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Son has 0 interest in hunting #6964365 11/18/17 02:05 AM
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GusWayne Offline OP
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Let me start by saying my dad, father in law and I are hunters.

My wife's brother and my brother have 0 interest in hunting.

He's only 10 but last year I basically had to drag him to the stand.

He fell asleep both times and didn't seem interested.

I am dragging him again in the morning.

We actually see deer when we go and I purposely shot a hog while he was with me last year just trying to get him into it.

But do y'all think this boils down to just a DNA type deal?

Re: Son has 0 interest in hunting [Re: GusWayne] #6964385 11/18/17 02:18 AM
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Not all kids like the same things. I have 3 kids. The oldest has never been hunting. The other 2 have gone hunting and shot deer.

I would try to get your kid into hunting, but if you force him too much, he may dislike it even more.

Re: Son has 0 interest in hunting [Re: GusWayne] #6964389 11/18/17 02:23 AM
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I know where you are coming from. Its tough. I had the same situation. But if you want a opinion and its a opinion. I would not drag him to a stand. I would leave him at home and let him know how great of a time everyone had hunting that weekend. Now my 17 yr old who hated hunting growing up sleeps in stands to get that one buck. good luck

Re: Son has 0 interest in hunting [Re: Serbin] #6964394 11/18/17 02:29 AM
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Originally Posted By: Serbin
I know where you are coming from. Its tough. I had the same situation. But if you want a opinion and its a opinion. I would not drag him to a stand. I would leave him at home and let him know how great of a time everyone had hunting that weekend. Now my 17 yr old who hated hunting growing up sleeps in stands to get that one buck. good luck


I been tossing that idea of to drag or not the last few years. I don't know

His best friend shot a deer and a hog today with his dad.

So I tried to pump him up about what his buddy did today.

He didn't say it to me but he later told my wife "I don't care that Chase hunts''.

I don't know

Re: Son has 0 interest in hunting [Re: GusWayne] #6964400 11/18/17 02:38 AM
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Get him behind the gun and let him shoot something, that might turn the switch.

Re: Son has 0 interest in hunting [Re: GusWayne] #6964402 11/18/17 02:43 AM
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Hunting is not for everyone. My twin brother and I are 67 years old and he has absolutely no interest in it. Our dad was a deer hunter and he took me with him nearly every time he went to his lease. Brother could have gone too but he had other interests. I would never make a kid hunt but I'd leave the door open until such time as he showed an interest in it. JMO


In the end, it's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years.
Re: Son has 0 interest in hunting [Re: GusWayne] #6964439 11/18/17 03:22 AM
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I have 5 (grown) children. The 2 sons are into it, the 3 daughters are not. Probably my fault as I never took the girls when they were young.
You have made an effort, that's all you can do. Force fed hunting is a bad idea. Later in life he will see that he missed some one on one time with you. His loss, not yours.

Last edited by DH3; 11/18/17 03:23 AM.

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Re: Son has 0 interest in hunting [Re: GusWayne] #6964443 11/18/17 03:24 AM
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Take him on a bird hunt, he may like that more. up



Re: Son has 0 interest in hunting [Re: GusWayne] #6964450 11/18/17 03:30 AM
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I have girls, they are not interested in hunting.

I would try to make it enjoyable. Spend some time hanging out, if he gets bored get out and walk around. Do things to make the time together enjoyable for both of you....

Re: Son has 0 interest in hunting [Re: GusWayne] #6964457 11/18/17 03:36 AM
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Originally Posted By: procraft05
Originally Posted By: Serbin
I know where you are coming from. Its tough. I had the same situation. But if you want a opinion and its a opinion. I would not drag him to a stand. I would leave him at home and let him know how great of a time everyone had hunting that weekend. Now my 17 yr old who hated hunting growing up sleeps in stands to get that one buck. good luck


I been tossing that idea of to drag or not the last few years. I don't know

His best friend shot a deer and a hog today with his dad.

So I tried to pump him up about what his buddy did today.

He didn't say it to me but he later told my wife "I don't care that Chase hunts''.

I don't know


It sounds like he is simply not interested. I would not force him! I wanted both my daughters to go hunting with me but they had 0 interest in it. Never even considered forcing them.

Re: Son has 0 interest in hunting [Re: GusWayne] #6964458 11/18/17 03:38 AM
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I’m in a similar situation with my 12 year old. I’d love for him to enjoy hunting like I do and he knows that, so he’s reluctant to say he doesn’t want to go with me. He feels like he is letting me down by not wanting to come. I could tell every time we hunted that he didn’t want to be there so I finally told him to not come unless he really wanted to, and that I’d be fine either way. Now it’s “see you when you get back”. My baby girl on the other hand gets pissed when she hears I’m going hunting without her but she can’t sit still for 5 minutes. She’ll probably end up being my hunting partner in a few years.

Re: Son has 0 interest in hunting [Re: GusWayne] #6964465 11/18/17 03:45 AM
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Same deal here. Son (8) not real interested in actually hunting. Loves riding the 4-wheelers and side x sides and fishing but can't sit still for love nor money. I just love being outdoors with him so that will work for now.

Re: Son has 0 interest in hunting [Re: GusWayne] #6964466 11/18/17 03:51 AM
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I wouldn't force him. I think that would only make him dislike it more and possibly ruin any future chances of him showing it any interest.

Re: Son has 0 interest in hunting [Re: GusWayne] #6964469 11/18/17 03:55 AM
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I agree with the others. Don't force it if he doesn't like it, you will just make it worse. Take him out there, ride 4 wheelers, play horse shoes, shoot cans with 22s etc. If he just learns that its fun hanging out with you he eventually will want to do what ever you do.

Re: Son has 0 interest in hunting [Re: GusWayne] #6964476 11/18/17 04:12 AM
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Make a trip to the ranch/lease about more than just hunting. Let him drive, hunt for arrowheads, go exploring, collect rocks, build big fires, etc, whatever that makes him enjoy it. My daughter was younger but I struggled with this as well. I started letting her bring water colors to the blind (to paint the inside of the blind), we paint skulls/bones, hunt arrowheads, and she loves driving the UTV around. This next week we are going out and I'm not going to even sit the stands. Just screw around and do all the fun things I did as a kid growing up on a ranch. Make it interesting for him, it's about the outdoors, not the killing. That will come later.

Re: Son has 0 interest in hunting [Re: GusWayne] #6964484 11/18/17 04:20 AM
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Originally Posted By: procraft05



But do y'all think this boils down to just a DNA type deal?


^^^^^ Yes, I really do believe that. He is just 'wired' differently..and that's OK.

IF he is ever to enjoy 'hunting' and other related outdoor activities it will have to be HIS idea, so don't push it.


Spartans ask not...how many, but where!
Re: Son has 0 interest in hunting [Re: GusWayne] #6964505 11/18/17 04:52 AM
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Sitting in a deer stand waiting to kill an animal coming in to eat corn is boring. Take the kid dove or Quail hunting. He may like killing if there is a little more action. My oldest doesn’t care for deer hunting but loves going bird hunting. My youngest will sit in a stand all day. Not everyone’s idea of a good time is sitting in a box waiting for the sun to come up.

Re: Son has 0 interest in hunting [Re: GusWayne] #6964547 11/18/17 10:29 AM
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Well, it's 430am I am up and getting ready.

I guess I will leave the kiddo home

I just know my dad and I had some our best times going hunting together and wish my son and I could too

Re: Son has 0 interest in hunting [Re: GusWayne] #6964567 11/18/17 12:11 PM
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My son is 17 now and doesn’t care to hunt or fish. He’s been with me on some fantastic hunts, gotten some nice bucks over the years. He even has a state record fish in the books! To this day and always Ive have to beg him to go with me. He takes his iPad or book and never looks up. I’ve got a 5 year old boy that is starting to pal around with me and I’ve learned to not beg him to go and not force. It’s hard!! When I was young you didn’t have to ask me, I was already sitting in the truck waiting to go! Hate to sound like my dad but seems this generation of iPhones and xboxes are losing the hunting instincts. I’ve been told to just wait and they’ll come around. I just assumed all kids love to hunt..

Re: Son has 0 interest in hunting [Re: GusWayne] #6964569 11/18/17 12:14 PM
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Get the young'n into some kind of outdoor activity besides "hunting".

Teach him the natural side of the outdoors, how to ID birds, 4 footed critters and plants...go camping ...things that the Boy Scouts used to to do when it was a rite of passage to be in BSA. My local range has a large FFA only dedicated area, but then this is the border country of Deep East Texas too.

I missed all those activities growing up in Dallas, but was always interested in roaming the creeks, and fishing...then picked up the excitement of dove hunting, then waterfowl with friends, then by my self.

Teach him to shoot a 22lr rifle at a range that is not too busy in the off season, or set up your own at the lease, then move up to a lite kicker centerfire sized for him. We had a hilly lease with a live creek running theru it one time and I used the creek bottom to set up a "shooting trail" of semi hidden targets, and we took turns hiding new target locations, and put lots of 22lr rounds in the flowing creek bottom shooting from overhead at floating oak leaves to teach lead and "forward allowance". FWIW I'd use a lever action or bolt action before letting him rip off a magazine full in auto loader just to hear it go bang.

A cousin and I at a very early age used to "hunt" grasshoppers with a BB gun , and use the "kill" for bream & catfish bait, when my uncle was reading oil drilling guages on drilling leases out around Midland when I spent summers out there. The cousin graduated to rattlesnakes and rats in his later preteen years, and collected arrowheads...and became a much better shot than I ever was...and I was 16 before I ever was told that you had to hunt doves with a shotgun and only "In Season"...but the memory whetted my interest in later years.

I was able to get my youngest started down this road until his peer pressure in multiple teams of athletics took over, when my oldest and I became a water and oil relationship when he got deeper into the alternative music scene that I still detest, that his then peer group was into...but even the older son liked shotgun shooting and got off on imprompto clay bird sessions at the lease, and recently at 47 has asked about getting into handgun shooting, knowing that range sessions are the way to achieve proficiency for a self defense weapon.

Tough situation though that takes time and lots of effort and thought full awareness of the small opportunities, so go slow and be gentle with force feeding him an activity...show respect for HIS interests & he'll be more likely to show respect for yours, and make it interesting to be outdoors on more than one level.
Ron

Last edited by WileyCoyote; 11/18/17 12:30 PM.

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Re: Son has 0 interest in hunting [Re: GusWayne] #6964570 11/18/17 12:14 PM
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I have three. Two love to go, one has no interest. Just the way it is. We expose our children to different things in life and they may or may not like it. Just that simple

Re: Son has 0 interest in hunting [Re: GusWayne] #6964571 11/18/17 12:15 PM
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My father took me when I was younger, never developed a love for it until I was out of school.



Re: Son has 0 interest in hunting [Re: GusWayne] #6964575 11/18/17 12:35 PM
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As others have said, don't drag him out there. Your relationship with him is more important than hunting. Do something he likes, even if it's not your thing. He'll always remember the effort you made.

Then go hunting, come back and don't try to pump him up about it. Just let him see his dad being his dad.

I've got 4 grown kids; 1 boy and 3 girls. They've all hunted with me and all but 1 girl have shot bucks, but it's been very occassionally.

This Dad job isn't always simple, but it's the most important job you'll ever have. You obviously are one of the good ones.


...and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Gen. 1:28
Re: Son has 0 interest in hunting [Re: GusWayne] #6964621 11/18/17 01:50 PM
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Don't make everything about hunting.
Go to the lease and start campfire and
Let him cook hotdogs, s'more.
Instead on taking him deer hunting, take him exploring. Looking for creek fossils and arrowheads and such.
If you have a 22 ask him if he would like to do some plinking.
But most of all make the time with him his time.
Trust me... If or when he's ready to stat hunting he'll let you know up


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Re: Son has 0 interest in hunting [Re: GusWayne] #6964634 11/18/17 02:06 PM
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Last thing I would do is drag him out there and try to force him to like it. I think that would have the complete opposite effect.

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