Son has 0 interest in hunting

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?

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.

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

Get him behind the gun and let him shoot something, that might turn the switch.

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

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.

Take him on a bird hunt, he may like that more.

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....

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

^^^^^ 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.

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.

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

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..

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

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

My father took me when I was younger, never developed a love for it until I was out of school.

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.

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

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.

Yeah, it's called being an individual. Let him be his own person.

I remember playing little league with kids who didn't want to be there. I asked him why and they would say because their dad wanted them to play. I always felt sorry for them.

Don't make him kill something if he doesn't want to. That's a recipe for disaster IMO.

As a younger person who never hunted growing up, I can definitely agree that its just in the blood. My parents were both relatively suburban, an elementary school teacher and an officer in the army. Neither had more than a passing history in anything outdoors, other than my dad's grandpa's farmette in maine. But while other kids were watching saturday morning cartoons, I had the ottoman turned sideways with my cap guns and hat on acting like I was riding with john wayne watching AMC western marathons. My parents got me a horse, bought animals for me in FFA, supported all my "dreams" even though they didn't have a half a clue about any of it. I second just letting him find fun in other parts of being out on the land. My wife doesnt enjoy hunting, but whenever I load up the truck she wants to go so she can sit and read a book and drink coffee and wait for me to come back from the hunting side of the place. Her dad has had either a deer lease or owned hunting property his whole life. Has four daughters, they have all sat in the stand and have never taken an animal or showed an interest in doing so. Luckily for him, all their husbands or bf's enjoy hunting so he ended up with some pals little later on. Let him come around. It takes us young guys a little bit of time to realize dad is making us do certain stuff that we hate because he just wants to hang out.

I have two boys aged 9 and 14. The 9 year old loves to hunt. The 14 year old goes but I️ can tell he isn’t really into it. I don’t force it. Just hope he will come around like one of the other guys said. If you force them it won’t work out n my opinion.

As others have said, forcing it is the worst thing. I have two daughters. Both enjoyed the outdoors but neither wanted to hunt. I never forced them. One came to it at about 14 and one at about 20. My wife decided she wanted to hunt last year.

They all love hunting now and have all taken nice bucks. Now, do they live for it? I wouldn’t go that far. But they do love spending time together outdoors, which is all that counts.

My Daddy pretty much forced my oldest brother to shoot one when he was about 10. He didn’t hardly pick up a rifle for about 15 years until he started going with me again. Daddy always said he made a big mistake forcing it on him.

To be clear, I made him go twice last year because he never wanted to go and had never even been.

I felt like it was like making your kid veggies. You just have to try it first before it just gets wrote off as something you don't wanna do.

I believed I was doing the right thing

The great part of being a parent is that you get to raise your kids however you want. making whatever decisions you want to make.

You know your kid best. Read him and do whatever you think is best for him. Not for you but for him.

I come from a family of hunters. My father and brothers and I all grow up in the woods. When I became a father I started taking my son out to the ranch when he was about 5. No serious hunting till he was 10. It was simple rabbit hunts. He seemed to enjoy it. But, the following year he took his first deer. That was the last time he ever when deer hunting with me. I'm thinking the skinning and gutting was too much.

This morning I was hunting by myself like I have for over 12 years. My son is now 23 and will mention going with me. I think he says this because I enjoy the woods so much.

I would only say don't rush them into something they might not like.

I got 3 girls all loved too hunt until my oldest got a car now she's out on hunting.They all hated fishing and I never forced it but to my surprise my 12 year old decided she wanted to start fishing and ask me if we can go often. So I think it can turn around so don't force it and he might change his mind on his own someday

I️ can give some advice based on personal experience because I️ almost messed up trying to take my son too early and making him go when he didn’t want to go. Two years ago I️ finally just made it more about the experience than actual hunting. We went to a buddy’s lease (not even during any kind of deer season). We filled feeders, let him drive around on rangers, check cameras, swim in the pond, and spotlighted all kinds of animals. If we saw a varmint, I’d ask him if he wanted to shoot it with a 22. At first he didn’t want to buy after a few shots and all of my buddies whooping and hollering and high fives he wanted to try. First coon we found for him he drilled, after the high fives and hoopla all my buddies made about the shot, he was hooked. He still doesn’t want to go all the time, but it got him interested and he goes about 1/2 the times I️ go and has killed 2 nice bucks the last two years. Hell, he killed a 4 foot rattlesnake on the road to the house last night. He made me buy him a trapping book so now he’s setting all kinds of deadfall traps and snares all around the house... come to think of it... I’d better go check on my dogs, lol.

Anyway, like others have said make it about the Experience and if at all possible get him to do numerous activities on a hunting trip besides hunting. He’ll come around when he is ready

I don't blame him. I find hunting from a stand to be boring, too. Take him small game hunting instead. See if that clicks.

I feel sorry for the dads. It sucks to buy land, build a hunting place and then have a son who doesn't appreciate it and no one to leave your legacy too.

Why? It's not his fault he doesn't like hunting. There isn't anything to do with appreciating it. My dad could have built me a custom bocce ball set. If I don't like bocce, I shouldn't have to start playing just because he made me a set.

My daughter started hunting by with me when she was 8. After the second year, I could tell she wasn't into it and was just going because she thought I wanted her to go. So I told her that she really didn't need to go if she didn't want to and I wouldn't be upset if she wanted to do girl stuff instead. She's 13 now and out of the blue on Friday she said she wanted to go hunting this weekend. From talking to her, it sounds like a bunch of her friends went hunting this weekend and suddenly she was interested again. She shot a small 8 point this morning and has been on her phone all day texting with her friends to see who else got something, what did they get, what did they use ... So maybe she'll start gong again.

My son started at 6 and loves to go to the lease. I think it's 50% to shoot something or to fish and 50% because he gets to drive our Kubota all weekend.

I dont think he is saying you should force your son to do something they dont want to. But at the same time I can understand being a little disappointed that your son doesnt love the things you do, there is nothing wrong with that feeling.

My dad coached me in baseball from when i was 5 to 17 years old. I always looked forward to the day I could coach my son. Turns out he doesnt like baseball, he likes soccer. I cant teach him a thing about soccer.

So yeah i was a little disappointed, but he gets to play the sports he wants and we enjoy supporting him and watching him.

When i first bought my boat he always wanted to go fishing, now not so much and thats okay too. When he asks to go i do everything i can to make it happen.

My dad didnt always want to go fishing or hunting but he did so for me. So I will support my son as best as i can with the things he enjoys doing. I will never force him to take part in the hobbies I enjoy.

Find out what interests him and make time for those activities. If it is something outdoor related, great. If not, spending time with him may help open his eyes to you and what you enjoy. Certainly don't try to force him into doing things he doesn't enjoy right now or he will likely turn further away from them in the future.

Kids now days prefer phones and video games. My son goes if I ask, but he does'nt ask. He loves guns and loves to shoot though. When he does go he does'nt miss. 3 deer and 2 hogs. The phones are a sickness. Keeps kids and adults minds preoccupied. I was a natural born hunter and all my families too. Does'nt mean my ex wifes blood was and there are not. An old man told me he had a friend that fished by himself and had 5 kids. Hard to say. I can see the skills in mine, whether it's sports or hunting or shooting. He just has his lame moma's drive when it comes to the strenuous stuff. Look at Nolan Ryan's son. Never seen him through a pitch in the big league. Hmmm?

I agree with others, if after the exposure you've given him
he's not interested just back off. Continue to enjoy it yourself.

But do keep an active interest in whatever he does enjoy and
make every effort to be part of that with him.

The only part of hunting I insist my son participate in is
firearm safety and proficiency.

To Every Member Who Has Posted On This Subject:

WELCOME TO PARENTHOOD.... Try your best, don't give up, what works for one may fail with the next, take time to listen to the youngsters, more than one way to skin a cat.

Try to remember that just because your child doesn't want to hunt or even try, that doesn't mean you can't find a young kid who has the desire but no one to teach him.

One of my sons loves to hunt and fish. His younger brother loves to kill and catch, but can take or leave the hunting and fishing part of the equation. I wouldn’t force it on your son, especially at his age. In the long run, your relationship will be better off if you can discover what he loves now and enter into that world with him. My killer/catcher son is much more into music, so we go to concerts and play guitar together.

Condescend much?

Sounds like some good advice on here, I'd just try focusing on what he is interested in and see if any of that involves Outdoor activities and try introducing shed hunting, fishing, plinking cans, targets something with a lot of action. He may eventually take to hunting but he may never like stand hunting and he may never like hunting period and both are ok.
I'm so thankful I was older 35 when my son was born, had I been in my early 20's I would have likely crammed football down his throat, now honestly I could care less if he ever plays and kind of hope he doesn't. But what I do hope is that he finds and loves something as much as I loved football.

I have seen something similar to this with my older brother. Your situation might be totally different but my dad was a tournament bass fisherman and took it very seriously as most of those guys do. It was no fun to go fishing with him, it was business! My brother HATES fishing now. My dad got a little better by the time I came around but still managed to suck a lot of fun out of it for me too. I don't know what kind of hunter you are but if your making him take 3 sent free showers then put his hunting clothes on in the bed of a pickup 2 hours before it gets light all while it's 20 degrees outside you might be turning him off. Obviously I'm exaggerating but people get really wrapped up in the process of hunting sometimes and forget that it's really just about being out there. Who cares if you shoot a deer? Just have fun! Eat good food,tell stories, shoot guns and let him do something he has to promise not to tell his mom about. But what do I know! Good luck man!

That's weird advice. Spend time with your son doing the things he wants to do. Don't go find another kid to take his to place to fulfill some fantasy about having somebody to pass down hunting to. Your son will always resent you for that.

Yep. Life is long. Mentor someone else later.

Spend time with your son now. If that means less hunting/fishing, so be it.

If you do still do any hunting/fishing with him, do it in a way that makes it fun for him, even if it doesn't meet up to your standards. I.e. shoot more. Smaller game. Shorter sits. Bring a friend. Let them have an iPad while they wait. Whatever.

But if it just doesn't take, do what he likes. He'll be gone soon, and you'll have plenty of time to hunt and fish on your own or with friends.

I don't know, my dad didn't have to do anything to get me or my brother interested in it. We always wanted to go, I do think 10 is late to get them started. At 10 I had a seasoned lease I paid for by setting bowling pins, me and my brother switched off hunting with my dad when he still carried us to the blind.

Bout the same for me. Starting sitting when I was 3. My oldest daughter is 5 and this is her second season to go with me. She already wants to shoot. Probably 3 years til that happens.

I inherited 3 kids 2 1/2 years ago, two boys 10 and 8

Neither had been hunting before in their life


We are in deer blinds as I type this.


It will depend on the kid. The now 12 year old is eat up with it. Already planning on out of state trips, etc.

Younger one cares less about it but is still active, and is the better hunter in actuality.

Can't force them. Some kids just don't want to do it. My brother and sister had/have zero interest in it.

They may not be deer hunters either, but like wing shooting, etc.

LOL may get banned for this statement, but hunting is not the most important thing in the world. I got married and became step dad at 38. Sometimes they would want to go to lease to hunt sometimes not, but the invitation was there. Being that they are preteen and teenage girls the want to go got less and less frequent. So I just got off the leases and now spend more time doing what interest them. Then at 46 I was blessed to have a son that I hope wants to hunt and go to the lease when old enough (he is 8 months old now). If he don't I guess I will learn to love what he is interested in. Because of the life choices I made I was able to do pretty much what I wanted (hunting and fishing) for 20 years as a single man. Now I am father and the time to pursue my interest has passed.

Well atleast you have a boy who is hopefully into other outdoor things you enjoy as well. I have two daughters. One is a little one still, and the other is getting in that I want to do what the other girls are doing like cheer, tumbling, little dribbler(which I enjoy watching that) She'll go hunt with me and has killed some nice deer but she's quick to say "Nah, dad, I don't feel like going anymore." I understand that though at her girly preteen age...she likes to do what her friends are doing which isn't much outdoors stuff. I'm okay with it...as long as I get to see her happy doing what she likes.

big mistake to force a kid to hunt. or to play sports ect....

Took me 3 years for my son to decide to come out and shoot the rifle . This past saturday was his first hunt and shot a spike today we are sleeping over at the lease he wants a bigger buck now . Im so glad he came around to joing me . Been waiting for this moments for a long time .

Keep em off the pole. That goes for boys too if you catch my drift. As long as you do that, your'e good. If they don't like to hunt at the very least they'll save a good bit of money.

Try going hunting with him and not him going with you.