Tricks to getting kids in the field

[FishingWebGuy]

I've thought about bringing him to a game farm this winter and let him pick up birds and break necks

That's a great reminder I should take him out just to catch sunnies sometime. Usually when he goes fishing it's for bass, walleye or pike. I don't think I've taken him out just for sunnies in a couple years -- he would probably love some fast action. He's been catching sunnies since he was 3. He was even taking them off the hook then. Anything to be like dad and big brother.

I remember that day well. He asked me if he could use my brand new pliers for getting a hook out. I said he could as long as he didn't drop it in the water. He took the pliers, walked over to the edge of the dock and immediately accidentally dropped the pliers. My jaw dropped and neither of us could believe what just happened. We still laugh about it.

The more I think about it, the more I realize those kids have spent a lot of time with me outdoors already. And they are great kids. The youngest one has even been going ice fishing with me since he was 4. Four and five hour car rides are nothing for them. I'm not bragging -- just counting my blessings...

[mrklean]

looks like your going about it in a good way, i always look at it like its sports you cant force them into sports or there gonna hate it more and more

[TylerS]

Hunting and fishing were two different things for me growing up. I was fishing before I could remember, but I didn't actually hunt until I was 12 or 13...and then only occasionally. I do remember my dad taking me with him to walk trails for grouse, but a young lad can only take so much walking before he is bored. My uncle drug me out of bed when I was 6 or 7 to go duck hunting. They shot a couple birds and I got to carry them back to the truck. Now THAT made my day.

Some kids are just different than others. Give him time and he'll come around.

[mixxedbagg]

Get the kids doing ANYTHING outdoors! Be creative and go for variety--eventually curiosity about hunting could happen if you're doing it.

I have an 8 year old and I just kick him out as much as I can. We live in town, but I let him go to the hockey rink and skate, I set up a pitch and catch in the backyard, I take him geocaching, we hunt for agates and morels, we target shoot with the BB guns, tend the garden, watch birds, follow animal tracks, camp, start backyard bonfires, check bird houses, and of course, we fish and I let him walk with me when I grouse hunt. We signed him up for archery lessons this week as well.

Just today, he and some friends wanted to build a fort, so I grabbed a bunch of plywood, rope, and other junk and piled it in front of the garage and got out of their way. They wanted my help, but that wasn't the point, I was intentionally scarce. Sure, they dug a big hole in the yard and I had to make them fill it in, but I was glad they dug it. I don't see anyone else in the neighborhood letting their kids build shanties in their well-manicured yards. In their fort building earlier in the week, they went to the park for materials and found a pocketknife and flushed an owl. It was great.

Of course, I don't always win, sometimes the boy just wants to play video games and eat pop tarts....that's an uphill battle trying to fight that. But, he's getting outdoors. The other day, he asked me to buy him a duck call for some reason.

My point is, get your kid outside and don't necessarily worry about whether the kid is into hunting per se....if it's meant to be, it's meant to be. Who knows, maybe your child will turn out to be a great wildlife photographer or a wilderness camping nut or a sharpshooter who never really hunts much but shows you a thing or two about handling your firearms. As long as your child is at least given the opportunity to have a healthy appreciation of the outdoors, you've done good.

[BobT]

You're right. Kids do not get outdoors enough these days and parents neglect to push them that way. When I was a kid we were outside all the time. Of course we didn't have as much indoor entertainment at our disposal like there is today. I can remember mom on Saturday morning giving us a choice. Either go outside and find something to do or stay in and help with the housework. NO BRAINER!!! We built many tree forts and some of them got quite elaborate. One I recall had three stories and suspended catwalks to other platforms. We were lucky we didn't hurt ourselves but we developed our ability to think outside the box, adapt to overcome obstacles, and work with our hands. I had two brothers and one of them didn't have much interest in doing this kind of thing. To this day, he still struggles to do what the other two of us consider everyday handyman type work. He doesn't hunt or fish or do much of anything outdoorsy. The other brother built his own home, hunts, fishes, camps, ATV rides, snowmobiles, handles most of his home repairs, does most of his own mechanical work, etc. I'm very much the same way; jack of all trades, master of none. I attribute this to spending time outdoors exploring our world and figuring things out for ourselves.

[reinhard1]

in my life my dad loved fishing and hunting and my brother and i still love it to this day. my two daughters love to fish and camp but do not hunt but my older daughter is getting serious thoughts about it. so a lot depends on the influence of the parents for the most part. the outdoors is hard not to love but people have diferent ways of enjoying it. as far as my kids and grandkids fishing has never been forced on them. so when first taking a child out in the outdoors make it about them and not you. when they start getting bored, ask them if they would like to go home and play with their freinds for example and tell them we will go again. making it about your kids enjoyment and not yours i feel is the key. when you spend time with them and show interest in their needs while in the outdoors goes a long way. fishing with them, hiking with them [even when you dont feel like it] enjoying food with them at the campsite and the night fire are all part of a learning proccess that will capture their interest. spend less time with the guy's and more time with the kids is the most important thing in my book regardless of wheather it's fishing, hunting, or whatever their interests are. there are times you would just like to be with your buddies and thats also important but kids are always first. good luck.

[fasternu]

Do NOT pay him to sit hunting with you. If he wants to do it, he will do it. If you have to bribe him with money, he is either not ready, or not interested. If you want him to get interested, make it fun and keep it short. If you want to hunt for long periods, go alone.

When we were training our dog, all the experts said "Never over-do it, always leave them wanting more." Shouldn't the same thing apply to kids?

[mixxedbagg]

Now kids under 15 have to have a hunting license to hunt small game or ducks. So, you can kind of make a big deal about getting that first hunting license, even if you know your kid isn't actually going to take any game because he/she is too young. Why not at least get them the license...it's free.

[jeffreyd]

my son drew a cow elk tag two years ago. We talked and planned for a couple months, but in the back of my mind i knew he was not really serious about going. So a couple weeks before the hunt, i came out and asked him if this is something he wanted to do. As he hung his head low, he looked up at me and said No he did not want to go elk hunting.

Feeling defeated, I initially got mad but after thinking about it and talking with a couple friends, I understood his feelings. He had never seen an animal shot before, has seen dead animals but not one that needed to be field dressed and that scared him. So I asked what he wanted to do with his tag, he asked if he would donate it to hunt of a lifetime. So we delivered the tag to the group, and it was used by a child that filled the opening day.

I think that we as parents are wanting our kids to do sporting events like hunting and fishing as this is what we did when we were kids. But if you think about the information that kids are exposed to these days, with PETA, Humane Society, Sierra Club and others, they have a difficult decision to make. I will always hope that my son wants to hunt however, until the day he comes to me and suggests it, i can only dream. I ask him each year but now football and girls are taking away from dad time. Oh well, maybe in the future.

[CANOPY SAM]

I just gotta say, there sure are a lot of great Dads on this thread! You guys rock. You're all gonna have great kids.

The oldest of my four came with me hunting and fishing many times, but never really took to it. The younger three are all chomping at the bit for every chance to hunt and fish.

Over labor day weekend I had my brother's family over for the weekend. They all wanted to go fishing so I took them down to the river and got everyone set up for some catfishing. Fishing was good. All five kids took turns reeling in fish, and I got them set back up again.

My kids sat intently watching the rod tips, feeding the fire, and talking happily with me the whole time. My brother, and his kids, reeled in their fish when it was their turn, then went back to staring at their Blackberries for the remainder of the evening. Kind of made me sick.

It was a picture perfect night with no wind, clear starlit skies, and a crackling warm fire, the fish were biting, and they stared at their hand held electronics for hours! All I could do was throw my hands up.

[Tom7227]

My brother, and his kids, reeled in their fish when it was their turn, then went back to staring at their Blackberries for the remainder of the evening.

How about a rule that says no electronics? No cell phones - you won't die. No games. No watches. Only thing that runs on batteries is a flashlight, and that's only if you're going to be out after dark. I guess that I am lucky enough to be old enough to not have all that foolishness when I was raising my kids. When the Nintendo foolishness started I told them that they would lose 1 IQ point for every hour they spent on one of those things and that I was pretty sure they weren't smart enough to do it for very long. I'm still pretty sure that it's true.

[CANOPY SAM]

Tom, that's funny. I'm gonna share that scientific observation with my kids. Like yours, I think they're hanging by a thread as well.

I just bought a Primos ground blind for me and my children to deer hunt out of during the youth season. We'll get some reasonably comfortable seating, some shooting sticks, a little heater, and plenty of snacks and drinks for them to enjoy while we wait.

If the weather doesn't cooperate at least we can stay warm and dry in the tent. Also, if my 11 yr. old daughter (it's her B-day today) needs to take care of business, my son and I can step out of the tent, and she can do her thing in a bucket with some privacy. She's a little farm girl, and probably wouldn't have any problem just going outside, but I figure she'll be more comfortable inside.

The ground blind will also offer us some opportunity to whisper quietly, and move around a little, without being seen by our quarry.

I'm really looking forward to the youth deer season with my kids. Abbey's getting a .243 for her birthday today!

[Neighbor_guy]

This thread has gotten me to do a couple of things I have not done in a while.

Log in and post,

and agree with BobT

....... You can't force a kid to enjoy it if they don't have it in them I guess.

....

I must say that the title of this post got me thinking. If you have to "trick" them into going out with you, it is not in them, not worth it.

My daughter (6) loves training the dog all summer for grouse hunting. Yet she says that girls dont hunt and deer hunting is gross. (her mom the down town hippy) Yet when a flock of geese fly over she will pull up her "shot gun" make the boom boom noises and announce that she "got two of them sky carp daddy!!!!" She will also refer to Sandhill Cranes as "Rib-eye of the sky".

Fact is kids at a young age are impresionable. They will go with you if they like it or if they want to, but you cant force them. My brother and I were both introduced to hunting at a young age. One of us still hunts, they other dont. Just different paths different people.

You cant force them, and never trick them. A smart kid will know they been dupped and then that will be that.

[whos_on_first]

One of the best things my dad ever did for my brother and I was he kept and cleaned most of the fish we caught. I can't even imagine how many little sunnies he had to clean. But as a kid, bringing home dinner was the highlight every time we went out.

When it came to hunting, we both had our b-b guns along walking trails for grouse. And when we were old enough to bring the shotgun we always got the first shot...and we let a lot of grouse get away! Deer hunting, every deer we got was a trophy. He'd mount the antlers on a plaque for us no matter the size. And 20 years later, I still have my first deer hanging in my house even though I'll never shoot one that small again. Proper management was taught after we could appretiate it.

I now have two kids under the age of 4, and our oldest out for her first fishing trip this summer. I think as long as you're enjoying the time with them and making it about spending time with them instead of searching for YOUR trophy, they'll enjoy it too.

One of my favorite quotes is from a family member we go on a couple annual trips with..."If I went for the fish I'd save the money and buy it at the *$%& store."

[BobT]

Quote:

This thread has gotten me to do a couple of things I have not done in a while.

Log in and post, and agree with BobT

See? Now that didn't hurt too much, did it?

[NaturesRespect]

you do not make a outdoorsman you are born one..... i know people who just hunt and fish to shoot something or catch something and when they dont get anyy they hate it..... i was born and all my dad did was throw a fishing rod at me and said lets go fish, being a kid i was open to do anything! well he taught me how to cast and how to crappie fish and i really enjoyed it. Lots of fishing trips and fishing alone got me hooked. I remember in 4th grade all my frands got out of school and always went hunting. That was when i asked my dad to take me and he told me its not easy but being a kid i was open for anything! I started going on scoutting trips and squirrel hunts and learning to shoot and hunt. I loved it!

Some kids will like the outdoors some wont and to some it dosnt make a dif.

for me i was a only son wich also made a difference but again like i said get them going on trips with you and either they will like it or not. Only there heart can tell them if they enjoy the outdoors not us as parents brothers and friends.

my dad never encouraged me to like fishing and hunting all he simply says is "so what do you think?" or "you like it?"

once in a while when i was a scronny little kid my dad would say to me on my few scout trips "its not easy huh" expecting me to quit in exhaughstion but deep in my soul i wanted to keep on moving forward, my dad was chalenging me to see if i really loved doing what he did and to see if i was really a true outdoorsman and not just someone who wanted to catch a fish or shoot a deer

[jkcmj]

I don't know. I guess I have always just expected the kids would want to hunt, and that was that. Only issue I've ever had raised is with my daughter, and she just said she was only going to kill one deer then quit. Her mother, my mother, none of the woman I know really hunt, so maybe the culture hasn't been there. We will see how she does this year, she may not even get one, but I hope she stays with it. I never thought about this topic before, but I guess I would have been very disappointed if my kids hadn't wanted to hunt. Crazy talk! Why who would drag out them deer as I get older!

[swamptiger]

Good stories...

I have a son and a daughter - both in their 20's. My son is an outdoors nut - fishing, hunting, trapping - any excuse to be outdoors. My daughter is just the opposite - she could care less if she ever goes outside. Sometimes I think maybe I drug her along fishing too many times when she was little, but she was never really interested in fishing for very long at one time even as a youngster - she would put her rod down, and pretty soon she'd be playing with the minnows or taking a nap. The best advice I would have for parents wanting to get their kids interested in hunting & fishing is to keep the sessions short and try to make it fun and interesting for them.

[FishingWebGuy]

I must say that the title of this post got me thinking. If you have to "trick" them into going out with you, it is not in them, not worth it.

I meant "trick" more as techniques than actually fooling them. Sort of like "tricks of the trade" or things learned that have worked.

I think the biggest trick or technique is to keep it interesting to them. My youngest isn't so interested in scouting for deer right now. But he hasn't stopped talking about his chance to go shoot some 'coons next weekend.

My oldest son gets the first choice of spots to hunt each year. That has been a trick which has worked well at keeping his interest. He gets the reward for my scouting to sort of help his interest along.

[NWBuck]

Since my kids were very young, the "rule" about hunting or fishing with Dad was simple...it's gotta be fun, and you should WANT to do it. I have a son who pretty much wants to go with me every time I go...it's AWESOME! There's never a time when he doesn't thank me on the way home for taking him. He has the fever...you can just tell. I didn't "do" anything or try any "strategies" to make this happen. I just let him know what was available to him, and also let him know that I wasn't offended in any way if he'd rather spend the day playing with one of his buddies.

I also have a daugther who enjoys coming with me...but not nearly as often. I think she just wants her Dad fix from time to time, and I'm more than happy to take advantage of it, no matter how often it happens.

Every kid is an individual...so let each individual be their own person. Just my 2 cents.

[CANOPY SAM]

Best "trick" I've found, tell them we're going to Dairy Queen! Just kidding....

[Rost]

Do what my dad did.

1. Never required me to go with him.

2. He didn't invite me along every time. In fact, my dad turned me down most of time. That just made me want to go even worse.

3. Always clean your kill at home. I remember countless nights watching him skin fox, coons and muskrats in the basement. When I clean birds/fish at home in the garage, my daughters always come out and watch. This sparks interest.

Kind of a tough love type deal for me growing up.

How did I turn out? I think about hunting and fishing every day...all day!