I think everyone will agree the future of our sport is the "utes" (see the movie "My Cousin Vinny") of this country. Getting kids involved and keeping them interested in hunting can be a real challenge. I know a lot of anxious fathers cannot wait for "Jr" to reach that age when they can go with them on a hunt. These guys are so excited they actually sap the fun out of the experience.
I have a friend John (name changed to protect me!) who could not wait for his son to be old enough to join him in the field. On Jr.’s first hunt, an excited John hauled his son (7) out of bed at 4am on a very cold, windy morning. They stumbled through the dark (and scary) woods for 30 minutes and climbed into a two-person ladder stand for almost 4 hours. Needless to say, it was difficult for Jr to sit that long with cold feet, an empty stomach, and his father fussing at him every few minutes to be still. To this day, John cannot understand why Jr. does not want to venture along again.
Remember, kids growing up these days have more entertainment and recreational opportunities than we did while growing up. Skate boards, video games, I-pods, My-Space, text messaging, soccer, etc. are all competing with hunting for your kid’s entertainment activities. And the worst part is most of these other forms of entertainment give instant feedback.... unlike sitting in a freezing cold deer stand all morning and not seeing an animal.
I think if we make the sport a relaxing, enjoyable experience, we can keep the kids interested. I'll give you an example. I am blessed with three girls. Believe it or not, there was actually a time before shopping, driver's licenses, cars, and boyfriends, that they actually liked spending time with me. I would take them on an afternoon hunt to one of the Sportsman's Condos on the property. I would pack them a snack, let them bring their Game Boys (set on silent!) and would have a set of binoculars for each of them. I planned our afternoon hunts to arrive about 1 hour before dark. They were comfortable and entertained. When a squirrel or a Redbird would appear, they stopped playing their Game Boys and we looked through the binoculars and we talked about what we saw. They would ask questions about where it came from, where it lived, what it ate, etc. Lots of times I would see an animal and not say anything.....you should have heard the excitement when they spotted it before Dad did!
But my biggest secret was using a deer decoy. I would put it out in the field 50 yards or so in front of us and run a fishing line to the cloth tail I had made. When a deer stepped out into the field, I would let them take turns twitching the fishing line to make the tail move. I designated the "non-tail wagger" to be the scout and give us a description of what the "live" deer was doing. At the supper table that night they would give their mother a recap of the afternoon events. I have some great memories of the time spent together before the "Dad I need $20 for gas" years.
Bottom line? Don't rush them, and make it fun.
And by-the-way.....silly whitetails.........decoys are for kids.
Mark Bernegger
www.sportsmanscondo.com
great ideas for keeping the girls interested,very smart!My 2 girls never took an interest in hunting,but love the outdoors.Luck gave me my son.twins(one of each)
Bill still hunts with me,hes 23 now.The girls r all grown and married off.24,23.
I do have a grandson and I will use u'r great ideas with him in years to come tyvm
Posted by: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1667435820 | September 23, 2009 at 06:48 PM