Have a 2.5 year old and trying to best introduce him so perhaps he can grow up enjoying the experience.


Haven’t taken him on any hunts yet as there is no way he’d last more than about 15 minutes in a box stand. Curious how y’all progressed through the experience. No older siblings or older cousins so he has to figure it out without a mentor.

Your the mentor, he's too young for a hunt or to understand what is taking place but able to tag along filling feeders or just be on the lease with you. At 2.5 years old just being with Dad in the outdoors is enought.

Started filling feeders, setting traps, etc. didn’t sit in a blind until 5

I know I took my son deer hunting way too early. I shot a deer and was so excited bc I thought he'd remember it forever. He has no idea we even went hunting . All he remembers is we stayed in a cabin and his grandad played the guitar and sang all night. My boy is 10 now and it's still tough to know the balance of sitting in the stand hunting and just hanging out. He'd rather shoot squirrels than anything. Ive figured out he likes just being at the camp hanging out. I don't make him go in the mornings and when I can tell he's done with sitting, we get out of the stand and leave..... I realize this doesn't help you much!

My rule was no hunting until you can wipe your own arse. Until then they stayed home with momma. I let them help clean animals when I brought them home but I never saw a reason to take a baby out hunting. I also don’t take hunting that seriously. I go out to have a good time and try to make sure the kids do too

Didn't talk a bunch about it, just took them with me.

I started going with my dad at 2 or 3 (birthday is December so depending on what time of deer season it was could have been either or). I don’t remember the the whole hunt but I remember parts and they’re still great. There’s a photo in my house of the deer he shot on our dirt trip together I smile every time I look at it and it brings back those memories and many more.

I tagged along on a deer hunt to del rio with him and shot my first doe at 4 years old.

When I was 7 or 8 (I believe) we got on a deer lease in Harper and that was when hunting really started and when I really got hooked. Somethings that I think helped me as a kid stay interested and want to continue we’re

• we hunted in the hill country so there was always tons of deer to look at and watch, there were never extended periods of boredom or wishing something would come out. From the time you could see until/when you got in the blind for evening hunts until it was time to get out of the stand there was always something happening to keep a young mind interested

• my dad was never hard on me in the stand. The deer were relatively calm and we could get away with some movement and noise but if we did get busted, he never harped on me, he would tell me what happened and why things spooked, but it was almost always followed by a “they’ll be back” for encouragement

• I got to shoot our “cull” buck, most of the does we were lotted, and the vast majority of hogs. I was also very involved with the cleaning of whatever got had been killed be it him or me. this helped me feel like I was an actual hunter and not just along for a nature watch in the cold.

• I always was warm in the stand. My dad did everything he could to make sure I was as warm as possible and not miserable because of the weather (might seem like a no brained but made a huge difference for me as a kid knowing I wasn’t going to freeze death)

Having said all that, I don’t have a kid to introduce to hunting yet, but I know when I was a young kid these are the things that helped me gain a passion for hunting. Hope this helps some and good luck, some of my greatest memories are the ones spent in the deer stand with my dad

Had daughters who showed no interest. Then a grandson who did. He sat with me and watched. Then when he was 7 he shot a 6 point buck with my wife’s 222. He was nuts about it until video games entered his life.

He’s now married and introducing his wife to hunting, fishing, 4 wheeling, etc. She asked me the other day to show her how to drive a tractor. I think she’ll do.

Just started asking if she wanted to go with me to look for deer and hogs. Started with driving around road corning, then short sits, then longer sits, then she told me when she was ready to start shooting.

I also made it comfortable for her. Would bring a sleeping bag and pillow with me. Also I would bring an IPad and headphones. Once deer started moving she would quickly switch to the Bino’s.

I now have what I call the kids blind. It’s 8x8 w/ lots of carpets to quiet things. 4 chairs, mr buddy, etc. kids can lay down and nap if need be. I have one feeder at 250 and one at 80.

I've got young kids, and they just like going out to the lease. My youngest is 3 and he asks me almost everyday when we can go back out. His momma doesn't want him hunting yet, but that's fine because he still wants to be there with me.

The biggest thing is to make it where they keep wanting more. If that means cutting a hunt short because you can tell they are starting to get restless then so be it. If it means a short trip to the lease so they never get bored and are sad they are leaving, so be it. Keep them warm, bring plenty of snacks, and have fun.

I started my boy out at 2 years old. We'd go squirrel and rabbit "hunting". Which amounted to the two of us walking through the woods with me carrying a .410 or .22. We didn't kill anything for the first few years, but we talked to the owls and turkeys a few times. He'd find lots of bones, and he learned how to chit in the woods. We slowly progressed to hunting pigs, then he got old enough to shoot squirrels and rabbits himself...then deer. I still remember sitting at the base of a tree and an owl started hooting. I told him that I could speak owl, and I hooted back. We sat there and talked to that owl for 10 minutes. He thought that was the coolest thing ever. At 2 years old, don't take him deer hunting. Take him to the woods and teach him all about the woods. It doesn't matter if it only holds his attention for 5 minutes or 2 hours. Be patient. Good luck!!

My kids have always gone with me year round for work or for hunting, at a young age. When they are little it's hard when it comes to the work part sometimes, I'm not leaving my kids with someone while I spend all day on the tractor etc. Just have to plan accordingly, if you can.

I want to be there, and I want them there with me.

Have made lots of good memories with those little knuckleheads, not always easy with little kids in tow as a single father, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. When my little girl choked on Cheetos and puked all over me and the interior of my truck hunting in Hebbronville after popping some does, that was a great memory.

Years ago my Dad told me "Son, there's no way you can remember all that. You were too little." I said "Dad, you're wrong on this. I remember everything".

To each their own.

My boy is 2.5, I’m planning on taking him with me to a friends property about 30 minutes away to help with feeders and hangout. Might do some quick “hunts” in a pop up when I know the pigs will be coming in.

I grew up sitting at the base of a tree freezing my [censored] off and enjoyed every minute of it because I was with my dad.

I plan on making it easier for my kid, like BoBo said, let them sleep or watch the iPad, it’s hard enough for adults to stay interested when there is no animals to watch. As they get older, you can progress with the way they hunt.

Really?

My boy has been going with me since he turned 2 and absolutely loved it from the start. I had very, very little trouble with him staying quiet in the stand and even the few times he did make too much noise and busted us.....I didn't give two chits. It is about the experience and spending quality time with your kid.

Tough question. You have to do what you think is right. Same as the advice others are giving here. It is their opinions what to do maybe not what you should do. Parents way of trying to teach kids are all different. It doesn't mean any of them are right or wrong.

Probably lean to this one; believe I was up in blind with Dad from about age 4 until 9 or so then hunting solo.

Just take them out there….you will find out real quick if they are interested or not.

My oldest has a passing interest in it, the middle son likes to go but it has to be on his terms. The 8 year old girl I think will be the one who enjoys hunting the most.

I don't think the age matters too much. Expose them to it but don't pressure them in to doing anything. If they like it they will take to it like ducks to water. My kids love hunting but at different levels. One loves to go but doesn't care to to shoot even though she has skills, the other won't shoot unless his brother or sister helps clean it and he's the oldest, the baby well he'll ask all week if I'm going hunting. If I'm too tired to drive he'll drive. He might be the baby but he has the skills of an old scout and the ability of a sniper. I thought he would never enjoy it since he hated guns until about age 9. He loved using the crossbow though.

My take on this but if you are taking your kid hunting they need to be the one hunting and they need to have constant success early on if you really want them to like it. Once they like it, then introduce them to the “work” aspect of filling feeders, not seeing anything, gutting etc. I started when I was six and on my first hunt I shot a javelina, on my second shot a Turkey, and on my third shot a doe and I was hooked. That was October if I remember right. The rest of that season I don’t think I shot anything until January but the success I had early and often made a positive enough impression to make the not so fun times worth it.

I think if I started out just sitting in a blind with my dad knowing I wasn’t going to even get a chance to shoot something or going out there just to work I would not have had as positive a memory. I might still have liked it, but why make enjoying something new difficult.

I was still around the game my dad brought home, cooking it, looking at pictures etc well before I ever went on a hunt so you can introduce the idea of hunting anytime.

I would also advocate the basics of hunting to them, proper sight picture whether using scope or open sights, usage of binoculars, looking for movements of animals, aging of animals, proper gun handling, hunting the wind, minimizing scent, etc..
. Make it informative but fun for them....

This is so absolutely kid-dependent. Play to their strong suits and just remember to take lots of pictures to preserve the memories. Adjust your expectations and whatever happens will make memories and exceed their expectations.


I took my now 10 year-old on several lease trips in the off-season right after he turned 3. Best automatic gate opener then, ever, and STILL!


Our trips to the deer blind started as he was about to turn 4 and his backpack was filled with snacks and toys (thankfully I have avoided the iPads/technology in the deerblind). We would get in the blind about 4 and stay until sunset. He enjoys being in the woods, but decided he would rather be a deer/wildlife watcher than a hunter. "But, Dad, if a big buck walks out, you need to shoot it. I MIGHT kill a pig." OK, Son. Our time out here will be about being together and watching what God has blessed us with.



The 2.5 year old knows what's up. The tables have turned on Momma, because it is "deer weeease!" every day all day at our casa! He thought dead doves were the coolest thing he had ever touched when I got home after the dove opener this September. He was right in the thick of 'helping' me clean the birds. His reaction to them was priceless:


Then I took him to the processor to take care of my opening day whitetail and a muley later in the season and he was amazed that those deer become 'meeeeeeeat' that we 'eeeeat'. At a few days over 2.5 years old, we spent an hour or so in the deer blind on the closer this season and wrapped up the year with a buck and doe. See here: Second Son's First Hunt


The 2.5 year old will be shooting well before his older brother was ready to; but it is not a competition. Like I said it is truly child dependent and a case by case evaluation is required when it comes to getting that lifelong hunting buddy.

This is how I did it with my 2 sons and my daughter:

1. Instilled a love for nature and the outdoors.
- As a family we did 2-3 hunting trips a year (anything from 3-7 days per trip). I did the hunting but the kids were in nature with us. We took them on game drives and when they were old enough we took them on short walks and let them ride their bikes around camp. We cooked around the campfire every night, enjoyed the meal with the fire crackling in the background and the jackals calling in the distance. We did night drives when they were older. When I came back from the bush the kids would be there to see what I shot and ask 100 questions. They got used to the sight of dead animals and the smell when I gutted the animal (if I did not got the animal in the veld). From babies they ate game meat and they absolutely love liver and heart.
- I took them fishing regularly and we visited game reserves regularly.
- I bought the kids books on South African animals and encouraged them to be able to identify the various species. They responded enthusiastically.

2. Shooting skills
If they were going to hunt they needed to know how to shoot. I began teaching them how to shoot at around 4 years old. Fun shooting sessions - starting with an airrifle - where they learned the skills required to shoot accurately and how to handle firearms safely. As they grew older we increased the shooting distance and graduated to the .22 then the .243 and then the 12ga and 30-06. They understood that in order to be allowed to hunt at some point in future they would have to be able to shoot accurately as it was an essential part of ensuring a clean kill and minimising any suffering on the part of the animal.

3. Hunting skills and hunting philosophy
Around the same time that I started with the shooting skills - +-4 years old - I started having discussions about why it was OK for us to hunt and kill animals. As they got a bit older the conversations got deeper. We spoke about the role of hunting in conservation and we spoke about specific responses to anti-hunting arguments. I spoke to them about why I prefer walk-an-stalk hunting over other methods of hunting and, at 4 years of age, I started taking them with me on hunts. I had to pace the hunt according to their physical ability. On our family hunts I would let the boys walk with me for 2 or 3 hours then radio my wife to meet us to collect the boys while I continued hunting. The older they got the more time they demanded to spend walking and stalking with me. Now I have little chance of going out alone. They are 13, 11 and 8 years old and they can hunt all day with me provided we take enough breaks to rest. At 6 years old they already knew about the importance of getting the wind right, they were able to walk really quietly, they started being able to identify some of the animal tracks, their eyesight sharpened and they were starting to spot game on their own and sometime before me. All the while they further grew their love of the outdoors and of hunting specifically.

4. Their first kill
By 7 years old they were shooting accurately enough with the .22 for me to allow them to shoot birds under my supervision. They still love hunting birds with the .22 (or airrifle) and are very proud of the contributions they make to family meals. All 3 of my children's first kills were doves using the .22 or airrifle. It was a big deal for them (and me) when they made their first kill. At around 9 years old they started enquiring about shooting an antelope.

5. Both my boys shot their first antelope when they we 11 years old. I felt it was the right age in terms of their maturity and their ability to handle to the .243 and deliver an accurate shot.

That is how I introduced my kids to hunting an antelope. I think it is safe to say that hunting is now in their blood.

Use more of the camping and observing aspect

Make sure they have ear protection as loud bangs aren’t good

I started them (son and daughters) out at the range with a .22 Cricket and moved them up in rifle size as they got older. That way they could have the fun and success of plinking and over time gained sharper focus with better iron sights and then a scope. I also took them hiking / scouting public land (I don't have my own place) so they could learn to read tracks, identify skat to know what was in the area and what it was eating, look for rubs and recognize those musky scents. They have all enjoyed hunting to various degrees, and they can all shoot with precision.

My son went with me to the lease from a early age perhaps 4. Exposed him to all of phases of hunting as he grew. It was a good time for both of us and I think he learned well. He was never concerned about the recall of a shotgun or rifle. He shot a buck with my 30-06 when he was around 10 years old.
Have 2 grandsons that are following the same steps. The older one has taken pigs, turkey and deer. The younger one took his first doe this year. I have taken them with me so many times, that now it does not seem right if one is not there. Through this entire time frame gun safety has found it's place with my son and the older grandson. Other hunters helped with this part of the education.