youth only duck hunt

[walleyeking19]

does anyone know when the youth only duck hunt is?? I live in wright county if that makes any difference.

[Quackaddict9]

I would guess Sept. 15 since its usually been on the 2nd saturday of September and bowhunting opener.

[Sartell Angler]

I heard that they did away with the youth hunt this year...

Bring the kids along on opener instead I guess.

[Huntin&Fishin]

It's Sept. 15 check on the Dnr web site

[Fish'n guy]

Yes indeed it is the 15th of September according to the 2007 waterfowl regulations.

[123fish]

Nice try Sartell Angler.

[Bryce]

I'll keep playing this one under the table and just say that I fully endorse SA's theory.

[magnumthunder]

Kids dont have a chance on opener! Maybe quit earily goose on water so the kids get better shooting. Opener sucks with the crowds and sky busters. my kid will be out on the 15th. she's good on geese but slow on ducks!

[catmaster1557]

I thought I seen somewhere that the youth hunt this year is both saturday and sunday. I could be wrong though.

[jbell1981]

You are wrong. It is the 15th.

[Ufatz]

Oh for heaven's sake! I thought they had stopped that sort of silliness years ago.What a way to ruin a kids early hunting experiences....make him have to hunt by himself, in a "special season"..you know, something like a sissy season for fussy-wussy's who can't wait for the REAL season to start.

My my. Too bad. What'll it be next? Special "Early Thanksgiving" for kids who can't wait for pumpkin pie.

Jeeze. It all makes me so snide and snotty. I wish it weren't so.

Man....how I remember waiting for the opening with my old man and grandpa. Then all goin' out together in the early morning to put the deocys out etc. Would not have been nearly so exciting if I was all by my widdle self...sniff sniff.

[waterfowlerjm]

Youth waterfowl opener exists to get kids introduced into the great outdoors. I remember my first youth opener vividly. If I had not have gone I would not be into hunting, if I were not into hunting I would not be into conservation. By the way a youngster must be accompanied by an adult. (more than likely a father, grandfather, friends father or some other kind of role model)

[nine-tiner]

U-

I hear ya loud and clear. It was all about the tradition growing up. Sat in the boat many many times without a gun "learning" the ins and outs of ducks/duck hunting.. but I guess in todays world everyone needs to be a winner and get a blue ribbon and a pat on the back...next step is to have pen raised ducks to make sure the youth actually get their full limit of prized ducks...and then people wonder why we have the problems we do with people sky busting and poaching etc...its because they have been handed everything instead of LEARNING AND EARNING...I learned to shoot fast and accurate because if I didn't someone else in the boat sure was....maybe parents should take some time away from shooting their own limit and help the kid out...but its all about being able to brag that "we filled out in 15 minutes"....what happens if it rains that day are we going to have to reschedule because little Johnny can't get wet because he will catch a cold...what about the ladies..when do they start to get special treatment..I would love it if I could take my wife on an early pheasant hunt..so there was no pressure or competition...we really need to grow up...LIFE ISN'T FAIR!!! ..sorry to for the rant but I really needed to vent on this topic

[Borch]

Alright guys.

This thread started as a question to when and where the youth season was this year. It has strayed far off course. It was not to dicuss at length; whether or not there should be a youth hunt, the parenting tactics of todays parents versus when you were being brought up or general hunting ethics.

Please take such discussions to the outdoors discussion forum.

Thanks

[dkhntr]

I cant wait till early youth. I got two kids I am bringing!

[Sartell Angler]

Quote:

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I remember my first youth opener vividly. If I had not have gone I would not be into hunting

---

So you're telling me that if your dad / grandpa / uncle / mentor had brought you on the real duck opener you would have quit? Why? Because you didn't have fast and furious shooting? Did you even have fast and furious shooting? How many ducks did you shoot? How many did the dog bring back? How was the weather?

Seems to me that a REAL duck hunt with the whole crew present and working / taking birds would do a lot more to inspire me that duck hunting or perhaps hunting in general was something I wanted to pursue. That way, you could observe how it is truly done and aspired to do it that way...

I've got a personal take on it:

I was 14 years old and didn't hunt the youth opener...a casual friend of mine whose uncle brought him on the youth day said that the birds (mostly teal) were really hard to hit and he only shot one. Guess what, he hasn't duck hunted since and doesn't regret that one bit.

Later that year over MEA weekend, my grandpa brought my younger brother and I out to his duck camp in western MN...we were moderately interested in hunting but not yet sold. The morning of our first hunt basically changed my life. We had two blinds, and I was in one with my grandpa, uncle, and brother. I got to experience putting the decoys out as a group, sitting around talking excited about the whistling wings overhead, and got to see the marsh come alive as dawn broke. I got to shoot, but I also got to see experienced waterfowlers work birds, call shots, send dogs on retrieves, etc.

Could I have become so obsessed with hunting had I not been along for that trip and instead have had my day of individual one-on-one instruction that YWD provides? Perhaps. Would it have been as inspiring? No chance.

10 years later...my brother and I couldn't be more into waterfowling--and for that I thank my grandpa and uncle for bringing me out to hunt with the big boys on MEA weekend.

[riversmallmouth35]

Why don't you guys like the youth hunt? Is it because you can't hunt on that day?

I'm 15, this will be my last year for the youth hunt and I think it is a very good thing there doing puting it on.

For me the youth hunt is what got me hooked on goose and duck hunting. My dad used to hunt but doesn't like waterfowl hunting anymore so I could not go with him during the opener. He took me out in the winnibigoshish area it was rainy but it was still one of the funnest days of my life. There weren't many ducks where we were but I managed a couple shots and got a small teal. That small teal is what got me hooked on hunting and is the reason I still hunt today.

If it wasn't for the youth hunt I wouldn't be able to hunt like the rest of you like to do so much. I would be sitting in front of the T.V. playing video games, when I could be out in the field waiting for the next goose to fly in.

I think they should keep the youth hunt and I hope everyone that are going to bring there kids out have fun and hopefully make some good memories.