Let's get our kids out hunting

This article was first published in my email newsletter in August of 2024. I've added it to my website, because I think the information is useful in general, not just for the month it was published. If you'd like to keep up with the latest hunting information, including my open dates and available hunts, you can subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of this page.

Take your kids hunting. That’s my message today. Doing that is incredibly valuable, to you, to your kids, to the environment, and to the sport. So let me talk about the ‘why’, ‘when’, and ‘how’ of youth hunting.

FIRST, SOME 'WHY'

Everything you read today tells you how things are tough for the current generation of youngsters. They spend way too much time staring at computer screens. They’re devoted to (and, experts say, depressed by) social media. They’re not physically fit, and, to the extent that they’re involved with sports, they’re playing organized team sports where parents are nothing but spectators and chauffeurs.

Kids need to spend time outdoors, disconnected from their phones and connected to you.

Hunting can do that. It builds fitness, it helps children to understand and enjoy the outdoors, it teaches them patience, it connects them to a tradition that’s as old as this country, and it lets them develop skills they can be proud of. And all of this happens while they’re having fun. With you.

By the way, this isn’t just something for your boys. In today’s world, girls play basketball, they play soccer, they snowboard, they’re confident and athletic. Hunting is a great sport for them, because in hunting, it doesn’t matter much how big you are. It matters how skilled you are.

NOW A BIT ABOUT 'WHEN'

It’s pretty much never too early to start taking your kids with you when you hunt.

A five-year-old can join you on a hunt, and that’s a good age at which to introduce the whole concept of hunting. No, you’re not going to hand that five-year old a rifle, but you can take him (or her) along with you and start teaching the basics — identifying wildlife and understanding their behavior, moving quietly, waiting patiently. Yes, your child will probably cramp your hunting style — making too much noise, moving too slowly, getting tired out too soon — but that’s not really the point.

Kids at this age adore their parents. They want to be like their parents. If you share something you love with them, they’ll love it, too. And they’ll love just spending the time doing something together with you. That’s an experience they won’t forget or outgrow. And neither will you.

A bit later — maybe around age ten — your kids can graduate to more direct participation. They can start using small-caliber rifles under your close supervision. You should be teaching them how to handle a rifle, gun safety, hunting ethics, and shooting skills. They can hunt for small game, like squirrels and rabbits. This is a great time to really emphasize the basics of shooting. The rules you preach repeatedly at this age are the things they’ll still remember as adults.

Then, when they’re in their early teens, they can graduate to more powerful rifles and to larger game, like deer and turkey. Throughout this period, you should continue to emphasize shooting skills, gun safety, and hunting ethics. Those things should become second nature to them.

'HOW' SHOULD YOU GO ABOUT THIS?

My rules for introducing your kids to hunting are these:

1. Make it fun

2. Make it safe

3. Make it fun

Let me start with ‘make it safe’.

You know how important it is to teach your kids gun safety. But don’t just talk the talk, you should also walk the walk. Show your kids that gun safety is important by following all the rules yourself. Sometimes as hunters get more experienced, they can get a bit careless. You shouldn’t do that, for your own good, and you certainly shouldn’t model that kind of behavior to young hunters.

You should also get the right safety equipment for your kids.

They should definitely have ear protection and eye protection. Your child’s hearing and vision are far too important to be taken casually. Get them some safety glasses and some ear muffs. There are great ear protectors out there that let ambient sound through but cut off loud sounds. That’s perfect for hunting.

And I’d take ear protection a step further and make suppressors standard equipment on every rifle you use. That’s what I do; I’ve got a suppressor on every one of my rifles. I consider it part of the serious hunter’s basic toolkit. And note that a suppressor does not have a negative effect on your shots. When you zero your rifle, simply zero it with the suppressor — the process is no different than for a rifle without a suppressor. And don’t worry about the suppressor’s effect on velocity, it’s so small as to be irrelevant in a hunting situation.

When you’re hunting, you should always carry a first aid kit. As your kids get older, they should have their own kit, and they should know how to use it. Eventually they’ll be hunting on their own and with their friends, and you’ll feel a lot better knowing you’ve prepared them.

Now let’s talk about the ‘fun’ part.

You want your kids to know from the start that hunting is fun. It’s natural for kids to enjoy the outdoors, to enjoy doing things with their parents, to enjoy learning from their parents. But you have to remember that they’re kids — they don’t have the patience, strength, endurance, or judgement that they’ll have when they get older. When they get tired or bored or they start getting sloppy, that means they’re no longer having fun. It’s time to stop.

Developing shooting skills is important, and there are some guidelines for how you do that.

First, you should choose the right-size rifle for your child. It shouldn’t be awkward to handle, and the recoil shouldn’t be too powerful for your child’s age and size. The rifle should also be fitted with a suppressor and your child should be wearing ear protection. That’s partly safety, but you also have to remember that young children can be scared by the sound of a rifle firing right next to their head, so it’s also part of keeping things fun.

Of course, some noises are better than others.

Kids love the clang when their shot hits a metal target, so get a metal target for practice shooting.

I’d also suggest getting your kids involved in some youth hunting programs. Two that I highly recommend are the Texas Buckskin Brigade and the Texas Youth Hunting Program. Both programs provide your kids with real-life hunting skills and mentorship.

At some point, your child will be ready to join you on a hunt with me. Not to get a trophy — at least not right away — but just to get the experience of going on a serious hunt. With you.

I think there are two ways to do this. You can go together on a physically less-challenging hunt, like a blackbuck hunt. Or you can bring your child along as an observer on your trophy hunt. In that case, after you bag your trophy, your son or daughter can go after a hog. You get to hunt together, but you’ll only pay for the single trophy.

Before you do that first hunt, make sure your young hunter is prepared. You should already have taught them the basics of gun safety and shooting. They should have the strength and endurance for a rugged hunting experience.

There’s a bonus to this, too. I like working with kids. I’m an experienced teacher. During that first hunt, let me educate your young hunter. I can help them improve their stalking skills and their field shooting skills. They won’t just observe, they’ll actively learn.

Hunting with your kids is a great way to bond with them and to teach them your values. And it will get both of you off your phones.