Need advice on "family" hunts

[Wiszard]

I have a daughter that is 13 and one that is 11 but will be 12 in March. The 11 year old definately wants to hunt with me. The 13 year old....not so sure yet. I'm thinking if I can get them both to go with me and their grampa, it may bring the 13 year old into it more and get hooked. My problem is that I also have a 9 year old son who will want to hunt with me. How they hell can I afford to keep all of these kids hunting? I'm planning on taking the 11 year old to WY with me next year. Probably just get her a buck deer tag and a doe/fawn antelope tag. Eventually, I may have 2 or 3 kids that want to go. What do you others do that are in my boat? Do you hunt various states with your kids? I know its not a necessity but I want my kids to experience hunts better than local Ca. hunts. Local hunting here sucks. That's another story.....any advice or input is greatly appreciated.

Steve
"Get that corn out of my face"

 

[dillon]

You can let them all hunt and have a ton of fun doing it if you do doe deer and doe antelope hunts in Wyoming. I am still waiting for my first kid, but I would not worry about antlered game for them until they are older, but that is just me. I have to say you have the right mindset by wanting to let your kids learn what you love.

Dillon

 

[MulePacker]

Check out Idaho's Youth Mentor tag. Nonresident youth hunt at the same price as resident youth as long as they are accompanied by a licensed adult. Makes it affordable, if you have questions PM me I have some areas that should allow a kid to take a deer and possible an elk.

 

[Wiszard]

That Idaho deal sounds pretty good. So, I buy a regular NR license and my child can hunt but for a price of a resident youth tag? I'll look into that. Thanks for the info.

Dillon- I see your point about the antlerless. That may be the cheap way to go. My luck I'll get an antlerless tag and we see a monster feeding at 50 yards! LOL

Steve
"Get that corn out of my face"

 

[OldMan]

Small game. Predators. As important as it is to teach them the skills of hunting and the outdoors, it is also important to teach them to live within their means.

 

[woodruffhunter]

>Small game. Predators. As
>important as it is to
>teach them the skills of
>hunting and the outdoors, it
>is also important to teach
>them to live within their
>means.

No better advice than the above quote. I think at times we feel guilt when we dont have apps out for our kids in out of state draws.

The problem is not just $$, its time. I found this out with my son this year. If they do a lot of small game hunting and fishing they will be hooked on the outdoors. I would try to get them on 1 reasonably priced Big Game hunt every year or 2.

Idaho and Wyoming are probably the best states for NR youth IMO..

 

[Wiszard]

You are wise, OldMan! Also, to have Dad live within HIS means.

Steve
"Get that corn out of my face"

 

[justr_86]

There was never a question of if my brother or I were going to hunt.. When my dad went out of state he would take one of us and rotate years. He still does this but we have to buy our own tags now.....

 

[HunterHarry]

Wiz,
You're a decent guy, but you're generalizing.
Not all local California hunts suck, you just live too far south.

Kids need success and action when they are first starting out.
They have short attention spans and get bored easily.
I can remember being drug through the brush on family deer hunts when I was in my early teens. one hundred plus degrees, steep nasty country, blisters the size of quarters on my feet and no deer seen.
There wasn't enough water, so I pounded down the only other cold liquid available....Coors tall cans.
I was hammered, both mentally & physically.
I never wanted to hunt deer again.

Thankfully all that changed a few years later.

What I did with my son is to start him off in pretty decent areas, where he could see game (or catch fish) without being too miserable.
Once he tasted success, he realized that the many hardships endured along the way were well worth it.

In future trips he didn't mind the cold, heat or steep mountains near as much, knowing that difficult situations are part of a successful hunters resume.

I tried to instill a strong mental toughness into him.
A belief that working harder than others will bring superior results.
I have seen my tutoring succeed beyond my wildest dreams.
In the beginning it was difficult for me.
Having a small child tagging along, knowing that he was suffering worse than I was.
My son could have easily called it quits and retreated to video games and hanging out with his classmates and friends instead of with me.
We've shivered through freezing cold, suffered through miserable heat, climbed near vertical slopes and put on many tough miles.
Together, we've shared the glory of success and been humbled by challenges we could not overcome.
You need not be a wealthy man to achieve these dreams with your kids, Hell, I'm a lowly $20 an hour guy myself.
You don't need to take them on expensive guided trips as I think that the DIY experience is tremendously superior.
Most western states have good youth opportunities at reduced prices.
There is no greater glory in life than that of sharing the great outdoors with your child.
Time slips away in the blink of an eye, do it NOW!

 

[Wiszard]

HH- I meant the areas that are local to me are pretty bad. Unless you've got private land around where I am, you're either gonna run into a million other hunters and see no game. Even packing in to remote areas does not produce game. And, like you say, the heat at times is unbearable. I can understand putting my kid (s) through that when they are mentally capable of handling it. Success is the key to keep thier interest so that's what I'm after. I don't have the $$ for guided hunts....even for me let alone my kids. It looks like you and your son have things figured out and have found some good country to hunt up your way. That's what I lack here. Next year will be my daughters first big game hunt and success should be pretty easy. Antelope and deer on a ranch we've hunted for the past 10 years. Your words are spot on and definitely make sense regarding hard work being a key to the success. If it's too easy, it's not appreciated as much as success you have poured blood and sweat into. I wish to one day have the kind of success you and your son have shared. I don't live in an area where big tracts of public ground hold a lot of deer. Anyway, I'll do what I can to keep my kids interested and wanting to hunt with their Dad and Grampa.

Steve
"Get that corn out of my face"

 

[AWHOLELOTTABULL]

Steve - you don't have to buy a NR license in Idaho for your kids to get the youth mentor tag. If you know someone in Idaho that hunts and is willing to go along that will qualify you. Also, I highly recommend Wyoming goat hunts. $110 for a goat tag or a deer tag and you don't have to buy a license or a tag. I have done it several years with lots of action. We have not come home empty handed and they get to learn how to hunt. There is so much game you can let them be the hunter and make mistakes. The beauty of it is there is always another buck around the corner.

If you decide to do the Wyoming thing next year let me know. I know of several places with 100% draw success and acess to private ground. I would be happy to send you in the right direction. Especially if it's a youth hunter your trying to help out!!


It's always an adventure!!!

 

[Cahunter805]

Steve PM me. Have a few ideas about the CA draw for the kids! Would be glad to help them.

 

[chase]

I may catch some sh!t for this but oh well.... texas is a great place to take a kid. The license are cheap and there is plenty of game. In the fall they can hunt deer, pigs, turkey, coyotes, and all for a decent price. Spring is also a great time for turkey and pigs. You have a better chance of your kids NOT being bored and staying interested. I'm not saying you need to do one of the" fish in a barrel" hunts under a corn feeder. If you do some research there are several good places to take your kids. Good luck to you and your family. My wife is pregnant with our first and i can't wait!

 

[Thunderclapper]

LAST EDITED ON Nov-24-10 AT 08:35PM (MST)[p]Hey Wiszard, I disagree with the Idaho suggestions. My 13 yo and I hunt hard and in a season he might get a couple of looks at bucks here in Id. Montana on the other hand offers multiple chances at 130-150" Muleys and 110-130" Whitetail per day. In addition this year we saw a griz on the mound of its den at 55 yds, multiple black bears and a wolf. The Montana Fish and Game officers seem to have a great attitude.

 

[2_Point]

Oldman gave the best advice. I guess one way is to teach them to work for what they get. You can get youth doe tags in WY for $30 or so. Seems lots of kids who are very successful killing trophies as kids just loose the desire once they get older. Take your kids shooting, fishing, camping, small game/bird hunting. Sounds like you are doing what you need to do: your best.

I like HH's posts, but they are not real world for 90% of hunters. He has been a super Dad to his son in the hunting field. But a guy with more than one kid, without private land, and a lot of time just can't provide that experience.

 

[deerbedead]

Here's my two cents on this one. I'm a father of 6 kids, and my oldest two are girls, 14, and 12. I'm also a taxidermist, so you know I'm not your average millionaire dad.

I do a few things that seem to work well for our family. I have found that the youth opportunities in several states are really cheap. In fact, I apply my kids in some states that I can't afford to apply myself. I also make them pay for 1/2 of the cost of the tags and licenses. That way they understand how much it really costs, and they have to really want to spend the time and money. We also study out the areas together so we know if they hold the kind of game and are the type of hunt we want to do.
This also allows them to see that you normally don't just go hunting without paying your dues in bonus points.

We apply for cow hunts, and doe hunts too. It is fun, and teaches them to hunt and shoot well. We also reload our own ammo and they get to choose their own loads and roll them with the old man. We have a good time at the reloading bench.

Last year the 14 year old had a general deer tag, and passed on all kinds of little bucks trying to find a big one. She then missed a monster with the muzzleloader. She passed more deer after that and ended up going home dry for the year. I was feeling bad for her, but she said she wanted her first buck to be a big one. This year she had the archery tag, and hunted a big one for the whole season, and didn't get it. She drew a Colorado tag, and we went over there for a rifle hunt and the first day she killed a 190" buck! On public land, with her old man. It was a miserable, cold, nasty hunt, but it was cool to be there with her and see the excitement.

The 12 year old back pack hunted with me here in Utah and she killed a 170" buck 29" wide for her first deer. We had an awesome hunt and we did it one on one, on public land. I would dare say the girls are hooked for life.

I'm not trying to brag, just giving you some ideas that are working great for us. The other younger kids are just as wound up to go hunt as the older ones. I have a 9 year old boy that goes with me on my hunts when he can. I pull him out of school once or twice a year and let him go with me. He loves it and I think it makes some awesome memories for him and I.

Just remember that they don't need to kill big animals to be hooked, they just need to have fun. It is a bonus to get the big one!
DeerBeDead

 

[nickman]

Keep one thing in mind......don't force the issue, especially with the girls.

If you remember that they are not you, don't have your passion for certain things and have other interests, you will be better off in the long run. Encourage it but don't press too hard if there is resistance.

You might know someone who has young girls, or a wife that hunts.....get them together, maybe on a photo picnic, gun club function, etc.

They may warm up to it on thier own, but if you press the issue, it could turn them off forever. Be smart and let it play out as it will.

Good luck!

 

[SMELLYBUCK]

HH,

I love it.