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Son Has No Interest in Hunting, Fishing, Etc
#4823031
12/10/13 01:46 AM
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 130
TNDeer
OP
Woodsman
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OP
Woodsman
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 130 |
My Son is 12 and I've had him exposed to the outdoors since he was born (hunting, camping, fishing, etc). But unlike me he really has no interest in it and I pretty much have to drag him out. He never asks me to go. When I was five I would chase birds or anything that moved around and try to kill them with my Red Rider...lol. Or I'd trap minnows in the creek. Basically what I'm saying is that it was instictive for me and it's all I wanted to do.
I've bought him his own guns and everything, but he really has no interest. Very frustrating. You want your son to be your future hunting/fishing buddy and pass these things on to him. It's just not in his blood like it is mine I guess.
Anyone else have this problem?
U.S. Air Force Retired (1993-2014)
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Re: Son Has No Instrest in Hunting, Fishing, Etc
[Re: TNDeer]
#4823044
12/10/13 01:49 AM
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 11,573
dlrz71
THF Celebrity
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Don't push or pressure him into anything. That could be cause for resentment. It's gotta be on his terms.
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Re: Son Has No Instrest in Hunting, Fishing, Etc
[Re: TNDeer]
#4823045
12/10/13 01:49 AM
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Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 357
Maglite
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 357 |
It's the video games. One of my sons is the same. He is coming around slowly now that he is 14 he went with a friend and had fun. Maybe that's what he needed was not to have me hounding him but to go with a buddy and them have fun
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Re: Son Has No Instrest in Hunting, Fishing, Etc
[Re: TNDeer]
#4823059
12/10/13 01:51 AM
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 26,555
JCB
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You have done it right. Exposure to the outdoors is all you can do. I was exposed to the outdoors all my life but really never had any interest in killing a deer until I was 18 years old.
If you push them you are more likely to push them away.
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Re: Son Has No Instrest in Hunting, Fishing, Etc
[Re: JCB]
#4823068
12/10/13 01:56 AM
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 11,573
dlrz71
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You have done it right. Exposure to the outdoors is all you can do. I was exposed to the outdoors all my life but really never had any interest in killing a deer until I was 18 years old.
If you push them you are more likely to push them away. Exactly... I grew up loving the outdoors and went on every opportunity I was given. My brother on the other hand loved the tv and games. It wasn't until he was 34 that he took his first deer and is almost as obsessed as I am
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Re: Son Has No Instrest in Hunting, Fishing, Etc
[Re: dlrz71]
#4823075
12/10/13 01:57 AM
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Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 236
banderapass1
Woodsman
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Woodsman
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 236 |
Don't push or pressure him into anything. That could be cause for resentment. It's gotta be on his terms. Totally agree..... You keep hunting and fishing... ask he each time you go..if he says no..go and keep going and never ask him repeatedly.. One day he will just say yes ,and go.... Now....on his events in school. do your very best to make them all... If you don't he may hold this against you
Always Pray to have eyes that see the best in people, a heart that forgives the worst, a mind that forgets the bad, and a Soul that never loses faith in God.
Texas Tech University,Alumni Lubbock Christian University,Alumni
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Re: Son Has No Instrest in Hunting, Fishing, Etc
[Re: JCB]
#4823077
12/10/13 01:58 AM
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Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 236
jcarroll3
Woodsman
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Woodsman
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 236 |
I am now 23. I grew up hunting with my dad since I was 3 years old. I turned away from it at about age 12, and came back around 16. Now I am obsessed... At 12, I just had other stuff that I wanted to be doing. Just hang in there! Dont PUSH him to, just continue to offer for him to go with you, and let it come naturally. Maybe let him go with friends some, or make a trip to a place where there are a bunch of big nice bucks mounted! Maybe that will help him be motivated
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Re: Son Has No Instrest in Hunting, Fishing, Etc
[Re: dlrz71]
#4823078
12/10/13 01:58 AM
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 130
TNDeer
OP
Woodsman
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OP
Woodsman
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 130 |
Thanks for the advice fellas, that makes me feel better.
I appreciate it!
Last edited by TNDeer; 12/10/13 01:58 AM.
U.S. Air Force Retired (1993-2014)
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Re: Son Has No Instrest in Hunting, Fishing, Etc
[Re: TNDeer]
#4823087
12/10/13 02:01 AM
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Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 5,872
GLC
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 5,872 |
My son did the same thing, lost interest at the age of 16. He is just now getting interested again and he is now 32.
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Re: Son Has No Instrest in Hunting, Fishing, Etc
[Re: JCB]
#4823088
12/10/13 02:01 AM
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 909
Triplesnake
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 909 |
You might try some reverse psychology. Stop inviting him and bring your other friends instead. Talk about how much fun you have and he might start to feel left out. He is old enough now that if you push him too hard, he might buck back, just because that's what teenagers do.
I have the opposite problem with mine. I can't my boy to show interest in anything other then hunting, trapping, fishing, ranching, taxidermy, etc. He is 15 and doesn't care about getting his drivers license, or dating, or computer games, or the latest iPhone. I'm starting to wonder if he has the same mental illnesses as me, lol.
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Re: Son Has No Instrest in Hunting, Fishing, Etc
[Re: TNDeer]
#4823106
12/10/13 02:06 AM
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 33
TriggerFinger33
Light Foot
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Light Foot
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 33 |
Try to expose him to maybe exciting forms of hunting where there is not a lot of waiting to be done. Like hog hunting and the same with fishing instead of a lake go to a stock tank where he is almost guaranteed to catch something. But don't pressure him into it. I am 18 and went through the same thing about the age 12-15. I wanted to do what more my friends were doing so I didn't miss anything. I also liked the game call of duty which took up a lot of my time. Then I found bow hunting and now I would rather be in the woods with my bow then in front of my TV.
An "archer" tries to see how far away he can get from his target and still connect. A "BOWHUNTER" tries to see how CLOSE he can get to his.
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Re: Son Has No Instrest in Hunting, Fishing, Etc
[Re: TNDeer]
#4823108
12/10/13 02:07 AM
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Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 106
D Red Raider
Woodsman
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Woodsman
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 106 |
Remember, a 12 year old boy is not a grown man. Their attention span is short and their interests are diffferent. With my son at that age I made sure their was some fun (on his terms) mixed in with the serious stuff. When hunting, what he really wanted to do was shoot the gun, so we stayed in camp and shot some. When fishing, he wanted to catch something, anything, so we fished for perch. He's almost 30 now with a wife and daughter. He's been here twice this season to go hunting and we sat together in a double blind (that he helped me build when he was 15) and though we didn't see anything to shoot, he told me how much he enjoyed it. I remember when he was a teen that he'd sleep through most of those early morning hunts and I'd wake him in time to either take the shot or watch me shoot. I didn't berate him for not having the level of interest I wanted him to at the time. I say don't force it. Expose him to it and make it fun, then he'll either like it or he won't. Cram it down his throat and I guarantee you he won't like it. Good luck.
So she says "sure Honey, I agree, you DO need a new deer rifle..." And that, boys, is how I ended up with new living room furniture!
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Re: Son Has No Instrest in Hunting, Fishing, Etc
[Re: Maglite]
#4823123
12/10/13 02:10 AM
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Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 10,540
DQ Kid
THF Celebrity
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Posts: 10,540 |
It's the video games. One of my sons is the same. He is coming around slowly now that he is 14 he went with a friend and had fun. Maybe that's what he needed was not to have me hounding him but to go with a buddy and them have fun Maglite, I agree with you. When Pong and Atari were the only options in the late 70s-early 80s, hunting was quite an upgrade in entertainment but with today's X-box, IPAD, IPHONE, Playstation x, kids don't seem to go outdoors as much whether it be hunting, playing football at park, anything. At least a lot of kids IMO. That said, I still wouldn't push it on him and see if his interests change.
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Re: Son Has No Instrest in Hunting, Fishing, Etc
[Re: D Red Raider]
#4823126
12/10/13 02:10 AM
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Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 5
Hampyshooters
Green Horn
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Green Horn
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 5 |
I have 3 kids 14 to 11. They go in and out of interest from year to year. My 11 year old son would not go at all last year. This year he got interested and shot his first deer. Don't force them but keep encouraging them.
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Re: Son Has No Instrest in Hunting, Fishing, Etc
[Re: Triplesnake]
#4823130
12/10/13 02:11 AM
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 32,045
txtrophy85
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I have the opposite problem with mine. I can't my boy to show interest in anything other then hunting, trapping, fishing, ranching, taxidermy, etc. He is 15 and doesn't care about getting his drivers license, or dating, or computer games, or the latest iPhone. I'm starting to wonder if he has the same mental illnesses as me, lol. I was like that as a kid. at 15 all I cared about was going hunting and fishing. There are worse things to be interested in. at 15 my step brother was interested in Beanie babies, pokemon and soccer.
For it is not the quarry that we truly seek, but the adventure.
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Re: Son Has No Instrest in Hunting, Fishing, Etc
[Re: D Red Raider]
#4823135
12/10/13 02:13 AM
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Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 213
mark in tx
Woodsman
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Woodsman
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 213 |
You might try to get him interested in target shooting, instant reward, and learning the technical aspects is a real world application of math, engineering, and physics.
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Re: Son Has No Instrest in Hunting, Fishing, Etc
[Re: D Red Raider]
#4823142
12/10/13 02:14 AM
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Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 130
TNDeer
OP
Woodsman
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OP
Woodsman
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 130 |
All great advice...thank you. I'm probably pushing way too hard.
U.S. Air Force Retired (1993-2014)
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Re: Son Has No Instrest in Hunting, Fishing, Etc
[Re: txtrophy85]
#4823148
12/10/13 02:17 AM
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 3,650
Southtexas36
Extreme Tracker
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Extreme Tracker
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 3,650 |
You did your best. For the longest I asked my daughter to go and one year I was surprised that she wanted to go, hooked ever since. Now my boys are going and they've made it a competition, so I haven't had any problems with getting them to go. All of my kids first few hunts were short and I made them jam packed with fun and left while they were having fun. Good luck.
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Re: Son Has No Instrest in Hunting, Fishing, Etc
[Re: txtrophy85]
#4823154
12/10/13 02:18 AM
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 909
Triplesnake
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 909 |
I have the opposite problem with mine. I can't my boy to show interest in anything other then hunting, trapping, fishing, ranching, taxidermy, etc. He is 15 and doesn't care about getting his drivers license, or dating, or computer games, or the latest iPhone. I'm starting to wonder if he has the same mental illnesses as me, lol. I was like that as a kid. at 15 all I cared about was going hunting and fishing. There are worse things to be interested in. at 15 my step brother was interested in Beanie babies, pokemon and soccer. Beanie Babies? Really? Is he, um, different?
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Re: Son Has No Instrest in Hunting, Fishing, Etc
[Re: Triplesnake]
#4823159
12/10/13 02:19 AM
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Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 10,540
DQ Kid
THF Celebrity
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TNDEER, great thread BTW. Know this occurs more than you think..
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Re: Son Has No Instrest in Hunting, Fishing, Etc
[Re: mark in tx]
#4823160
12/10/13 02:20 AM
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 909
Triplesnake
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 909 |
You might try to get him interested in target shooting, instant reward, and learning the technical aspects is a real world application of math, engineering, and physics. This might be a good tactic, and throw in some tannerite to make it exciting.
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Re: Son Has No Instrest in Hunting, Fishing, Etc
[Re: Triplesnake]
#4823235
12/10/13 02:34 AM
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Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 16,350
aeb
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Same thing seems to be happening with my grandson and it is killing my son. He lives to hunt and is only able to get down here once or twice a year. Time will tell.
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Re: Son Has No Instrest in Hunting, Fishing, Etc
[Re: aeb]
#4823344
12/10/13 02:59 AM
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Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 990
gary75758
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Nov 2006
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My kids never showed that much interest in hunting at that age, but i took them any way. Let them 4 wheel and shoot 22. They came around like other said but 4 wheeling and shooting keep them interested.
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Re: Son Has No Instrest in Hunting, Fishing, Etc
[Re: gary75758]
#4823362
12/10/13 03:04 AM
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Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 41,322
BMD
Silver Spoon
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Silver Spoon
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 41,322 |
Can't force some do and some don't I guess. I feel lucky to have a daughter with a passion for it
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Re: Son Has No Instrest in Hunting, Fishing, Etc
[Re: gary75758]
#4823368
12/10/13 03:05 AM
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Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 22,277
Texas Dan
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I've heard it said that personal interests often skip generations and such was the case in my family. While my grandfather loved hunting and the outdoors, my dad would just as well watch the grass grow rather than to sit in a deer stand.
So while your son might never show an interest, your grandson might start asking before you're ready to take him.
"Some people will never like you because your spirit irritates their demons."
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