"Too Young??"

[VA Elite]

I read an interesting article written by Gene Wensel on Brothers of the Bow titled "Too Young"...in a nut shell, it was about this younger generation being spoiled when it comes to deer hunting. I have to say it was one of, if not the most, on the spot article about hunting I have ever read. Kudos Mr. Gene!

 http://www.brothersofthebow.com/tooyoung.htm

[dirtguy]

Thanks for the link.  This article is spot on.

[Bladepeek]

X2 for sure. I think the woods is starved for kids hunting small game.

Our club runs 3 hunter safety classes/year. Every year my phone rings off the hook with moms (usually) trying to get their kids into the class after we have already held the last one. These are not kids who have been dreaming all year of getting out to hunt. Its a case of last minute "Oh hey. If I want to hunt I guess I'd better sign up for a class". Michigan even allows an apprentice hunter to hunt without taking the class for the first couple of years. Obviously, the intent is to get them hooked so they will buy a hunting license each year.

I have friends with young grand kids who are consummate hunters already, can hold their own tracking a deer and are already better shots with a bow than I. My problem is with the other kids who are used to instant gratification without any paying of dues. For that I blame the parents -not the kids.

I recently watched a post on facebook where a tradbow shooter was demonstrating his skills shooting a moving target and snuffing a candle in low light. Excellent shot and I applauded his skill. Then this same guy gets his little granddaughter (probably - I don't remember for sure) who is not even old enough to hold a bow by herself and proceeds to help her shoot a target on a hay bale with one of the barn cats playing directly under the bulls eye. She was obviously not shooting the bow - he was. She THOUGHT she was shooting it, though. What kind of message is that planting in her brain? What kind of responsibility training is she experiencing? This is responsible parenting?

My granddaughter (age 8) is shooting a .22 under supervision. She shoots her own Maddog bow. She wants to go out deer hunting with dad. And she will eventually. I can guarantee you, that will not be her first hunting experience and she will be a hunter before she hunts her first big game.

[JohnV]

A great, thought-provoking article.  Also one that would not be well-received in most of the popular hunting magazines.

[VA Elite]

well said Blade....right now my oldest son is 10 yrs old. he has been shooting a compound for a few years but not very regularly. This summer he began to shoot quite often and I never pushed it on him. He chose when to shoot. As time went by i saw how interested he was becoming in how to properly shoot a bow. So I took him to the shop and bought him a nicer bow. he began shooting it daily. Each day was better. He asked when he could hunting. I told him him when he can put 6 arrows in the vitals at 10 yds and pull over 30# with his bow. Well, he has gotten stronger and more accurate, he put those arrows in there and he can pull over 30#...I have taken him with me twice to hunt, but he was not to shoot at deer...he doesn't have broadheads yet. I want him to go and not see deer, get bored, and understand that it is not like the videos/shows...I told him you come home empty handed and not seeing anything more than anything else....when the time is right he will hunt and shoot

When I was a kid late 50s into the 60s, there was not one area farmer that cared if I was in their grove trying to shoot pheasants, squirrels and rabbits with my blunts and recurves. All of the area mean old farm dogs knew me as the kid with the milk bones in his pocket.  Many of the big farm groves are gone, rabbit numbers are not what they used to be, and easy access to any private land is history.  Kids would rather play pretend killing games on iPhones these days, I would rather take a longbow, a quiver full of cedar arrows with blunts and go rabbit and pheasant hunting.  Even kids with hunting parents get cheated when the zealous parent makes everything a sure thing and takes all of the adventure out of the process.

[ARCHER2]

Excellent article sir. I agree 100% !

[Phillip Fields]

I wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Wensel.

[Turkey-duke]

My father treated it much the same way.  Although he never stated I had to graduate to deer hunting, it was how he approached it.  I started out hunting squirrels and rabbits and once I was able to prove I could consistently kill squirrels and understood the ethics and morality of the situations then he was willing to take me deer hunting.  I have said to many people over the years that if my first experience hunting had been my first deer hunt, I would have never gone back and my life would have taken a drastically different path.  The first time I ever went deer hunting it was cold and rainy and just an overall nasty day.  we froze out before lunch but went back out after we warmed up and dried out.  That was a miserable day, but I was hooked on hunting before that and there was no amount of misery that would deter me from hunting at that point.

[VA Elite]

yep squirrel hunting got me first

[TxAg]

2 is certainly too young, but I've seen a lot of 6 and 7 year olds kill deer and pigs. I don't have a problem with that.

Personally, I try not to over complicate things when it comes to hunting. After all, it is supposed to be fun. We all have an idea of what is "right" and "wrong."  That's what make the world go 'round.

[VA Elite]

some kids can appreciate life and the taking of it from a young age. many more cant. but to push a young kid to kill at 2,3,4 years old is a bit crazy

[pdk25]

Can't find much to disagree with in the article.  Well said.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

It was nice reading this article again. The world of instant gratification is upon us and I feel sorry for any kids who are not mentored properly into appreciating the real things in life.

Good article Gene.

[ChuckC]

I guess I should read Gene's article first, but in response to Tx,  I have thought about this quite a bit and I myself DO find issues with taking young kids out and letting them kill deer and pigs.

They need to know about hunting, maybe even go with daddy or uncle, but I feel that they need to grow up just a bit more before they take a life, so that they have enough brains and maturity to understand just what they are doing.

Young kids can certainly kill a deer, but I myself think that they should watch and learn for a while first and be taught to revere life and that it is not just another video game with no repercussions.

ChuckC

[VA Elite]

chuck I agree. I'm not saying there is a set age or number but like a young boy that hunts with my club has done. he has killed  15-20 deer and a few of them have been really nice bucks. the last buck he killed was a good one and not 5 mins after he killed it, he was playing in a mud puddle and throwing sticks. just didn't sit well with me. I will take my son bow into g this year with the intention of letting him get him shot, with that said, the second he shows immaturity before or after the shot, I will reconsider his next hunt .

[VA Elite]

Originally posted by VA Elite:
chuck I agree. I'm not saying there is a set age or number but like a young boy that hunts with my club has done. he has killed  15-20 deer and a few of them have been really nice bucks. the last buck he killed was a good one and not 5 mins after he killed it, he was playing in a mud puddle and throwing sticks. just didn't sit well with me. I will take my son bowhunting this year with the intention of letting him get a shot, with that said, the second he shows immaturity before or after the shot, I will reconsider his next hunt .

[sou-pawbowhunter]

Spot on article. Often, shortcuts do little more than shortchange those who take them.

[OBXarcher]

I agree 100%. My best friend's two sons have been killing since they were 8. One wounded two deer last year (now 13 years old). He couldn't have cared less he wounded them, just go shoot at more.
Neither boy could tell you the difference between and oak and maple tree either.

[Nantahala Nut]

I agree with Chuck and the article.  I am 28 so I grew up in the generation they are talking about. A lot of people in my age group and especially younger are looking for instant gratification without the work. I don't think its just younger people now, though it is definitely more prevalent.  This mindset of making things faster and easier rather than developing skill and putting time into something has become a disease in this country. I think some of it has to do with our values changing. People are pushed to work more and commute longer and that doesn't leave much time for doing things the old fashioned way.  My father took me along hunting for 5 years before I could carry a firearm.  I think I learned a lot in that time seeing his patience and reverence for the wildlife. I remember when me and my friends turned 12 we were so excited to hunt.  

My wife and I welcomed our second son (our first passed last year) and that really saved me from getting lost in that mindset.  I have been forcing myself to step away from work and really focus on the important things. Now I spend more time with my family and on hobbies (hunting & farming) that I find fulfilling and wholesome.  We bought a house way out in the country where the pace of life is delightfully slower. I took up squirrel hunting this year so that someday I can teach my little boy.
 I hope more people from my generation wake up and remember that its okay to do things the slow way and its ok to take extra days off to be with family. We don't need to do everything as quickly and efficiently as possible. Maybe then attitudes towards hunting will shift back to the way things used to be.