How to take the kids out "hunting"

Dogfish · 10-03-2001, 08:14 AM

I took my boys, Hunter age 5 and Ryan age 2, out for an elk hunt/scouting trip yesterday. I have a cow tag that started Monday and goes until the 31st. Both boys were excited to "go hunting"!

Our first game spotted was a herd of Bison, about 30 strong (a local rancher's pet project). The boys were beside themselves with joy!

We drove a little further and spotted a herd of about 70 Yaks! I am not kidding, some of the farmers in the area have gone into some alternative species. The boys liked the long horns, some were as long as 3 feet.

When we got to my elk spot, no elk, but we did see a doe, two fawns, and a nice blacktail buck. They were about 200 yards out, and the boys liked looking through the spotting scope.

We did some unnatural selection on the local barn pigeon population (training aid for the dog) and headed home because Ryan was scared of the cows. One had come up behind him and licked the back of his head through the fence. Yuck!

About 4 miles from my permit area, and about 5 miles from my house we see a herd of elk right next to the road. Ryan was asleep by this time, but Hunter wasn't. He was pointing out the spikes, 4 total, and the cows and calves. There weren't any big boys in the herd, but the 25 elk we saw was nice. They were out of the hills early this year.

We got home, and they could hardly wait to tell Mom what they saw. Ryan just kept on saying "Tow momma, tow" for about the next hour.

Andy

Zen Leecher aka Bill W · 10-03-2001, 08:26 AM

Nice post, Andy. It brought a smile to my face.

Bill

Jellyhead · 10-03-2001, 08:34 AM

Thanks Andy,

Even though I don't have kids myself, It reminded me of the adventures my dad took me on when I was a little guy. Those adventures planted the seed in me.

Great story.

Aaron

Dogfish · 10-03-2001, 02:52 PM

I don't know what I would have done if there were elk in my permit area. It probably would have been the first time I passed a shot on a legal elk. Imagine me with two young ones, gutting and transporting an elk. The two year old would probably roll in the gutpile, he gets in everything.

This only took us about an hour and a half, and they never got farther than 10 feet from the truck, except when nature called to Hunter and he ran around the side of the barn.

I am trying to introduce my sons to the "killing" side of hunting. I hope that I don't damage them, but I want them to be prepared for it if we happen upon a legal animal sometime. They didn't have a problem with the barn pigeons, and they don't have a problem with dead deer or elk that they saw in my trailer last year. Any suggestions?

Andy

MoJet Driver · 10-03-2001, 04:08 PM

Definitely a good post. Too bad all fathers can't be the same as you.

periwinkle · 10-03-2001, 05:20 PM

Andy, I started both of my kids on fishing and then we cleaned them together, identifying the inner parts etc. on salmon and steelhead. My daughter took a steelhead heart in a bottle of alcohol to school for 'show and tell' (first grade), the teacher almost 'ralphed', ha ha ha.
Can't remember the age of my son when he first accompanied me hunting grouse and ducks (a little older than yours) but we did the same thing, clean, dress, identify, cook, eat... Next came pellet guns, shooting contests etc. But when he was about 11 we both played 'hookey' and hunted the Chewack in E. WA., and he was standing beside me when a 3x4 mulie ran up the hill and I knocked it down. Then we dragged it down the snow covered hillside to the truck, dressed it out, and he's been hooked ever since, (oops I'm getting a tear). Now he is a F&W wildlife biologist in N. Dakota and hunts too much (almost).
Just don't rush your kids.

Dogfish · 10-03-2001, 05:38 PM

My older boy and I have been fishing for three years, Ryan gets to start next year, but he has tagged along on a few outings.

Hunter has been fascinated by looking closely at the ducks I take, examining all of the feathers and how the wings fold. He likes to pet the deer and elk, kind of sad, but he understands that they mean food. He got a little upset after I removed the head from a buck two years ago. Last year it wasn't a problem. Never in front of him, just after.

We'll see what happens this year, as Hunter will go on a few deer hunts with me, beginning next week, but being an early season hunt, I don't expect much.

Hunter has yet to shoot even a BB gun. This year I will start him out with my little Crosman pelletgun, but don't tell his mom.

Andy

[ 10-03-2001: Message edited by: Dogfish ]

bigshark · 10-03-2001, 06:20 PM

Andy
I have been there and done that....and it sounds to me your doing just fine. My two sons went with mom in the car to drop me off at some point and pick me up at another. When I got back in the rig they were full of questions about what I had seen or had I gotten a shot etc. Well this was a great opportunity for dad to spin a story about the
grouse or the squirrel that gave my presents away and why I didn't the shot etc. It was about the same as teasing a dog with the dummy to make him want it all the more. Then comes the day when the oldest goes into the canyon with you and he gets to tell a story for the sake of the youngest and of course act like one of the grown-ups. Soon its all three of you..... until mom says I want to shoot also.....Then comes the problem,... the boys are off having a great time hunting.... while you are working your rump off trying to show the wife what the boys
learned without any effort.... [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img] Oh well!
Today the oldest os 33 and the youngest 27.
With there mates there are now six of us out there enjoying the greatest family sports of all hunting and fishing......Andy, the fun is
just beginning. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Lured In · 10-05-2001, 08:54 AM

Dogfish: I love these stories as my two boys and I are doing the same thing. My sons are now 4 and 6 and the oldest is everybit as insane about hunting and fishing as I am. The younger one is still trying to figure out that if we go hunting we are not going to climb trees and throw pine cones. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Here is my first story from this year's hunting season. My oldest son, myself and a good friend were out chasing the pheasants at Sauvie. My son enjoys the affectionate razzing of being called my bird dog and he really lived up to it here.

We had three birds in the bag and I had one come up after running from the dog. I knock it down at about 40 yards but unfortunately only winged it. It now becomes a foot race between my son and the dog. The dog gets lost with his head in bushes as the pheasant is jumping/running across the millet. My son is in hot pursuit while trying not to pee himself because he is laughing so hard while running after the bird. The dog finally picks up the right scent trail and is now chasing my son who is chasing the bird across the field.

At this point I am doubled over howling with laughter and my buddy is in no better shape. They have managed to cover close to 100 yards as the boy and dog are now running in circles with the bird in front of them. The bird breaks the circle and just happens to move toward my son who, without hesitation, reaches out and snags the bird off the ground by the neck. He even brougt it back to my hand. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Who says you need a four legged friend when you have a kid who can retrieve like that. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Dogfish · 10-07-2001, 05:52 PM

Hunter, my five year old, reacted very well today after coming home from a day with his Papa. There was a skinned and split elk just hanging in the garage.

His reaction "Holy Bikini!, How'd that get there?"

Andy

crabbait · 10-07-2001, 11:14 PM

My brother and I are sons of a meatcutter so we grew up around nice clean carcasses. We started taking my nephew bowhunting with us when he was three (yes, you can go but you are NOT leaving me home alone with a three year old...).

This gets a bit explicit: My nephew's first "view to a kill" happened unintentionally when he was five. We were archery hunting and I shot a deer at the edge of timber. My shot was a couple inches high and the deer went down on-the-spot, shot through the spine. The deer then managed to get up on front legs only and started to turn circles.

I am a very firm believer in quick, clean kills and do not enjoy watching anything suffer so I quickly approached and cut the deer's throat. I felt terrible when I turned around to find my Dad and nephew standing 20 yards away. I was concerned that my nephew had been permanently disturbed by what he had witnessed.

As soon as we were back in camp, I sat down with my nephew and we talked about what he had seen. His attitude was much more adult than I had imagined. His point of view was that the deer had a good oppotuinty to "get back in the woods". He also understood that my actions were necessary and humane. With that done, he helped with the skinning.

My nephew is 14 now. Last year he took his first deer, also with a bow, and is an avid fisherman and bird hunter as well.

I think that, as with anything, if we teach our kids ethical hunting and fishing, including the kill part, they will turn out just fine. We are predators after all.

Hope I didn't offend anybody.