is my son to young to go?

[Plumber]

take him

[Carbonkiller]

yeah i thought of a great lil farm close to our house. its only about 40 acres but its close and we can setup on a bluff that is full of squirrels. we will probably end up shooting at a few:)

i was just unsure because my dad didnt take me until i was 14 or 15yrs old. he never deer hunted only quail and rabbit hunting.

[highPlains]

I was a about that age sitting in a 90 degree antelope blind playing my Nintendo Gameboy. Because my Dad took me then, we'll be sitting in an antelope blind again in a week, 22 years later. Make sure he has fun and you guys will be doing it for many years to come!

[BlackDog]

Definitely take him. Been taking mine since he was 4. Bring snacks, gum, etc.

[bawana bowman]

Took my 3 year old grandson hog hunting in March, he loved it and is constantly asking to go again.
 

We had to take a break to let him throw sticks at gators,
 

and he spotted the only hog first, someone else got it, but he did spot it.
 

I was busy watching the marsh.
Have another hunt planned with him in 2 weeks, this time over a feeder. For being so young he doesn't really talk in the woods. He's learned if he stays quiet he'll see more animals. Any animal makes him happy, that's what makes it all worth it, just seeing how the smallest things make them light up and gleam.

[stik&string]

The only thing I can add is discuss with him befor hand what you are willing to take. The first time I took my son a doe came within range, I was about to draw and he quietly told me to wait for a buck. It was a good chance to teach him about filling the freezer but if I would have been smart enough to tell him that does were fair game first the story may have been a lot more interesting!

[hvyhitter]

I let my daughter take her small digital camera. Got lots of squirrel/chipmonk/tree/leaf pics. No deer but she really enjoyed it.

[jamesh76]

Crayons and a small coloring book sure do wonders.

[Bonebuster]

For the first few years, the "hunting" trips I took my boys on were nothing more than outings.

There was practice being quiet, and discovery of all sorts. Lots of snacks and lots of laughs.

We would stay as long as they wanted, and most times, when we went home, it was after a long time in the woods.

Good times...take him as soon as momma will let him go.

[gregg dudley]

I am a firm believer in taking your kids when they first express an interest.  I started taing my son when he was three.  I killed a deer with him that year (rifle) from a double ladder.  He has been hooked ever since.  He killed his first deer with a gun when he was six.  Since then he has killed a lot of game with a rifle and a few things with his bow as well.

Without getting too far out of whack with this thread, I think that minimum age restrictions on hunting, expecting kids to hunt with a bow right away, and imposing trophy standards on kids are the biggest threats we have to the future of hunting.  If we don't get them out there early and often they will find other things to occupy their time.  If we don't allow them to experience success the same will be true.

Here are some things that have worked for me when hunting with kids:

1.  Use nap time to your advantage.  Even older kids will nap in the stand if you wear their little tails out in advance or if they get up early enough.  When my kids were young,I used to time things where they would sleep the first hour or hour and a half of a hunt and then I could keep them busy for another hour or two. Worked  out well.

2.  Make sure they are not cold, wet, or otherwise miserable.  When it turns into an endurance contest, the fun is out.  Sleeping bags, ponchos, etc. are essential when weather dictates their use.  A sleeping bag pulled up to the waist or chest is great for keeping a kid warm.

3.  Games with a plan.  I always let my kids take nintendo, etc. in the stand, but would use it as a last resort.  I never let them use it right away, and I always made them put it away at "prime time".  Over the season, and after a number of successful sightings, "prime time" gets longer and longer.  

4.  Food.  Kids get hungry and besides it is rude to talk with your mouth full!

5.  Don't forget scouting and teaching.  It is easy to forget that the experience is all new to kids.  

6.  Get them on a blood trail early.  I am amused by people that want to hide the fact that a dead deer is the net result of a hunt.  Blood will not gross them out and neither will gutting a deer.  

7.  Give them something to do.  Tally the number of chipmunks or tree rats they see.  Draw a picture of a deer.  Color in a coloring book.  Take pictures, use binoculars, etc.  My daughter used to take sticker books to the stand.  She put an elmo sticker on an old compound bow I used to hunt with.  It is the only compound bow I still own.  Dumb huh?  But I keep it for the memories.

8.  And that leads me to the most important part.  When they act like kids instead of hunters, remember that you made a choice...a wise choice... to include them in something that you like to do.  You are building memories.  The memories you are making now will taste better in your old age than any backstrap you slap on the grill.

[Bowwild]

Carbonkiller, you dad was wise. I didn't get my son involved in rabbit hunting until later. Action in rabbit hunting (shot direction) is often unpredictable.  Shot opportunities happen (if not using dogs) quickly and with little time to plan.  

On our first rabbit hunt my son and I would approach a likely spot to jumb a bunny (small brush piles). We'd stop before jostling the pile and discuss which way a rabbit would likely go and we'd determine shoot and don't shoot directions. The rabbits were unbelievably cooperative that morning. We hunted for about 30 minutes and jumped 3-4 rabbits and ALL of them ran exactly the direction we predicted they would.

I also found my son and daughter not to be the least bit squeamish about blood, field dressing, or even with a sound a doe made as I made a finishing bow shot one morning. Maybe this is because they had seen so many dead beasts come home with me?  More likely a natural curiosity.

By the way, after a few years I sensed my son was getting a little weary of my casual safety reminders.  Finally, one afternoon I told him I did this so he might not have to live with having shot and killed me. This had more impact than any advice I gave him aimed to protect him. I think, like many young people he saw himself as invulnerable. Yet the idea of accidently shooting his Dad got his attention.

[Friend]

Just be prepared to leave once he is had enough.

Keeping him in the blind beyond his current patience and interest level may set up a lasting disdain for hunting in the future.

He needs to be able to enjoy the experience w/i his own current capablities.

[Carbonkiller]

all great advice guys! thanks to everyone for the help. i think we will have a blast and gain some good one on one time. hes had a time adjusting to not being the only child here lately. alot of difference between him and his 10 week old brother:)

[Blueridge]

Took my son on his first deer hunt when he was 5. It was the day after Christmas and he wanted to go instead of playing with his toys !!  We were gun hunting from the ground and his job was to look for squirrels and tug my pant leg when he saw one. When the 7 point walked out he whispered "there he is shoot him now". It was a great hunt, I couldn't keep him out of the way as I field dressed the buck. He examined the heart, lungs, liver had tons of questions and then offered to drag him out for me! He grabbed the antlers a gave tug and when the deer didn't move he looked up and said "whew these things are heavy!"
It was a great day. He had a back pack full of squeeze drinks and beanie weanies.
Take him huntin and have fun

the first time I took my son he was four, I pulled off a crazy shot within a half hour of sitting down on a hill side.  It messed him up for life, now 30, he still thinks that he should be able to shoot a deer in a half hour.  My daughter was two, I carried her on my shoulders.  I would flatten out some weeds and she would play with anything she could find, like beetles,voles and shrews and put them in her pockets. She still has an affinity for little creatures.  Just don't hike the little ones too far, and take wet ones along. They always need to 'go' as soon as the hike in is done.

[josef2424]

I kind of think the DS is not necessary. We all grew up without using electronics in the deer stand. I shot my first bird when i was five and shot my first doe when I was seven with a .243. It depends on your child as to how long the hunts will be. But remind him/her that the longer they stay still, the higher the chances will be in them seeing a deer. I think only 25%  of children adopt their parent's interest in hunting because 75% of parents dont know how to make it interesting for their particular child...if the child is competitive, you can challenge him to be a better hunter. If the child has less of an attention span then the you have to use other tricks. Find what they enjoy about hunting and focus on that, not what you enjoy. Good Luck!

[Ric O'Shay]

My grandson, Ben has been going with me for the last three years. He just turned 8 last week. He has his DS for making the three hour truck ride to camp, but it stays in the truck (his choice) when the hunting starts. He also comes with me when setting up stands. Let your son be a part of all the hunt preparations. Make certain he is involved in the weeks and days before the hunt and encourage and develop his ability to anticipate.

[Trumpkin the Dwarf]

I watched my dad shoot a deer when I was 3 years old. All I remember is crawling on our bellies to get within rifle range. If he wants to go, take him!