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took son hunting for first time


Trigger Mike

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since a fox has been eating my chickens I thought I'd take my son with me to see if we could catch it. We sat nearby watching and waiting. While waiting I texted my wife and told her it was like hunting with elephants. Constant motion, constant noise. fidgeting and squirming and trying to get comfortable was the norm for the day. I kept whispering for him to move above his waist only and primarily just his head. He complained about "why did you bring me?" when he has been wanting to go for a long time and spends his time watching alligator boys and turtle man etc. He finally asked if my chickens were that important. I told him, no, spending time with you is that important. I finally put up shop and told him the fun of hunting is the sounds of the wildlife and being outside and being with a buddy, even if you do not talk to each other. I told him when we get ready to hunt deer, you have to be really quiet and still or they will hear you. He said he is only good at quail hunting since you walk all the time and do not sit. Since I do not have hunting dogs quail hunting is probably not a viable option. maybe next time I told him. oh well.

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Don't force him. It may not be his thing.

 

My dad used to force me to do stuff that he liked, and I couldn't stand it. He rarely did stuff that I wanted to do. Such things do not promote the relationship.

 

Here's hoping he comes around. Maybe take him on hunting trips where there is more shooting than sitting?? Rabbits, doves, squirrels, rats at the dump....

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Eight's tough for the "bein' still" stuff. Robert Baden-Powell, the retired British general who founded the Boy Scouts once made the observation that “A boy is not a sitting-down animal!”

 

Take him rabbit hunting, or squirrel.... and what's wrong with quail hunting without a dog? If you drop one, well... the lad's job is to be Dad's retriever! :)

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Patience is a learned skill. I was the same way when I was a youngin. Then dad started teaching me how to walk silently in the woods, how to track, and to sit as still as I could and see how close the chipmunks or chickodees would come.

 

My bigest impression was once we were squirrel hunting, and we were sitting at the base of a tree waiting for a big gray to come around the side of a pine tree. While we waited, and not moving was my biggest challange, a chickodee flew in and landed right on the end of dads shotgun barrel. He sat there a few minutes before flitting off to a nearby berry bush.

 

Give the boy some time, and encouragement, and he'll get it. At 8, being still isn't easy. Forget the bag limit when he's along, and teach him the ways of the hunter. Building that bond is much more important than filling the stew pot.

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Granddad took me fishing, starting at age 5, to teach me patience before he took me hunting for the first time at age 10. By then, I had sufficient patience to sit quietly at the base of a tree with a .22 and nail the squirrels that showed themselves after a while.

Patience is a learned skill. I was the same way when I was a youngin. Then dad started teaching me how to walk silently in the woods, how to track, and to sit as still as I could and see how close the chipmunks or chickodees would come.

 

My bigest impression was once we were squirrel hunting, and we were sitting at the base of a tree waiting for a big gray to come around the side of a pine tree. While we waited, and not moving was my biggest challange, a chickodee flew in and landed right on the end of dads shotgun barrel. He sat there a few minutes before flitting off to a nearby berry bush.

 

Give the boy some time, and encouragement, and he'll get it. At 8, being still isn't easy. Forget the bag limit when he's along, and teach him the ways of the hunter. Building that bond is much more important than filling the stew pot.

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I just got back from a bison hunt n Wyoming with my youngest son. This was our 10th bison hunt and we've hunted deer and elk together also. We both look forward to this time together each year as he lives in Az. and I live in the PRoK and his career keeps him pretty busy. This was probably our best trip yet. I hope your son and you have many hours together in the field.

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Took my son hunting for the first time when he was about 6-8 months old in a baby backpack. I was turkey hunting and the backpack had a frame that would stand it up on the ground. Didn't get a turkey but set the tone for him. Took him deer hunting with me when he was almost 4 years old. The kid could walk even then. We'd set up under a tree in a good observation location and he'd take a nap - then we'd hike to another spot etc etc etc. Didn't get a deer but the bonding was irreplaceable.

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