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Author Topic: Took the kids hunting....  (Read 365 times)

Offline Dave Bulla

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Took the kids hunting....
« on: November 30, 2008, 07:01:00 PM »
Well, it's been kinda slow on here lately so I thought I'd share some pics of an outing the kids and I had today for bunnies.  Also, anyone else that has a story and some pics of hunts with kids, feel free to share!

Some background, a couple months ago I posted that I was in the market for a recurve of about 40 pounds for my daughter.  Got a lot of advice, found a couple for sale and even had offers of several free bows (gotta love the generosity of tradgangers!)

Well, on the TG classifieds, I found an old Root Targetmaster for sale by Bearbowman Steve Smith at exactly 40# and I was thinking about it but was waiting to see what else I might find.  About a day later I decided I'd just go ahead and get it only to find that it was spoken for by Digger (George Williams).  Well, I was kinda bummed and happened to mention it on a thread I had on powwow about looking for a bow for my daughter and dang if Digger didn't see it and backed out of the sale so I could buy it!  A couple emails later to make sure of things and in a few days Lindsey had herself a new bow.  She's been shooting a bow since she was two and half years old but this was the first real "hunting weight" bow she'd had.  She strained a little but not bad at all and was hitting pretty good.

Today we woke up to about an inch of wet snow so I figured it would be a good day for a bunny hunt.  I just figured we'd take the .410's but Lindsey said she wanted to try it with the bow.  I almost tried to talk her out of it since she has yet to kill a rabbit by any method.  (She's taken squirrel, turkey and deer with gun.)  The more I thought of it though, I thought why prejudice her against trying small game with the bow?  Why set the example of always taking the easiest path?  So, bows it was for both of us and my boy Emmett wanted to tag along too.  He's only 7 so would just be following along and maybe play beagle for us too.  

We spent the late morning rounding up warm hunting clothes from the plastic tubs they'd been stored in down the basement.  Lindsey was able to fit into a pair of brush pants I'd picked up at a yard sale a year or two ago and also an insulated camo coat.  Gotta love yard sales and buying stuff in advance.

Here she is all decked out with her recurve, huntin' duds and my old home made back quiver.

       
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Dave


I've come to believe that the keys to shooting well for me are good form, trusting the bow to do all the work, and having the confidence in the bow and myself to remain motionless and relaxed at release until the arrow hits the mark.

Offline doug g

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Re: Took the kids hunting....
« Reply #1 on: November 30, 2008, 07:03:00 PM »
Thats cool, she will have many great memories!
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Offline La. bowhunter

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Re: Took the kids hunting....
« Reply #2 on: November 30, 2008, 07:10:00 PM »
Only thing I see that she needs for a bunny hunt is LOTS more arrows. Hope the hunt goes well.
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Offline Dave Bulla

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Re: Took the kids hunting....
« Reply #3 on: November 30, 2008, 07:22:00 PM »
Well, we decided to get in a good lunch of pork chops and steak cooked in the fireplace with some french fries and leftover sides from Thanksgiving Mmmmmmmmmmmm! So about 2:30 we headed out to Platte Falls and a rendezvous with bunnies I hoped.

The temp was hovering right about the freezing mark and while both Emmett and Lindsey were both bundled up good, Lindsey couldn't find her gloves and so was going without.  Then Emmett immediately started making snowballs when we got out of the truck and in about 30 seconds his gloves were soaking wet.  "Oh well kids, gonna have to deal with that sometime, might as well be today.  If we stay moving busting brush piles, we'll probably stay warm."

We elected to hunt a strip of cover right alongside the road that is about 50 yards wide and consists of dense small sapplings, honeysuckle, deadfalls, brushpiles and poison ivy thickets.  Instead of all of us walking it out, I dropped Lindsey off at the far end and Emmett and I drove down and parked at the other end about 200 yards away.  I told Lindsey to get on top of the levee and find a spot where she could see down to the bottom real well and just stay real still while Emmett and I played beagle to try to push something to her.

Emmett and I started out and right away I knew he wouldn't be able to follow me through and over the deadfalls, vine tangles and briars so I told him to stay on the lower side where it was all small sapplings and kick any small cedars, weedy spots or small brush piles he came to and just follow a little to my rear.  He did great!  The little guy really gets through the brush well.  

Here he is in an opening as I looked back over my left shoulder to see how he was coming along.

   

That Gnat Gear camo works pretty good!
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Dave


I've come to believe that the keys to shooting well for me are good form, trusting the bow to do all the work, and having the confidence in the bow and myself to remain motionless and relaxed at release until the arrow hits the mark.

Offline Dave Bulla

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Re: Took the kids hunting....
« Reply #4 on: November 30, 2008, 07:40:00 PM »
It took Emmett and I about a half hour or more to work our way through the 200 yards of brushy cover to where Lindsey was waiting.  I wish I could say we jumped several rabbits and that Lindsey at least got shooting but we never jumped a single bunnie and all Lindsey got was freezing cold hands...  Part of the cover was flooded with standing water and I didn't know that until we got there.  Other years I can almost count on jumping one to three bunnies in the same stretch but today we saw nothing.  Maybe bunnies don't like wet feet?

I could tell Lindsey was pretty uncomfortable but thought maybe if we got moving farther in the brush she'd warm up.  I decided maybe a couple practice shots at immaginary bunnies would do the trick.  She took a couple shots but said her fingers hurt to shoot and then on one shot she said her shoulder hurt so I decided enough was enough.  She was having trouble pulling the bow with the heavy clothes on.  My rule with the kids and hunting so far has always been NEVER push them past the point where they aren't having fun at it.

By then the temp was starting to drop for the evening anyway so we turned and headed for the truck.  Along the way, we took a little time to shoot at some pieces of trash blown into the ditch by the road and both of us had nocks pop off our carbon arrows.  Never had that happen with woodies unless it was super cold and I was shooting into something hard.  Kinda dissapointed me.  This is the first year I've tried carbons...

So, no bunnies, no squirrels, cold hands and runny noses all around but it was fun while it lasted and the kids had a good time.

Here's Lindsey and Emmett as we were heading back to the truck.

   

You guys who have kids, take them out for little hunts like this.  Take the camera along and snap a couple pictures.  You'd be suprised how they remember these little times even when they don't get any action.  Heck, I think my kids enjoyed the hot cocoa from Quicktrip on the ride home almost as much as getting out to hunt.  I know my coffee sure hit the spot!

There's just something about coming in out of the cold and holding a steaming hot cop of anything.....    :campfire:    Then warming up by the fireplace when we got home.....Ahhhhhhhh.
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Dave


I've come to believe that the keys to shooting well for me are good form, trusting the bow to do all the work, and having the confidence in the bow and myself to remain motionless and relaxed at release until the arrow hits the mark.

Offline hit or miss

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Re: Took the kids hunting....
« Reply #5 on: November 30, 2008, 07:44:00 PM »
That rocks!

The wind was doing about 40-50 mph sustained here today.  I was hoping to get in a last hunt before the orange army goes whizzing for whitetails this week.  Oh well.

It would be great to have kids interested in hunting.
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Online Lefty

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Re: Took the kids hunting....
« Reply #6 on: November 30, 2008, 07:49:00 PM »
Good job Dave!  Sound like you all had a great time.
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Offline Jerry Wald

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Re: Took the kids hunting....
« Reply #7 on: November 30, 2008, 08:01:00 PM »
Anytime out is grrrrreat

Jer Bear
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Offline Digger

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Re: Took the kids hunting....
« Reply #8 on: November 30, 2008, 08:50:00 PM »
Makes my heart feel good ...

Thanks for sharing.

Digger
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Offline bearbowman

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Re: Took the kids hunting....
« Reply #9 on: November 30, 2008, 09:03:00 PM »
Now I too can remember this.......thanks Dave.
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Offline Dave Bulla

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Re: Took the kids hunting....
« Reply #10 on: November 30, 2008, 09:18:00 PM »
Steve and George,

My thanks again for hooking me up with the good deal on the bow for Lindsey.  You guys are great!

La.Bowhunter, good eye for detail on the first pic.  You dead centered our current dilema.  I need to get off my butt and make her some nice woodies instead of the mixmatched kids wood and a couple of carbons hodge podge she's trying to shoot now.  I think it messes with her aim jumping from one type to the other.
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Dave


I've come to believe that the keys to shooting well for me are good form, trusting the bow to do all the work, and having the confidence in the bow and myself to remain motionless and relaxed at release until the arrow hits the mark.

Offline FerretWYO

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Re: Took the kids hunting....
« Reply #11 on: November 30, 2008, 11:32:00 PM »
Sounds like you all had a good time. Thanks for the story. I love these ones.
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Offline vermonster13

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Re: Took the kids hunting....
« Reply #12 on: November 30, 2008, 11:32:00 PM »
:thumbsup:     :thumbsup:    :thumbsup:
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Offline John Scifres

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Re: Took the kids hunting....
« Reply #13 on: December 01, 2008, 12:19:00 PM »
Dave,

That is awesome.  Thanks for sharing the pictures and story.  I have a bunch of great hunting pics with my kids that I love to look at.  I just can't get enough of them.

Amen on that hot chocolate too.  Those are the things they really remember.  I gun hunted with the kids one morning this year.  I even got lucky and killed a deer.  They helped with the drag and everything but their most memorable part was getting treated to candy and hot chocolate at the check station  :)

The following story is about that evening's hunt that isn't a gun hunt per se so I feel comfortable sharing it here  :)

The evening hunt was just James and me since Emily had a play to go to. We saw no deer but fat squirrels were plentiful. We even saw a turkey. One particularly noisy squirrel kept hanging around and James begged me to let him shoot it. As all we had were slugs there was no way he was shooting. "But Dad, I've never seen one fall from a tree!" No sooner had he said that than the squirrel missed a jump and tumbled, almost like in slow motion, 40 feet to the ground. I've seen them do this before and bounce up but not this time. She ran about 20 feet and flopped over dead. I told James to do that with a deer next time.

Here's James and his mystic squirrel doing his mental killing thing.

 
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Offline Dave Bulla

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Re: Took the kids hunting....
« Reply #14 on: December 01, 2008, 01:56:00 PM »
Ha!

That's a good one John!!

I've only seen one fall like that and that was being bombarded with flu-flu's.  It hit the ground and bounced then started gimping up the hill.  Would have been an easy shot then but my buddy and I were laughing so hard neither of us could shoot.

If any of you others have stories and pics from hunts with your kids, feel free to jump right in and share.  I'd love to see more.
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Dave


I've come to believe that the keys to shooting well for me are good form, trusting the bow to do all the work, and having the confidence in the bow and myself to remain motionless and relaxed at release until the arrow hits the mark.

Offline JEFF B

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Re: Took the kids hunting....
« Reply #15 on: December 01, 2008, 02:25:00 PM »
way to go man!!!  :clapper:    :clapper:
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Offline Van/TX

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Re: Took the kids hunting....
« Reply #16 on: December 01, 2008, 08:57:00 PM »
Great looking kids Dave  :)  .  The Mother must be good looking  :bigsmyl:  Seriously, good stuff  :wavey:  ...Van
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Offline Bonebuster

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Re: Took the kids hunting....
« Reply #17 on: December 01, 2008, 09:10:00 PM »
It`s been said before, but I`ll say it again

"Take your kids hunting so you don`t have to hunt for your kids".

Way to go.
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Offline Dave Bulla

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Re: Took the kids hunting....
« Reply #18 on: December 02, 2008, 01:30:00 AM »
Van, not only is she good looking, she'll help me cut up deer, usually gets me a Cabella's gift certificate for Christmas and my birthday and lets me take one of my weeks of vacation just to hunt!!!!!!

I'm a lucky guy!
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Dave


I've come to believe that the keys to shooting well for me are good form, trusting the bow to do all the work, and having the confidence in the bow and myself to remain motionless and relaxed at release until the arrow hits the mark.

Offline Van/TX

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Re: Took the kids hunting....
« Reply #19 on: December 03, 2008, 08:12:00 PM »
Quote


I'm a lucky guy! Van, not only is she good looking, she'll help me cut up deer, usually gets me a Cabella's gift certificate for Christmas and my birthday and lets me take one of my weeks of vacation just to hunt!!!!!!

--------------------
Dave
 
My goodness.  A lucky guy you are Dave.  You hit the jackpot.  Tell her I said so  :)  ...Van
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