# What's the right age to start the boy?



## Kevinitis

Hi all, I have three young boys ages 8, 5, and 3. I have taken some of them on upland hunts but was wondering what the right age is to start taking boys on big game hunts? I realize that I will have to hunt differently with young kids than I do by myself, but I don't want to push them too early and have them not like it. What do you all recommend on this?


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## goofy elk

Both my boys watched me kill elk and antelope with my bow VERY young.
4 and 6 ...

Both have been on dozens of big game hunts .....

Both have killed a number of turkeys ..

My oldest (16) has taken an antelope with his bow. 3 rifle buck deer. and cow elk.

There freak'in pretty much addicted ..;-)..


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## Mr Muleskinner

I would say when they REALLY want to go and still make it fun for them. I have a friend that was taking his son on pretty rugged stuff at about 9 and the kid ate it up. My son was later and liked the lighter hunting from the time he was 10 and didn't really get into until he was about 13 at which time he was asking me when the hunt was and got into watching hunting shows. Son was always into fishing and we would always try to mix in getting a line wet.

Play it by ear. My daughter never liked any hunting but loves to camp.


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## longbow

Honestly? Right now. Take them out and shoot your guns so they know what to expect. Then take them on a "quasi" hunt looking for birds like starlings or Eurasian doves to shoot just to see how they do. I bet your kids would love just getting out with the ol' man and doing some huntin'. As a father, kudos to you for getting your kids involved in hunting and the great outdoors and keeping them away from drugs and those blasted video games.


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## DallanC

1 :mrgreen:


-DallanC


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## utahbigbull

It's never too early to get them involved. They may not be able to do all the things you wanna do, go where you wanna go, hike as hard as you want. My oldest is 13 and I have taken him on many hunts. Starting as little morning putting from camp on the wheeler. As they get older, you can do more and go further. I had my youngest boy (4 at the time) with me when I harvested a cow just like I did with my oldest. I take them waterfowl hunting, upland game, and everything else I can. 
As they grow older, they will surprise you in what they can do. My oldest is starting to outshoot me on ducks and geese. This last season, my oldest had started turning into a man and made a hike that wore me out to harvest and pack out his first deer. 
Just keep them involved, and they will surprise you at an early age with what they are capable with at such a young age!! :shock:


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## Cooky

The real question is; are you mature enough to take them? Plan on blown stalks, incessant jabbering, arguing, non-stop hunger and someone yelling "there's one Dad!" every time something mistakenly wanders into the same county as your little circus.
The kids will have a riot...you may have to adapt a little.


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## 2full

I had 3 girls, and they knew they knew that they could go anytime they wanted. By the time the oldest was 10 she was driving me nuts to take hunters safety class. 
All 3 took deer, hunted turkeys, shot bows, rifles, shotguns, pistols etc. Always tried to keep it fun and light. Our youngest learned how to add playing 21 at deer camp with the family using match sticks for chips. 
Now I get to take the grandkids with me when they want to go. A whole lot of good memories have been created over the years. Not just hunting memories, but family memories that they will remember and talk about long after I'm gone.
The funniest part was.......They were always most excited to go if we took 4 wheelers.


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## ridgetop

I've taken my kids out as early as 5 on overnight scouting trips. 
I took my son on his first backcountry rifle hunt on his 8th birthday. 
He has severe ADHD and some other issues. It was a challenge to keep him focused at times but he had a great time. We were even in snow up to his knees at times but he never complained. That night he told me that it was the best birthday ever.
This picture shows how much fun he was having.


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## Huge29

I echo the adaptation point. Mine haven't ever had an issue keeping up; loved every minute, but I always take time to enjoy what they like like pushing over a couple old dead trees and plenty of juice and their kind of snacks. I take the time to make sure that they are doing ok and they just love having their own little camelback packing their own snacks like they are one of the boys and help them find their own walking stick. Good luck!


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## Airborne

To me the drive to hunt and kill game is something that you are born with more than taught. I thinking teaching is great and I would always encourage others to teach their kids to love the outdoors but sometimes the passion just isn't there.

I have a 7 yr old boy that from the time he could pick up a ball he just loved to throw and hit. That kid absolutely loves baseball with a passion since he was honestly like a year old which is strange because I am not a sports guy, although my wife enjoys sports.

I have tried to get my son to love hunting but it just isn't him. I have called in a couple coyotes into his lap and blasted them--not even impressed; gotten into a bunch of rabbits and he asks when are we going home, had several awesome dove hunts and he wants to throw rocks at trees pretending they are batters. I don't think he will ever really get into hunting like me but that is ok. We are all different and maybe I could have done more to bring him into hunting but that kid has a passion and it's baseball, and I can support that. It's funny because his love of the game has worn on me and now I enjoy practicing with him and watching his favorite team the SF Giants. We have taken him to over 15 major league games and it has been a great bonding experience. To see a young child sit for three hours and intensely watch a game without moving is something else.

Anyways the point to all this is sometimes the kid just might not be into hunting and it isn't the end of the world. The most important part is to love them and spend time with them. Find common ground and build on it and if you are lucky like the guys above then enjoy it even more.


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## bfr

My daughters were still in car seats when they started going, my grandson was 18 mos old his first trip, he was so into it that he had to help me on the blood trail and field dressing the buck. As for the daughters, by the time they were 3 and 6 yrs old they would sleep in the Jeep so they wouldn't get left behind. Both daughters hunt with me every year and my grandson now 7 hates having to go to school and miss any hunting. Also have 2 5 yr old granddaughters that have been going since they were 3. All the grandkids started shooting as soon as they could tell me how to properly handle a gun. 

Naturally with the young ones it is road hunting with a few short easy hikes, as they get older the hikes get oonger and more difficult, at least as difficult as my knees and 67 yr old body can take. BUT IT IS A BLAST!


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## Vanilla

My dad started taking me when I was 5, if I rember correctly. I cherish those days like no other memories I have. My daughter was just short of 7 this year when she tagged along on my cow hunt. As mentioned, it will take some adaptation on your part. But it will be worth it!


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## Longgun

Airborne said:


> *To me the drive to hunt and kill game is something that you are born with more than taught.* I thinking teaching is great and I would always encourage others to teach their kids to love the outdoors but sometimes the passion just isn't there.
> 
> I have a 7 yr old boy that from the time he could pick up a ball he just loved to throw and hit. That kid absolutely loves baseball with a passion since he was honestly like a year old which is strange because I am not a sports guy, although my wife enjoys sports.
> 
> I have tried to get my son to love hunting but it just isn't him. I have called in a couple coyotes into his lap and blasted them--not even impressed; gotten into a bunch of rabbits and he asks when are we going home, had several awesome dove hunts and he wants to throw rocks at trees pretending they are batters. I don't think he will ever really get into hunting like me but that is ok. We are all different and maybe I could have done more to bring him into hunting but that kid has a passion and it's baseball, and I can support that. It's funny because his love of the game has worn on me and now I enjoy practicing with him and watching his favorite team the SF Giants. We have taken him to over 15 major league games and it has been a great bonding experience. To see a young child sit for three hours and intensely watch a game without moving is something else.
> 
> Anyways the point to all this is sometimes the kid just might not be into hunting and it isn't the end of the world. The most important part is to love them and spend time with them. Find common ground and build on it and if you are lucky like the guys above then enjoy it even more.


^^^*This*!^^^

Great post.


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## fishspook

My six year old daughter can indentify waterfowl better than most of my hunting buddies. The trick to an enjoyable hunt for her is to keep her warm and have plenty of snacks.


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## torowy

We started going with my dad deer hunting when I was 6 or 7. To be perfectly honest.... I didn't enjoy it very much. I was always cold and tired. Also, would get scolded for being too loud etc. But, I think learning to hunt is a skill that takes lots of practice. So, by the time I was old enough to carry a gun myself I already knew what I was doing. After I started hunting on my own is when I really got dedicated.


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## swbuckmaster

The key to starting them early is to forget about you. I quit all my hobbies. I all but quit fishing and hunting with friends unless it involved my kids.

I quit shooting and competing with my bow for close to three years and taught my kids how to shoot. 








I took my kids fishing on small ponds where they could trap or catch small fish quick.














The hikes I took my kids on were short and had things for them to do like catch frogs and tadpoles. As they got older I increased the time outdoors. Always reward with a treat after. I always take photos. Kids love photos!

Yesterdays bear bait trip







as you can see in this photo I could have hung my own sign but I made it a point to allow my daughter to hang it even though she bent all the nails. This makes them feel like they helped out in some way.









My kids can now bait their own hook. Cast their own pole. Tie their own knots. They are proficient with their bow. My oldest makes more money competing in the women's pro division then she made all year babysitting. In the last three months shes made close to $500 bucks.
There not half bad with a gun either









On a side note get rid of the video games! They seem to make kids soft.


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## Vanilla

SW- I tip my hat to you! Incredible example of what my dad did for me, and what I hope to emulate for my kids. Just awesome, man! Thanks for sharing. 

My 7 year old daughter announced recently she wants to hunt a bear. Yesterday she decided she wants to do it with a bow. I've never had any desire to hunt bear myself and not much more to bow hunt much of anything, let alone a bear. So I may have to get some help from the pros in 10 years when it hopefully can happen!


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## mtnrunner260

I am hoping to take my 4 yo on an antelope hunt this year. Will basically be road hunting but if he's happy I will love it


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## elkfromabove

Hmmm! So much for the adamantly stated reasons for pushing the new youth mentoring program, especially for including Once-In-A-Lifetime hunts! Only one post so far mentions a 13 year old and he was already hooked!

My 3 grandsons who are already hooked (ages 11, 9 and 4 years old) were/are with me at the ages of 3 or 4 and are already asking if they can go this year. And my other 5 grandsons (ages 3, 6, 8, 15, 19) who have no interest weren't/aren't allowed by their mothers to go until they were/are 14 or 15 and by then they had or will have other things to do.


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## lunkerhunter2

I started taking my son on the bike cart to howards slough at just over 2 years old. He had a lot of toys and snacks to keep him occupied. By 4 he had masteted the red ryder shooting spent hulls on the dike all stacked up. He bought his own ruger 10/22 at age 5 with his own money(mom and dad helped a little there). By age 7 he was shooting very well with the 22. At 9 he started shooting the 22-250 and now he is Almost 11 and has shot every rifle handgun shotgun including 3 1/2" mags at his swan last season and muzzy and loves every minute if it. He gutted my deer last year and is already cleaning his own fish and game. My daughter on the other hand wants nothing to do with killing animals. Sunday she caught aa 23"brown with a fly she tied on her own on a fly rod. I think that started her down the right road to enjoying the outdoors again. Time will tell.
The best advice i can give you is pay attention to their mental maturity. You will know when its time to step it uo a notch. I started my son with a 410 shotgun at 10 and now he isnt scared of any gun at all. Just dont throw them into ut full bore or it will come back to bite you. I have seen it many times. Good luck and enjoy your time together.


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## riverpack

I will echo what has already been said on several post. The real question is what are you willing to give up to take your kids with you? If having a blown stalk due to noise or movement, or having to come back to camp early do to cold or boredom wont sit well with you and the kids end up in trouble then it too early. It is never to early especially if you have support and by that I mean can you take the kids out for a short afternoon hunt and then yourself go in the morning and the kids stay in camp? This option only needs a little compromise on your part. I started my son at 3 which I knew going in that I was trading hunting for time with him. His first hunt was me carrying him in one arm and my rifle in the other. I will never forget him playing with his matchbox cars in the dirt and then falling asleep in my coat draped over a sagebrush. I wish I had a picture of that evening. Early on I had support and access to a cabin and grandpa would keep him while us men went out and my son loved spending time with grandpa riding the roads. At about age 5 I lost all of the support from extended family as they lost interest in hunting and it was just the two of us. I stuck to my original decision and focused more on our hunts and our time together than my hunt and any success. My son was hooked early and has an even stronger drive and love for hunting than I do so from that standpoint I was lucky as I know you cannot make your children do something that they do not want to do. We mainly did archery deer for most of his early days and we don't have camp trailer so there was some cold and rainy hunts that he just had to learn to deal with the weather but he loved it all and as a matter of fact a couple of hunts that I wanted to leave he made us stay. He had a great eye for spotting deer and elk and learned early how to sit and just enjoy being out and looking and spotting. He always carried a small bow with him with some field tips or a blunt tip or two and at 7-10 yrs old would sneak up on does or moo cows and practice his stalking skills. His first hunt was at age 14 with a bow and I got to watch him spot a small 2 point buck at about 100 yards out and he closed the gap to about 50 yards. He didn't know I was watching him and he was as calm and cool as he could be as he drew back and let the arrow fly. I watched the arrow slip right under the deer's belly and he was gone. As I got to my son and re-created the shot he thought he was 40 yards out but he was actually right on 50 but it was still a proud moment watching him. Success has been slow and far between and my trophy wall consist of photos and great stories but that was my intent the whole time. He is now 22 and is quite the stud and so far has bested my best buck. I did take a nice 6 point bull this year with my muzzle loader and he was with me which was the best part of the whole trip. I almost cant wait to be the grandpa taking care of his son while he hunts but I think he and I still have some great hunts ahead of us yet. There is not a buck or bull that I would trade for even one of our hunts but as I said that was my goal in the beginning.:mrgreen:


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## mtnwldman

I agree there is no set age. My kids and grandkids have been camping with us from the beginning. They started hiking as soon as they wanted it just turned a half hour hike into two hours but the joy of seeing their excitement when they see wildlife is well worth the extra time. I believe the greatest hunting experience in my life was watching them harvest their first animal. Can hardly wait for the others to get old enough to hunt. Enjoy the memories with them you can usually sneak out on your own for a hike if needed.


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## stevedcarlson

I was seven when my dad started me out in the hunting woods. My boys are three and a half and one and half and have already been on two elk hunts and one deer hunt granted he was not on the mountain but have been in camp since they were both about six months old they love to camp and hope they continue to do so snd they pick up on the hunting part later my bigger boy loves to do his own elk calling and is getting pretty good at it it's fun to see him try to be a elk! So I am saying it's not to early to gett your kids out in the woods as long as they want to be out there in it.


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## mack1950

like the others I don't think there is a to young for the most part mine get started when they started asking to go. when they were real young it was easy antlerless hunts than it progresses at there pace to the more aggressive hunts I know my youngest son was very upset when I made his stay in the truck with his older sister when I had to make a recovery on a buck he just couldn't understand that cliffs and three year olds don t mix but he finally forgave me. all my kids hunt both the girls and the boys and it has been one hell of a fun ride watching them develop into the hunters they are today. know its on to plan two the grandkids hes already shot a hog and hes gonna try turkeys this year


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## USMARINEhuntinfool

Here's my boys (4 and 3 at the time) on their first big game hunt. I took them with me on an archery elk hunt, didn't expect much, set up a little blind blanket and hung out with them playing cell phone games when the cow came walking out into the meadow we were sitting in. Anchored her and let them track the blood for me. Coolest experience of my life.


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## utskidad

Cooky said:


> The real question is; are you mature enough to take them? Plan on blown stalks, incessant jabbering, arguing, non-stop hunger and someone yelling "there's one Dad!" every time something mistakenly wanders into the same county as your little circus.
> The kids will have a riot...you may have to adapt a little.


I read that two days ago, and it's been a brain worm ever since. It really is a function of Dad's capacity to cope , isn't it?


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## swbuckmaster

Cooky post reminds me of my first and only LE turkey tag ive drawn. It took me 6 years to draw the tag and my daughter was 6 years old at the time. I wanted to take her out with me. I remember calling to the turkeys and working a big tom to me. It hung up and I new if I relocated about 15 yards I could get a shot. I told my daughter to sit still and I crawled over to a small hill and peaked over. Just as I was about to shoot I could hear singing in the back ground. The only problem was so could the tom and he split. I was so mad I came back and scolded my daughter and then sat down feeling like a jerk. I looked at her and took this photo. 

My eyes started to well up and I gave her a big hug and said I was sorry. I vowed to never get mad again in a hunting situation with my kids. This photo is on my wall at my house to this day and it reminds me of the little things in life are what matters.
After all it was just a stupid turkey.

When im with my kids score/trophy/success all go out the window. Its has to be about the experience and if the experience isn't positive they will learn to hate it.


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## hossblur

I was 3 1/2 my first opening deer weekend(not sure what mom was thinking). I was 6 when I killed my first cottontail(statute of limitations, might have been out of season) with a pellet gun. Learned to drive jeeps when I was 8. Drank a budweiser at 14(gotta love older cousins), found I hated chew that year too. I haven't missed a deer hunt in 36 yrs. I took my 4yr old road hunting, drank to many pops, ate too much candy. The next year he hunted the muzzleloader with me, we laid off the tougher hikes, but he followed along just great. I hunt the elk on the North slope and the snow gets awful deep so that year he didn't get to come. The next season he followed me everywhere on the muzzleloader and did so on the elk hunt as well. One of my favorite pics of him is him laying on my lap sleeping while we sat on a meadow. Since he was 4 I can count on one hand the duck hunts he has missed. Two things I have found. 1. Spend on their stuff. We put out good money on INSULATED hunted boots. He rocks Kings coats, and Cabelas jackets. 2. Every year we talk on the way to hunting. I tell him I am not his mom. I explain to him that I WILL take him home, and that I am not there to be dad, I am there to be Nick, and Nick is one of the guys, not Brets dad. I think its good for him to see that his dad is a fun guy that likes to be around his hunting crew. To my sons credit, he has become one of the crew. He gets to be dirty, stay up too late, have a Dr. Pepper for breakfast, and he even broke out a couple of words that mom will kill him for. I try not to laugh, remind him mom will kill him, but I let him be one of the boys. Like others, if my boy(I have a 2nd one that starts this year, hes 4) can't do it with me, I don't do it anymore, and I wouldn't have it any other way.


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## Kevinitis

Great posts everyone.


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