Application strategy for family of young boys...who else has done it?

[AndrewOSpencer]

I have a 12, 10, 7 and 4 year old. If we apply as a party, then each time the boys turn 10 or 12 the group average goes down as a member to our party gets added. Is there a way around this or are we just stuck getting a lower average. For instance, my oldest would have 6 points by the time his little brother is old enough to apply but the party average would be 6 + 6 + 6 + 3 + 0 / 5 for an average of 4.2 points.

I guess at the same time, the youngest benefits greatly from his older brothers points.

Am I getting this correct? Any advice? Thanks in advance.

 

[npaden]

I would say that you wouldn't want to apply as a party for the most part. That would be a ton of pressure filling a lot of tags with young kids.

Apply some here and some there and hunt together with only a few having a tag. They will learn that it's not all about killing an animal but about the overall experience.

 

[LopeHunter]

I would say that you wouldn't want to apply as a party for the most part. That would be a ton of pressure filling a lot of tags with young kids.

Apply some here and some there and hunt together with only a few having a tag. They will learn that it's not all about killing an animal but about the overall experience.

Take the whole brood camping or hiking but not hunting. Hunting requires a lot of safety supervision when is merely a group of adults in camp so once you mix in young kids then mistakes will be made in the excitement or boredom of the moment. Let each kid get his 14 year old pronghorn adventure with no other kids along. Will be a rite of passage. Similar to getting driver's license. Having a few days with just you is likely a rare and special treat when 6 people in a household.

 

[rmyoung1]

I’m entering this adventure now myself. I think it’s gonna be hard to apply the youngsters together as a party, but if you or your wife or a father, etc. want to apply as a party when they reach hunting age, then you’ll be helping out those kids quite a bit. For example, I have 4 cow elk points in UT. I have an eye on burning those when my 9-yr-old hits 12 in a party app with him. Should net us a pretty solid late-season cow elk hunt. With my oldest, who is 12, I’m applying this fall in a party with him and his older cousin in WY for antelope. His cousin and I will help him in the draw get a buck tag. It takes some fore-thought but you can plan some fun hunts.

 

[Pucky Freak]

I know several people that put their newborns on lists for season tickets for sports teams, which in my mind is not too much different than buying PP's for hard to draw tags, etc. While I'd really love it if my 2-year-old developed a love of hunting as she grows up, I want to make sure I don't try to guide this path too firmly in case she doesn't latch on to the hunting lifestyle. There are some incredible hunting opportunities out there that require double digit PPs, but even so I'll probably still wait until she's 11 or 12 to get a better gauge on her interest level before even considering starting to accumulate them.

The best times I have had hunting with family have been low-key hunts such as whitetail to fill the freezer, or grouse hunting. These hunts were just as much about sitting around a wood stove at man camp laughing and joking than they were about the actual hunting.

If we're talking a party hunt for moose or some other prized big game animal, I'd strictly go in with other people who are nuts about pursing that animal. I'd prefer to get my $$ worth and focus on filling the tag(s).

 

[Zim]

Haha I think this application fever is just out of control. I dabbled in it for my 3 sons 10-15 years ago. Built up a few very cheap at the time WY points for all of them. Then luckily dumped them all when WY jacked up the rates. None of my sons ended up being interested in hunting at all. It would have been a complete waste of money. Just glad I was smart enough to not let myself get suckered into any more than I did. If they are interested, you don't need points to get them started anyway.

 

[sdkhunter]

I would say that you wouldn't want to apply as a party for the most part. That would be a ton of pressure filling a lot of tags with young kids.

Apply some here and some there and hunt together with only a few having a tag. They will learn that it's not all about killing an animal but about the overall experience.

I think that's good advice... It's a different ball game when you are hunting with kids - having 3 kids with tags may take some of the fun out of it... Even if one 1 draws, you could still all go as a family - then the others can share in the camp/expierence/etc....

 

[ashersdad]

I think that's good advice... It's a different ball game when you are hunting with kids - having 3 kids with tags may take some of the fun out of it... Even if one 1 draws, you could still all go as a family - then the others can share in the camp/expierence/etc....

This is what I have done with my 13 and 15 year olds. We put in individually and if one or two draw, we all go and enjoy the experience. It's worked great so far. Good luck!