great time.
My little guy goes scouting with me. He likes to look for sign and critters.
yep,I think I got mine hooked they are 7 and 4 and they both are deer whisperers naver seen nothing like it.
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j111/johnwilliamtaylor/march29008.jpg)
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j111/johnwilliamtaylor/march29006.jpg)
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j111/johnwilliamtaylor/deermarch08024.jpg)
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j111/johnwilliamtaylor/cid_000b01c861da715b90103134c143lis.jpg)
bring the deer right to daddies hand. :)
my daughter is game for turkey this spring and the boy is eager as well.
Mine is now 25 and in the Army. Started taking him when he was @ 3 - 4 y/o. The most famous ones were...."Hey Daddy...there's a DEER!!!!!"
or on a dog drive I shot and missed, and a Kangaroo Court, the Hunt Master wanted to cut his shirt, for missing ( about 7 y/o)...the answer was "...check my gun, ain't been fired!" he was toting a cap gun! And when we got home...now don't tell Momma that Daddy got his shirt tail cut..."Guess what happened to Daddy's shirt?"
Yeah, I sure do miss him!
My Em has her first turkey hunt Saturday. She turns 10 tomorrow.
Great pics, John!
I was driving, on a long trip with my (almost) 18 year old son tonight -- trying to bridge the little gap that a lot of parents experience when their "babies" grow up. He's getting ready to go to basic training in a month or so. Anyway, we weren't communicating too well, UNTIL I started talking about some of the hunting and fishing trips we've had through the years. All good from there. They WILL appreciate it when they're older.
Time well spent!
My kids have gone with me since momma would allow.
Of coure we were "hunting" but when they were little (around two or three) these hunting trips were little more than short exploration trips.
Everyone loves a walk in the warm sunshine in October.
These early trips are the foundation of a lifetime of love for the outdoors and all things wild.
Kids have the love of hunting in them naturally, and I believe very few children would not grow into hunters if they were shown the beauty of it when they are young.
Showing kids the joy of hunting, may well be the single most important thing you ever do for the future of hunting.
Both my kids started to scout with me at a year old hanging stands and asking questions, both started to go with me on small game hunts at 2 and gun deer hunts at 3 and I got a buck both times they went for the first time, and they both were with me in a tree to see me take a deer with a bow at age 5, my son took his first deer at 6 with a rifle during the youth weekend, my daughter will start in 2009 with tukeys she will be 6 and knows the hunter ed book by heart already. both started to shoot air guns and .22's at 4 with all the saftey preaching and fun the wanted. they both shoot compounds and trad bows now and my daughter is 5 and can shoot 3 inch groups with her .223 at 100 yds. and my son hunts deer with his compound was 8 when he started to bow hunt. They love it as much as I do and I cherish every second.
Great pictures John, now that's what I am talking about!
I have taken my kids and now my grandkids from the time they where 3 or 4. Both my daughter and son are still avid hunters and my grandkids have already started filling the freezer with some fine table fair ;)
(http://residents.bowhunting.net/sticknstring/Hunt200512.JPG)
Emily\\'s Hunt (http://residents.bowhunting.net/sticknstring/hunt20053.html)
(http://residents.bowhunting.net/sticknstring/james14.jpg)
James\\' First Hunt (http://residents.bowhunting.net/sticknstring/jashunt.html)
(http://residents.bowhunting.net/sticknstring/may05-11.JPG)
Laine\\'s First Hunt (http://residents.bowhunting.net/sticknstring/may05.html)
This is what I like to see. Kids need outdoors and hunting more than ever now days.
I really enjoyed this thread & seeing the pictures. It is so nice to see kids outside & enjoying the outdoors.
My daughter is 2 1/2 & just loves the deer & turkeys, actually any animal. Every time my husband & I are out shooting, she has to shoot too. My husband just got a doe yesterday & she was so excited about bringing her up to the house & getting her ready to hang. Sorry for so many pics, but I just had to share.
(http://www.angeloholsteins.com/images/Pictures/Baby/Mikala-053-a--web.jpg)
(http://www.angeloholsteins.com/images/Pictures/Baby/Mikala-6-a-web.jpg)
(http://www.angeloholsteins.com/images/Pictures/Baby/a-001-a-web.jpg)
(http://www.angeloholsteins.com/images/Pictures/Baby/Deer-hunt-015-b-web.jpg)
(http://www.angeloholsteins.com/images/Pictures/Baby/a-008.jpg)
I try to take my 2 year old son with me everytime I get the chance. It is usually no more than a stump shooting trip with the ocasional rabbit or squirel, but they are the best hunts of the year.
They both started to turkey and deer gun hunt with me at age 3 I took a buck with both of them hunting with me at a 3 and a nice tom with my daughter when she was 3 my son is 9 and has had his licence since he was 6 and took his first deer with a gun at 7. My daughter is 6 and is studying for her hunter ed test coming up in april she is pump, they are both safe in the handling of firearms and even remind me of my mistakes they love to shoot 22's, my sons his.243 and 30-30 and my daughter her .223 they both shoot compounds and trad bows they love them both, my boy started bowhuntin at 8 with a compound and hope to pull a recurve with enough power to hunt with in another year. Hunting means more now than it ever has to me, and both have seen me shoot a deer with a bow from the ground and a tree. there never to young to go and each child will show the maturity to hunt at a different age, I belive they will be ready earlier if they are envolved from a early age, and there mentor will know when they are ready.
Allie is 3..and she loves to see wildlife, call turkeys, and shoot her bow..
(http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii152/jacobsladdergrice/P1030229.jpg)
Jake is 13 and loves to hunt and shoot also..
(http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii152/jacobsladdergrice/jan242008021.jpg)
my son is about to be 2 in feb. and I think this fall he might get to go scouting and maybe a short hunt. i went with my grandpa at about 3
I ask my 8 year old to accompany me everytime I go out when hes not in school or studying.This past year I killed a buck with him at my side, it was the coolest thing Ive ever experienced in the woods.He loves his Howard Hill and shoots it very well.This year Ill be takimg my 3 year old bowfishing in the canoe.Life is good.
John:
You are putting the kids at risk.Deer are wild, and can be unpredictable.
Pete
Really cute. I love Allie's outfit & bow set up. What kind of bow is she shooting & what are her arrows?
There cannot be enough said about taking kids hunting...or anywhere for that matter.
We all know know how important spending time with our kids is, and if we look around it is easy to see that far too many don`t get the time they need.
I love the photo`s everyone.
Mary A ... Allies bow is a maddog pup ...hes a sponsor.. http://tradstore.com/mta/
and her arrows are just dowels...
I made a vow after last season:
First time out, Sarah goes with me: 2 1/2
(http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u66/GATOR619/MyHuntingBuddy-1.jpg)
First pic is from Sept. 2007 season, 15 minutes, snapped a pic, she is looking over my shoulder and whispers "Deer Daddy", a doe and two fawns walk around us at 25 yards, her eyes were big as saucers... Best night of hunting in my 35 years in the woods...
(http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u66/GATOR619/PhotobucketSarahHunting2008.jpg)
Second pic: October of this year, as you can tell, it was the maiden voyage with the blind. Didn't really care we were brushed in or not..
3 1/2 .
It is pricesless....
I haven't had my son Nicolas(almost 5)out hunting yet.
Now that rifle season is over we are planning a small game hunt in the 'glades.
We may do a ground blind hog hunt this winter if finances allow. (http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn66/tarponnut/archerypicnic005.jpg)
My daughter is 6, she has been hunting with me since she was about 5 months old, I would put her in the back pack and head out stalking. She still goes out with me, I make her walk now!
There seems to be a special bond that forms when you hunt with your children.
Last year was my sons first season turkey hunting (age 12). Below are a few pics. Bottom one is still my favorite.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v166/BobCo/4-26-08021.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v166/BobCo/5-26-08005.jpg)
Ha ha. Reminded me of my son in a duck blind at that age.
Took my six year old out a few times this year, and he got to see his first buck in the woods, had a six pointer 12 yards behind our natural blind trying to figure out what that strange noise was, it was my son sawing logs!
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/littletree4/DSC00282-1.jpg)
i have hunted with my father 1 time in my whole 23 years on this earth. The only reason he went is because a friend talked him into it. I look back and see all my buddies hunting with their dads every season and that is something i will never have. Dad was borderline anti-hunting until me and my bro got hooked. Our mother was the one that kindled the fire. Dad always was a gun nut but didnt care to hurt animals. Although he came from a fur farm, he didnt like that much either.
I envy you folks who hunt with your parents. Mom got us started and kept us interested. took us to the woods in the wee hours of the morning. A family friend took us under his wing and taught us how to hunt, trap, and track almost any critter with fur or feathers. I am trying so hard to get my older brother into hunting before his 2yo son is old enough to go, because those are memories that outdoorsman should have.
now my twin and i have been hunting for 18 years and we try to take at least 1 new person with us each season (hunting/trapping, always dragging someone new along fishing). Cannot wait till i can take my nephew along.
Both my boys are grown now...20, and 22 years old, and both still hunt with me. It is the one thing we can do that "bridges" the generation gap, and we can be best buds. They are my best hunting partners, but their lives are beginning to go different directions as well. Still, we have built lifetime memories we share and that I cherish. They began hunting with me at two years old. It's funny...now they like to "help" dad when I'm hanging treestands or doing the work stuff, and I kinda like lettin' em. Best thing a parent can do, is spending quality time with their kids, and hunting is no doubt quality!
Here's a pic of Kory, my youngest with his bull elk from this fall.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v508/woodwizard/Kbull4.jpg)
My son to me while we're walking to the deer stand.... "How long we gonna stay Daddy". Me....."Oh a couple of hours". Son again after we've been in stand...."How long we been here daddy". Me...."30 minutes".Son again......"How much longer we gonna stay daddy".Me....."30 more minutes". Son again 10 minutes later...."Has it been 30 minutes yet Daddy". :knothead:
Now with squirrel hunting,he will stay all day long.
(http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q271/flightmedic_album/100_1240.jpg) (http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q271/flightmedic_album/100_1073.jpg)
you can never get them involved in the outdoors soon enough, archery is a big part of our lifes, and dominates our summer with 3-d events