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Montana Youth Deer - 2018

Pondera

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Joined
Feb 3, 2017
Messages
157
Location
North Central Montana
Getting geared up and excited for our 2 day youth hunt here in Region 4 of Montana. My daughter took hunters safety earlier in the year and she is minute-of-milk-jug with her 7mm-08 at a reasonable distance. My son has a couple years under his belt and is ready to help his sis. I hunted big game only a few times in my youth and mostly bird hunted until my kids were of age. Now my son and I eat, sleep, and breath big game! Something about helping a young person get their first animal...it brought hunting to a whole other level for me. I try to bring ethics and safety into every outing, whether that is target practice or the actual hunt - but we focus on the fun also. They are getting exposed to some harsh realities that you just cannot get any other way. We talk about embracing the "suck" and how there are different "types" of fun. I really try to stress that this isn't an instant gratification sport, and success isn't conditional on harvest. I am hoping that will be the legacy that I pass on.

At the same time that my kids and I were getting serious into hunting was when I started to open my eyes to the issues surrounding our sport and the importance of public lands. I found this forum, Newburgs's content, and the Meateater crew's efforts to be very informative. I seem to learn something new everyday and these issues have changed my entire perspective on politics. I would like to thank everyone who contributes to this forum-We have a great mix of objective and incredibly well informed contributors and I feel like we are on the edge of some very exciting yet challenging times.
 
A follow up to our youth hunt:

Daughter did great - we hunted harder and farther then I initially thought we would and had a couple of great encounters with mule deer. She punched her tag late one evening when it all came together and we have some fresh wild meat vac-packed in the freezer!

Here's what worked for me - Decent weather, Block Management, practicing early with a youth rifle that fit her, bi-pod, binoculars on a tripod so everyone got a turn to look at something, hand warmers, and lots of snacks.

My son and I had our own set of adventures and some opportunities but didn't fill our tags. Probably saw more wildlife this year then I ever have so for me it was successful. Hunting for this year was a puzzle of animals on the wrong side of the fence, animals that present themselves the week after the season closes to permit only, and animals that I have have about a .01% of drawing permits for. Actual game I have tag for = scarce...
 
I missed this the first time around. It's awesome to spend time out in the field - and great to see new hunters being made.

Great tips, as I'll be doing this soon myself (niece will be taking Hunter safety this year, next is my daughter).

Thanks for the post - and good luck in future seasons!
 
Leupold BX-4 Rangefinding Binoculars

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