HOOKED ON HUNTING
Introducing a young one to the hunting lifestyle starts at home. Believe me, it is an unbelievable experience the first time you get to bring your little boy or girl out in the field with you, but the ground work needs to be laid ahead of time. I used a subtle approach in getting Reese excited about hunting. I would usually converse with him about hunting or deer in general, show him a little video clip that I found on Facebook, or even have him sit with me during one of my favorite hunting shows. All of these things are fairly short, just like a young kids attention span. The last thing I wanted to do was overwhelm him with hunting stuff that he could eventually get sick of. Most of the time however, his own curiosity led to his growing excitement in hunting and wildlife. Before he could talk he would point and grunt at the deer that I have hanging on the wall. My full strutt wild turkey really used to get him going when he was crawling around at eye level. Eventually though, the points and grunts turned to conversation and a growing desire to be like his dad and hunt.
Last year for Christmas we bought a Kindle Fire for the family. It had gone on sale on Amazon a couple of weeks prior and due to their kid friendly nature, we thought it would be a good idea. Little did I know, that Kindle was one of the key components to getting Reese hooked on hunting. One of the first games he downloaded was Deer Hunter. We would play that for hours and he loved the hunting aspect! Next thing I know he was downloading the Dinosaur version to have more things to hunt and then the Deer Hunter game showed up on my phone! I’m not saying to go out and buy a new Kindle or tablet, but its amazing how much a free download on your phone can get a kid excited to hunt.
It is no secret that most kids want to be like their mom or dad, so getting them to like the same things you do is fairly easy. All it takes is a little exposure. Much to my wife’s dismay, I am always wearing something camo or hunting related. As a result, Reese likes wearing clothes that are hunting related. Little things like a new hunting themed sweatshirt is all it takes to get them excited about hunting.
Earlier this year I spoke often about taking Reese pheasant hunting. His cousin Cole had gone a couple of times and after showing him pictures of Cole in his hunting gear, Reese was all in. The wonderful thing about kids is hunting gear is pretty easy to find at reasonable prices, most of which can be found at stores such as Target or Scheels. All I know is that when Reese put on his new gear, I think he would have worn it for days had we let him. He was ready and more excited to hunt than he had ever been.
On this particular hunt, Reese (left) was a little disappointed that we couldn’t find the brush pants we had just bought him. Those feelings quickly went away when he found out his best friend and cousin Cole (right) was going hunting with him.
Reese, Cole and Remi took a much needed break before heading back to the shack for lunch.
Cole and Reese worked hard on their hunt, but it was nothing that hot dogs and Mountain Dew couldn’t take care of!
There are many ways to introduce your kids to hunting, but the ground work starts at home. Whether it’s games, shows, or clothes, getting your kids excited about hunting is the important part. The more excited and interested they are in hunting, the more likely they are to sacrifice a night in the safety of their home to go on a hunting adventure with you. No matter what methods are used to introduce your kids to hunting, the most wonderful part of all is the quality time spent with them while you try.