Kids & Killing

[KellyBender]

I am curious to get some feedback from those of you who have kids on how you introduced them to hunting....specifically the killing of animals.  I have 4 boys but my two oldest are 6 1/2 and 5 and they are absolutely enthralled with bowhunting.  They want to shoot their bows all the time.  It is totally cool to see them so interested but I am wanting to make sure that they don't get too caught up in the killing part and don't lose respect for the animals.  I also don't wan them to think that it is ok to "hunt/shoot" every animal they see.  Just curious what your experience has been.  Maybe I am making more of it than I need to but I just want to make sure I teach them ethics, etc correctly as it relates to hunting.  Thanks for any help you can give.
Greg

[bbassi]

How young can they start truly hunting in CO? My suggestion is to take them with you when ever you can and make them do the grunt work, but not the actual hunting/killing. Also, make it a rule that if they kill it, they have to eat it. No exceptions. That will make them think before they act.

In reality, if you have good morals and ethics, more than likely your kids will too. Kids learn more from watching you than anything else.

[Kip]

My two daughters were brought to the deer camp at 3-5 years of age saw deer and other game killed and cleaned no problem.My grandchildren were brought to the camp before they could walk and my 9-year old granddaughter killed her first sq. this season and my 5-year old called me the day after Christmas.He killed his first bird with his Red Ryder bb gun and his dad threw it in the sauce he was cooking that day.Start them early worked for me.Kip

[fatman]

Kelly, I have three boys, now 21, 19, and 15.

21 and 15 are avid hunters and die-hard fisherman;
19 will take it or leave it...

We started fishing at age 2or3 with all of them; all three also went through a few years of Scouting (until school and sports got in the way)
They were all exposed to hunting from day one, in that they were always shown the day's "bag" when I got home, whether rabbits, birds, deer, etc, and they "helped" the cleaning and butchering process.  As they grew older, they tagged along on short, easy hunts.  All three took Hunters Safety and went on their first hunts when they were age 11.

Having said all that, I think you should realize that most young boys go through a "bloodlust" stage where want to kill SOMETHING...that's natural, and should not be repressed.  I've got a few spots where they could go out and shoot a mess of cottntails (which were all cleaned and eaten) If you take the time to talk about the animals, where/how they live, etc, the interest can develop if they're inclined....

Great article by Gene Wensel in June/July 2005 TBM
"When Your Kid Doesn't Hunt"....you should read it.

Hunting is natural for boys, and girls if they're exposed and inclined.  It's my feeling that if we get too esoteric in trying to raise politically correct hunters, we can stifle the "fun", which is what draws kids in....as long as they're mentored by ethical, law-abiding adults, they'll turn out OK.  Try to remember the fun stuff that drew you in years ago, and go from there...

Good luck, and enjoy the ride!

[Kip]

I forgot to add my younger daughter has twin boys due late Feb. Yesterday we planed a sq. hunt and fishing trip for the spring sesaon in May and those twins will be there for sure their dad will see to it.Kip

[Jeff Strubberg]

My three girls shocked the heck outta their preschool teacher by telling her where pork came from at lunch one day....

Don't introduce them to killing. Introduce them to the idea that all thigns die, that death is a part of life.  After that it's easy.

[John Scifres]

I showed my kids dead animals from a very young age.  I always tied the dead animal to the resultant meal.  My kids had seen me clean fish from an early age also.

When I was with my oldest and shot a deer, I was concerned about her reaction.  Thankfully, it was a good clean kill with no bawling or thrashing.  She didn't blink an eye at it.  Here's the story:    Emily\\'s Hunt  
 

When James was with me on a kill a couple weeks ago, the doe required a finishing shot.  She was thrashing a bit and I told James what I was going to do.  I gave him the option to watch or not.  He watched.  Later on the trip home, he told me it made him "sad" when the deer was thrashing about before the coup de gras.  I told him that it made me sad too but that what we do is natural and normal and if we didn't feel a little compassion for a struggling animal then we would have other issues to worry about.

Here's his story:   James\\' Doe  
 

Peace,

John

[DTS]

I started with telling them the stories of each hunt.  They would wait up late just to hear the story.  I then started bringing home live game so they could see and took them scouting (that is what we called it but it was just taking care of the property ) with me often.  We started learning the tracks each animal makes.  The next step was to bring home cleaned game with the hide on and they watched and helped skin the animal.  On the first hunt they took the little bows that tradgangers so genorously provided and that was all it took.  They would take off after rabbits and come back so excited telling me how they shot just over the rabbit.  The hunt has to be fun and not to cold.  Also you can't tell them the night before or they won't go to sleep.  They are 10 and 7 now and will always be daddy's little girls.  Nothing more fun than to watch your kids hunt.  God bless.

[bearhair]

We have twin 5 yr old boys.  They can't get enough of fishing and like to fry up what they catch.  They are too young to hunt yet, too impatient, but they know what daddy does with deer.  Plus they know what happens to their pigs, lambs, ducks, turkeys, etc that we raise each summer.

No need teach them anything specific.  Just lead by example and kids will pick things up pretty quick.

[T. Downing]

Awesome pics John! I really like what Jeff had to say about the living and dying education. He is right. My oldest boy understood early on that death is very much a part of life. He witnessed it first hand from a cat we had who liked to kill birds,etc and bring them into the house. I have to say that I was a bit shocked when the first time I shot a cottontail in front of him and when we walked up to the dead rabbit, Isaiah said, "Daddy that sure looks like it will taste good". I will never forget that. T

[ISP 5353]

I wish I could give you some great advice, but several others beat me to it.  Just be a good example and keep them involved.  You will do fine and they will be richer for it.  Enjoy each minute of it.

[KellyBender]

lots of great advice...thanks so much.  What most of you are saying pretty much is what I am doing but I just worry sometimes that they will become desensitized to killing and lose respect for animals.  They are definitely "all boy" and i agree that they definitely have the bloodlust part or at least are very curious about it.

Lots of twins!!...my younger 2 boys are twins and are 18 mos old.  I really look forward to the day when we can all hunt together.

[SOS]

My favorite story of kids and animals.  My daughter was 3 when she saw me skin my first deer.  She sat and watched for awhile, then got bored and probably went in to watch Bambi...or something.  6 months later we were in the truck with her cousin when we saw some wild turkeys.  I told them to keep a look-out, we might see some deer.  Cousin Sarah asked, "What do we do with deer?"  My daughter matter-of-factly piped up, "We kill them!"  Needless to say, this one turned out to be a huntress with deer, hogs and one alligator under her belt.

[Bobby Urban]

What did you do?  I was given rules, boundries and limitations with a strong understanding and respect for the weapons.  Then I went out and shot everything a Red Ryder BB gun would take down and when I graduated to the Pellet gun and started hunting rabbit, squirrel and Chipmunks.  I also had a recurve bow that did it's share of damage on the local critter population.  I look back and think that maybe there were some unfortunate frogs and things but it was part of being a boy on the hunt.  

I say, teach them to respect the firearm, bow, weapon and what the rules are with each and then let them go.  boys will be boys(so will some girls)  If they have solid parents they will be fine.

JMO - Bob Urban

[Rick McGowan]

Don't forget that kids are primarily a product of their environment. Talk to them and let them know how you feel about it and remember they will make mistakes, who dosn't?

[vermonster13]

What you say will have no where near the effect of what you actually do around them. Be a role model for your children and they will mirror you, be otherwise and they will mirror that too. Include them in everything you can so they get the whole picture of hunting not just the hero shots.

[R H Clark]

All good advice here.I don't think you will have anything to worry about.If you show your children that you love and respect the animals you hunt they will too.

[Bonebuster]

I agree that there is good advice here.

Kids will certainly do as they see, good or bad.

My kids have been around ALL that is hunting, from a very early age. My six yr old daughter, is the ultimate "bunny hugger", but she also knows where meat comes from. We raise a few chickens every year, and she helps raise them from tiny puff balls until the day they become a Sunday dinner. She loves them as new hatchlings, and she loves them roasted to a golden brown.

If a child is taught that dead animals are gross, and yuckey, that is what they will learn. If they are taught that it is normal, and a necessary part of life then thats what they will learn.

It is indeed instinct, to hunt, fish, and gather our food. It has only been the last hundred years or so that some people have been taught, that they are not part of the natural cycle of life and death.

Respect, even reverence for animals will be learned automatically from watching your actions
towards animals. The more you show the more they learn. Natures best teachers, are the parents. Be it a bunny, or a little girl. Have fun with all of it.

[Recurve50LBS]

In reality, if you have good morals and ethics, more than likely your kids will too. Kids learn more from watching you than anything else.

Yeah what bbassi said

[mountainman]

I tell my kids if you kill it you eat it they have been around that stuff all there life we kill a hog every year and some times a beef i always say a small prayer after the kill and my kid do the same it has always been important to me for my kids to know that meat does not come from the store and that there are some steps in between that i think alot of kid don't see