Are just lazy. Neither of the two boys want to go hunting this weekend. The 18 year old has a football game tonite and has to watch film tomorrow, so that does knock him out for the morning sit….we will see about Saturday evening. Still hasn’t gotten his bow set up that he got LAST December. The 16 year old “has plans” with his buddy on Saturday. Don’t know what those plans are, other then he has them. Neither one of them have been up since last deer season, haven’t filled a feeder, cut a blade of grass, cut a tree, etc. They just expect to show up on their schedule and have everything taken care of for them.

I’m not coddling these kids anymore, if a deer shows up I like I’m gonna take him. I’m not “saving” a buck for them if they are just gonna be flippant about going. I would have given my left nut to have free rein on a place to hunt when I was their age. They take it for granted. I may invite the neighbor and his kids to come out since I can’t get anyone else to nut up and come deer hunting

The neighbor’s kid won’t be hunting this year. Just isn’t interested. His main interest is sleeping late. I like the kid, but I just don’t see any motivation on his part to do anything.

That’s just it….no motivation to do ANYTHING. If they don’t want to hunt, hey I get it. But these kids put in the absolute minimum amount of effort necessary.

I’ve chilled out a lot as I have gotten older, but man, in my teens and 20’s, if I wanted something, there was no stopping me. These kids don’t want anything unless it’s low hanging fruit.

A hungry dog hunts best.

I have a nephew back in CO that shot his first elk at 14. He hasn't hunted since and is 27 this year. He is all into computers and snowboarding. Different generation, different attitudes.

Welcome to the instant gratification party.

I was obsessed with it, that is, until the hormones started to kick in.

So many factors have come into play on these kids since then I can't even begin to count. Hell, I've got grown-azz men in my family that don't realize the opportunity they have, for free, I don't even have to be involved, that I would have killed for.

When my dad took me out the first time small game hunting at 10 years old it ignited a passion. From that day forward I couldn't sleep the night before the hunt. I spent the whole restless night filling my tags We seem to be loosing the inherent genetic trait to hunt.

And that’s why I got off my lease. Filling 4 feeders, cutting back mesquite etc all by myself just became more then I wanted to invest. I kept it for the kids for the last three years. Just didn’t want to do it anymore. I wouldn’t call my two sons lazy, just too much extracurricular stuff going on to help out or go hunting. And yes, high school football was the worse offender. If they had the time off, it may take some prodding but they would go with me. When moved off the lease, my boys and their friends did most of the work which was appreciated (granted I paid their friends handsomely, my boys didn’t get a dime). They love to hunt, but also have other wants. My younger girls are no different. They may enjoy hunting more than my boys, but gymnastics every weekend all over North and West Texas killed their free time. Don’t lose hope, they are all still wanting to go and have the interest, but it will be on my terms when, where and how and I don’t have to manage anything year round if we decide to do so. Don’t lose hope. Life these days is an “instant gratification” type.

I enjoy every minute of time I spend with my boys, (12 &15). I like watching football and basketball games almost as much as fishing and hunting with them. As long as they are doing something I’m happy and so are they. One rule I have is if I’m working on something they are too. How are kids going to learn how to do anything if they aren’t taught? One thing I’ve noticed is the older they get the less work I have to do.

They have disagreed with the rules a few times over the years but I’m a hard man to say no to.

Sounds like maybe that should have been your attitude 10 years ago. Not saying you were wrong, we all want to give our kids everything. This is the risk that is run.

Well, 10 years ago I/they were not in the picture, but appreciate the parenting advice….

Well, it was worth what you paid for it.

The damn iPhones and other electronics are the biggest problem in my opinion. I am no Luddite but I truly believe that. All the games and social media apps give them so much instant and effort free gratification. There are skyscrapers full of brilliant people designing all this stuff to suck people in and they are very good at it.

I have a large extended family with over 20 nieces and nephews under the age of 18. There is one of them who is 12 and he loves hunting and fishing and anything outdoors and his parents don’t let him mess with technology other than what is absolutely necessary. He is night and day different from any other kid I have seen in today’s youth. We live in the country and have a swimming pool. Family is often over swimming. Anytime this kid comes he brings his BB gun and disappears. When he gets tired of shooting he will go fish in our pond. He couldn’t care less about hanging out with the other kids and swimming. We all went to Texoma for a week and stayed in cabins by the water. He fished pretty much sun up till sun down the entire week. His dad isn’t even really a big hunter. The only thing I can attribute his love for the outdoors is he wasn’t raised by an iPhone and an Xbox. Any time I talk to him he is always wanting to talk about hunting, fishing, shooting, etc.

Funny how every generation seems disappointed with the one that follows.

Maybe they don't like hunting.

mine is still exited about hunting, We are in the blind now. Hope she never changes, but if she does, she does. I try not to pressure her. I let her bring her electronics if she wants.

She has been working on me recently about going on a bear hunt. If her grades continue I think ill take her.

I feel fortunate she loves it, I dont think it’s some thing you can force or foster. Just have to be supportive and consistent.

My 42 year old kid is in his blind with my grandfather's Springfield. 30-06 (that's now his). New trigger and scope. My uncle carved the stock when I was in diapers. My son has never hunted much, but he does like it.

I wouldn’t necessarily say I am disappointed but there has been a drastic shift in what kids do now days vs virtually every prior generation. I grew up playing outside as did my parents, grandparents, great grandparents, etc. It wasn’t until recently that kids spent the vast majority of their childhood staring at a screen and that has consequences.

Kids’ behavior is a direct result of the environment and the behaviors the parents foster and allow. This broad generalization of the “next generation” is an inability to accept responsibility for the creation of that environment , behaviors and work ethics.

As some of you know I "sub" some at a high school to get me of the house every now and then. Last week I took a position for an Ag teacher and one of his courses is game management. Most are taking it because the parent(s) made them and mostly because of Dad having land that they manage. It was close to a split on HF and LF properties BTW. Two of the main complaints I heard was no reception for them to help them kill time and the other was just sitting in a blind and waiting for a "target" buck.

One student then started talking about a hunt he went on last year for mule deer and how much fun it was. He told about glassing for the right buck and the details of the stalk to get it. He said it was the best hunt he had ever been on. After he told his tale most of the students replied that kind of hunting sounded like something they would enjoy doing.

So my thoughts are if your kids are not enjoying hunting as much maybe going back to basic hunting, stalking, still hunting and not having to wait on a specific target might help get them back into the groove. I would also make it a gun hunt for some instant gratification instead of them having to wait for the deer to get into the right shooting distance. Most of them have problems sitting in a classroom for 55 minutes so I can image the pain of sitting in a blind for three to five hours for them.

Hope this gives some of you Dad's some insight and helps you get your kids to be more involved.

Awesome insight and advice - thanks spacejunkie!

Great observation. I would agree that for too many kids, they start out at 6-8 years old deer hunting in a blind and never learn how to do anything else. We started out at that age chasing rabbits, squirrels, and other small critters. Deer hunting was BIG game, and we looked forward to it but it wasn't what we mainly hunted.

My kids situation is a bit different, I took them to a wide variety of places for a wide variety of game. We hunted deer, turkey, exotics, shot racoons, dove, ducks. Me and the middle boy had one of the best dove hunts I've every had in terms of volume, it was absolutely amazing....next year...he made no effort to go nor did he even ask to go. Last year we went duck hunting on a place in El Campo...got easy limits and we all had a great time. Few weeks later I asked them if they wanted to go again and they kind of him hawed around and ultimately decided they had other things to do. Asked them once this year and it was just "yeah, sure we will go" but no real enthusiasm. They have all had successes in the field but neither have killed a monster trophy buck or bull that many would claim would kill any desire to hunt from that point forward. They love their time there, once they are out there. But getting them motivated to actually go, is the challenge.

Was talking to my wife this morning about it and she said I'm taking it way too personally, which I guess I am. I'm just having a harder time coming to grips with the obvious fact they don't like to hunt as much as I did at their age and my perception of them squandering opportunities. This isn't a shock to me with the older kid, as he is more of a sports guy who likes hanging with the boys, but has always been that way. The middle kid is who I am shocked by. The baby girl actually goes to the ranch more than the other two combined, but her attention span is pretty short, so the hunting we mainly do is hunting for arrowheads, which I can say she enjoys and excels at.

It would be nice if our kids liked everything we like(d) but life doesn't work that way. Things are completely different from when I was a kid. I think it's that way with most every generation. Heck my parents thought Elvis was evil. Ed Sullivan would only show him from the waist up because he moved his hips. I actually liked to hunt and fish a lot more than my dad. My son is pretty meh when it comes to going. Think about what a thrill it was to get your driver's license. I was at the DMV on my 14th birthday. neither my son or stepson got yheir license until they were 18. I still can't fathom that. Just the way life is.

Save your money for a trophy hunt for yourself. Send them some video chat of the best moments your experiencing without saying, “wish you were here”. Bring home a trophy of a lifetime, and hang it in front of them. Let them see the “light at the end of the tunnel” only comes from hard work!!