Kids and the outdoors

[220yotekiller]

Hey guys, I have a 3 boys, ranging from 1 1/2 to 5. l love to hunt, fish, and generally spend time outdoors and l want the boys to be out with me and my wife. We are less than a month from Wyoming residency so it is going to be a lot more affordable to hunt and fish. l work two jobs so it gets tough to have much family time, so my question is how do we get them to enjoy hunting and fishing and not completely overwhelm them with it? They already love being outside with us so their intrest is already there, l want it to be fun for them and not overwhelm them with it.
How old were your kids when you had them really participating with you? How often would you take them out? Would once a week be to much or should it be less often?
We live in Northern Wyoming so we have a huge amount of opportunity to get out and about, especially fishing, there seems to be water everywhere!

 

[kenton]

Let me first preface my answer by saying that I don't have any kids yet so I may be way off base but I imagine the best strategy would be to involve them as much as they want. If they only enjoy going once a month I don't think you gain anything by making them go more often. If they want to go every single day, congrats to you. I think it would also be important to implement this strategy with each child independently from the others.

 

[chuckchili]

I have two 11 year olds, a boy and a girl. Last year, I took the boy antelope hunting, this year I took the girl. Also, this year I took both on a mule deer hunt. We harvested on all three hunts and even with that little amount of exposure, both seem to be very into going again as soon as possible. I don’t think it matters how often you go- just make the most of it when you go.

 

[EYJONAS!]

Just keep doing what your doing and getting them out. Show them things, teach them things. My kids go with us all the time especially since my wife has started. Sometimes we're break it up when we're out and do little adventures while hunting or fishing. Little hikes and scavenger hunts they want to explore as much as possible and the treasures they find are pretty cute too say the least. Sooner that later they'll pick it up, like riding a bike. The most important rule is just keep it fun and they'll grow into little mad men always wanting to go. Good on ya for getting them out and introducing them to the great unknown.

 

[fishing4sanity]

#1 Patience - when my 4 kids were young, I rarely fished, but stayed very busy fixing lines, etc. My oldest son took his 8 year old son elk hunting this year. He got on some elk and told his son to stay low in a small depression, while my son crawled just a few yards ahead for a better position. My son said the elk suddenly took off and he looked back and his son was jumping up and down trying to see better. However, my grandson saw elk and found a pretty good deer shed, now he talks all the time about when he went hunting with his dad. If they're having fun you're doing it right.

 

[OleRedbeard]

Buy them a couple of BB guns and teach them proper handling. Let them go out and explore and hunt with them around the house. They will hone a love for hunting and the outdoors chasing jackrabbits and other stuff that you cant even imagine. When they get back ask about their hunting and how it went. Set up a few targets in the back yard if possible for them to shoot at. At that age it is about exposure. Let them see the fun they can have in the outdoors. Let that turn into a want to go. You cannot force it on them it will only turn them away. Take them during fair weather in the early years so they don't associate it with freezing. Lots of good cottontail places if you know where to go to take them when they are old enough to shoot. Let them enjoy some higher percentage hunting and also the tasty reward of the end result.
I have two kids (girls) who are now 11 and 13. Both get absolutely ecstatic when I take them. I know before I step out the door that the intensity of the hunt is not going to be what I would expect if it were just myself. I know that at some point in the hunt I'm going to be wondering why they are playin with a snail, stick fighting or out of food and snacks within about 30 minutes of getting to wherever we will hunt. That's ok though because its not about me. Its about making memories that they will never forget and instilling a love for something that gives back way more than what you could ever put into it.
At the age mine are currently I think they go more out of wanting to spend time with me than they do wanting to kill a deer. Even though they have both killed several apiece. Keep in mind that patience and understanding are the biggest things you should take along when you go.
Take them every chance you get and when you do make it about them. If its fishing, Don't even bring rod and reel. You will spend most of your time baiting hooks, untangling lines, unsnagging or digging snacks out of bags. If its hunting make it something fun like rabbit or antelope or something where they will see some game.
Enjoy it! They will be grown before you know it and those hunts you shared will be with them for the rest of your life and theirs. Some of the best memories I have are hunting with my dad.

 

[Panda Bear]

Buy them a couple of BB guns and teach them proper handling. Let them go out and explore and hunt with them around the house. They will hone a love for hunting and the outdoors chasing jackrabbits and other stuff that you cant even imagine. When they get back ask about their hunting and how it went. Set up a few targets in the back yard if possible for them to shoot at. At that age it is about exposure. Let them see the fun they can have in the outdoors. Let that turn into a want to go. You cannot force it on them it will only turn them away. Take them during fair weather in the early years so they don't associate it with freezing. Lots of good cottontail places if you know where to go to take them when they are old enough to shoot. Let them enjoy some higher percentage hunting and also the tasty reward of the end result.
I have two kids (girls) who are now 11 and 13. Both get absolutely ecstatic when I take them. I know before I step out the door that the intensity of the hunt is not going to be what I would expect if it were just myself. I know that at some point in the hunt I'm going to be wondering why they are playin with a snail, stick fighting or out of food and snacks within about 30 minutes of getting to wherever we will hunt. That's ok though because its not about me. Its about making memories that they will never forget and instilling a love for something that gives back way more than what you could ever put into it.
At the age mine are currently I think they go more out of wanting to spend time with me than they do wanting to kill a deer. Even though they have both killed several apiece. Keep in mind that patience and understanding are the biggest things you should take along when you go.
Take them every chance you get and when you do make it about them. If its fishing, Don't even bring rod and reel. You will spend most of your time baiting hooks, untangling lines, unsnagging or digging snacks out of bags. If its hunting make it something fun like rabbit or antelope or something where they will see some game.
Enjoy it! They will be grown before you know it and those hunts you shared will be with them for the rest of your life and theirs. Some of the best memories I have are hunting with my dad.

I agree, good advise

we take them out at a very young age and involve them in as much as possible as soon as possible. But depending on their age, dont take the time afield, past it being fun for them. But dont baby them either. People get scrapes, bruises, even broken bones, it happens. Care for them but dont baby them. I was pretty young the first time, I heard, oh please, thats. ( wherever the hurt was ) a long way from your heart.

I see it both ways, even here on the forum. I know of three people on the forum who have some serious injuries or illnesses and no one on the forum knows about it. Others, oh look I have an ingrown toenail or whatever.

We also make the outdoor activities into games. Who can find the most ( whatever ) in the next hour. Teaching them to read the land. How fast can you put up a tent, build and igloo, and as mentioned by oleredbeard plenty of target practice, bow and arrow, bb, pellet, 22, sling shot, spear. How to make a bow and arrows

and Praise for their accomplishments.

I saw a thread earlier about wondering how an old fellow was going to get his deer to the truck if he shot one. What goes around comes around. Maybe one if the youngsters he taught will do it for him

 

[Randi]

Hey guys, I have a 3 boys, ranging from 1 1/2 to 5. l love to hunt, fish, and generally spend time outdoors and l want the boys to be out with me and my wife. We are less than a month from Wyoming residency so it is going to be a lot more affordable to hunt and fish. l work two jobs so it gets tough to have much family time, so my question is how do we get them to enjoy hunting and fishing and not completely overwhelm them with it? They already love being outside with us so their intrest is already there, l want it to be fun for them and not overwhelm them with it.
How old were your kids when you had them really participating with you? How often would you take them out? Would once a week be to much or should it be less often?
We live in Northern Wyoming so we have a huge amount of opportunity to get out and about, especially fishing, there seems to be water everywhere!

good luck, enjoy, and you will. I can not improve upon what oleredbeard and panda bear have said,

Enjoy your time with them

 

[Pucky Freak]

Over the summer I took my 2-year-old on about a dozen scouting trips. Her favorite: tossing sticks and rocks in the stream. My favorite: She spotted game that I had overlooked on several occasions. She is excited when I come back from hunting as we do touch and feel with the birds and mammals that I bring home. We go fishing together. We visit taxidermy displays on a regular basis. Maybe someday she'll want to go along hunting with me and maybe not. I focus on doing things that she enjoys, keeping it short, and plenty of exposure to all things hunting. There is zero pressure and no grinding through tough weather or getting up at 4 am. This spring we'll be heading to a nature preserve to watch spring turkeys strut, and we'll play with a gobble call.

 

[Pucky Freak]

Also, we do something hunting related about once every week. In my opinion, the biggest enemy you'll face is electronics. My kiddo gets 1 hour electronics per day and the rest is play, time outside, and a little work. A screen glued kid is the worst prep for becoming a hunter IMO.

 

[BearFoot]

I took my kids camping and fishing every chance I got. They have a lot of stories of those early years. My girls do not care for the cold of fall weather, but the boy came along on hunts starting at age seven. I continue to camp, fish and hike, with my kids and grand kids every chance I get. Good Times!

 

[KipCarson]

If they're having fun you're doing it right.

I 100% agree with this statement. My dad has 3 sons, at an extremely early age he took us all hunting. He never made it easy on us and he never made it that much fun unfortunately. 2/3 took to it like a duck to water anyway, but my older brother won’t have anything to do with it. He’s talked before about how miserable he always was in the cold, mosquitoes, being made to sit still for hours and hours etc. and those times of discomfort where zero enjoyment was had is why he’s not interested today. Me and my little brother are fanatics but I still remember the misery he put us through. There comes a time when they’ll need to experience hardship in hunting but starting out is not that time. If they’re enjoying it don’t overthink it, just have fun with them and at the end of the day even if they don’t pick it up they’ll have a pile of memories and a great relationship with their dad!

 

[0uTkAsT]

My daughter didn't have much of a choice, I have been a single dad most of her life in one form or another so she was exposed to the outdoors essentially from birth on, starting as simple as walks in riparian parks to see fish, frogs and birds then later off-roading and camping in the truck, eventually hiking with me and now hunting. The outdoors are ingrained in her to such a degree she'd rather be outside every single minute of every day than be inside watching TV or playing with toys. For a modern city-dwelling youngster, that's pretty unheard of.

 

[Irrelevant]

Hey guys, I have a 3 boys, ranging from 1 1/2 to 5. l love to hunt, fish, and generally spend time outdoors and l want the boys to be out with me and my wife. We are less than a month from Wyoming residency so it is going to be a lot more affordable to hunt and fish. l work two jobs so it gets tough to have much family time, so my question is how do we get them to enjoy hunting and fishing and not completely overwhelm them with it? They already love being outside with us so their intrest is already there, l want it to be fun for them and not overwhelm them with it.
How old were your kids when you had them really participating with you? How often would you take them out? Would once a week be to much or should it be less often?
We live in Northern Wyoming so we have a huge amount of opportunity to get out and about, especially fishing, there seems to be water everywhere!

In terms of fishing, they go every time I go, and have since they were basically born (we took our first child trout fishing at 11 days old). But recognize "you" won't get to do much fishing for then next 5-10 years. You're job is untangling, casting, landing, getting the hook out, rebaiting, rerigging... etc.

 

[2rocky]

Good guidelines above....

I'd say to reward their enthusiasm, and remember that when they are along it is more about them than your success in the field. i think them tagging along well before they can carry a rifle is important. Also having them around other people who can stoke their imagination is important. Listening to old timers talk about out of state hunts created a dream for me as a youngster. So groups like hunting clubs or even an Archery club is important.

Apparently I failed in this regard with my 3 daughters. They have all passed hunter safety but don't have the fire for hunting. The will camp like troopers just don't want to carry a gun...

 

[davinski]

I started taking all 3 of my kids out during diapers, but after that stage you can really spend more time outdoors and go out farther and longer. The key to it all is not to get them miserable. Take lots of snacks and snivel gear. Each kid is different, my boys are just short of 2 years apart and there were several years, like 5 years running, where I could only take one at a time out with me or else it turned into a bicker fest. And don't get crushed if sometimes they just don't take to it. We hiked, hunted, fished, camped, rode ATVs, bikes, skied, all of it. Kid 1 and kid 3 love the outdoors, kid 2 never really took interest in anything besides shooting. And it was not for lack of trying.

A couple pro tips, when you're ice fishing and someone's foot goes into the water, you're done for the day. Just expect it and don't fight it or blow a gasket when it happens...kids will be kids. And regular fishing...just plan on them hooking someone, hopefully you, at least once. If it hasn't happened yet, it will.

I used to grab neat things from my trips, bones, sheds, little skulls, rocks, etc. and plant them around our yard. Then I'd steer the kids to find them on their own by "chance." I finally fessed up to each of them when they're grown that all that stuff was planted. But I like to think it help cement the interest for them.

I wrote up a few lessons learned here, mainly gear oriented:

Kids outdoor gear, outfitting them without breaking the bank or losing your mind

All parents know the struggle of getting your kids outside. You can read for days about benefits of getting them out the door and away from electronics. This is not about that struggle. This is abo…

davestories.wordpress.com

Good luck and keep at it. It will be some of your most rewarding time outdoors!

 

[midwesthunter]

Start by getting them involved in any activity you can that will keep their attention.

Let them determine when its time to go. Don't over do it or they won't want to go.

Make it fun, and have patients.

 

[Pucky Freak]

I was watching Happy Feet with my now 4-year-old when she says, “Daddy, can you shot a penguin?”

 

[JLDemo]

I have a 6 yr old boy, 4 yr old and 5 month old daughters. My biggest advice is to keep it enjoyable. Fishing is pretty easy to take kids but target what they can catch without getting to complicated. Hunting is same process with us, start them out with the easy stuff and then slowly work them into the more tasking hunts.

Started my son off at 3 with dove and 4 with antelope. Both warm weather hunts and fairly easy, depending on my shooting. It wasn't until this year I took him whitetail hunting at 5 and he did great, especially tagging along with archery.

My daughter is the same, she is a beast at finding dove down in the fields and loves to throw on a life jacket and swim into a pond after downed dove. She has a totally different personality than my son and I took her out a few years early for deer. We had our learning curve but she's a little more serious than the other kids and learned when to move and when not too.

Camping is pretty simple. The rules at home don't carry over to the rules of camping. No required naps, they can be loud and swim as much as they want. Shoot bows or bb guns, and no bed time or limit on s'mores. They think they're really something but usually are racked out in their camp chairs by the fire at 8 p.m.

I'm a huge fan of targeting the fun before the feast. All kids are different but I think I took the right approach with my kids and their personalities, they all love to go fishing, hunting and camping. I'll ease them into the heavy stuff such as elk and mule deer, but with the personality difference, they'll be at separate times. Don't put a limit on exposure or experience, you live in a wonderful place for kids and the outdoors. I'm working out the growing pains of moving from Wyoming for a promotion and now trying to get back!