As I’m scrolling through Facebook this morning, I see a lot of kids “5-7 years old” with there first deer. Well that great and I’m glad the kids want to hunt and kill a deer that bad at a young age. But what was learned out of the hunt? If I’m in a blind with my 5 year old and we kill a deer over a corn pile at 10 yards with a cross bow, did we hunt it and kill it or did we just pull a trigger? Does parents not teach there kids how to small game hunt anymore? Learn about squirrels and rabbits then work your way into deer hunting? When I was a kid “early 90s” we didn’t have many doe days in Cleburne county, like 2 or 3 after Christmas Day I think. Hell we didn’t have a lot of deer at all really. But I learned the woods and gun saftey while squirrel and rabbit hunting. Daddy would let me carry my shotgun unloaded constantly preaching saftey to me, until we seen a squirrel the he would hand me a shell. To each his own I guess, I just can’t help but wander if we’re raising trigger pullers now instead of actually outdoorsman and hunters. But I also think that’s why we so many dogs get called into bad shots, and why a lot of grown men only know how to hunt shooting houses. They was never taught how to shoot, where to aim, wait on a good shot etc. How many grown men you know now that don’t know what oak trees are? Or know what a natural funnel is, draws, pinch points, ridges and so many other terms to go into deer hunting. A man should do what’s best for him and his family whatever that may be, I just think for the most part, a kid should learn about the woods, how they work, why they work, and earn a respect for them. Just morning thought while I drink my cup of Brandon. 😁😁
I imagine alot of that is daddy shooting and posting pics. Its good to get kids into the outdoors and hunting is definitely away to do that. I would never let a 5-7 year old near a xbow or even me use one, while someone that age was near. True old school woodsmen are a dieing breed. Now folks are taught by Mossy Oak and Whitetail institute.
For without victory, there is no survival
Re: Has hunting gotten to easy…..
[Re: Be_Cam]
#3514917 10/25/2108:29 AM10/25/2108:29 AM
I get what you are saying but most hunters as a whole are lazy or don’t know any of the skills you mentioned above.
For my family I have taken two totally different approaches with my son than I have with my daughter.
My daughter has always liked spending time outdoors but she hasn’t ever shown much interest in hunting other than squirrel hunting in the pecan trees at the house. So I spoiled her early trying to light a fire for deer hunting. At 6 years old I let her shoot a 7 point off a food plot without her having any work involved in the hunt. She still just doesn’t care for hunting and I’m not gonna force her to do it and make her hate it. So I stepped back and maybe she will take a liking to it later on. She killed her second deer this year (at 8 years old) with a crossbow but still isn’t fired up for hunting.
My Son on the other hand is 4 years old and he loves everything outdoors. He stays right with me step for step. He will be taught completely different because he already has the “Want To”. More than likely he will also kill his first deer at an early age but he will also have more woods knowledge than most kids twice his age. I took him with me on 3 hunts last year and he done surprisingly good for how high strung he is. Lol
Re: Has hunting gotten to easy…..
[Re: Be_Cam]
#3514924 10/25/2108:37 AM10/25/2108:37 AM
My son killed his first deer when he was 6 and 1/2 years old, and would have killed one the year prior if he hadn't been shooting at its head.....LOL!!
I think people overestimate the effectiveness of corn. Now that it's legal, you pretty much have to use it, if not for anything else than to keep deer on y our property. But it isn't the end all be all. I have had a feeder out for 3 weeks broadcasting corn twice a day, and not a single deer has come in and ate any of it. Perhaps it's the development on the front side of our lease, that has upset them, or maybe its because we have a bumper crop of white oaks dropping this year. I tend to think its the acorns myself.
That said, what I have found when observing deer and corn is they don't stay and eat on it long. Maybe only 5 minutes, and then they move on, unless its in a green field, then they usually will eat greens too. I think its effective for stopping a deer long enough to look at it, but for the most part, I haven't seen a mature buck come to a corn pile during the daylight in the 3 years its been legal to hunt over it, and I think it creates extra pressure. Unless you use a feeder. Most everyone who throws it on the ground hangs a camera on it. Then everything in the woods eats it, which means you have to come in and add more, and of course, everyone wants to check their camera when they do.
I wish we would go back to doe season. I saw way more deer back then. You could sit on a green field and see deer every day. Now.... everyone pounds every doe that sets foot on them, so they are nocturnal just like the bucks.
Re: Has hunting gotten to easy…..
[Re: Be_Cam]
#3514941 10/25/2108:49 AM10/25/2108:49 AM
I try not to judge any style anymore (although I’m certainly guilty in the past). But I’m not putting a crossbow in the hands of an able bodied child of mine. I stated that here a few years ago, and I was definitely judged by members here and highly questioned.
Re: Has hunting gotten to easy…..
[Re: Be_Cam]
#3514949 10/25/2108:59 AM10/25/2108:59 AM
I grandson is 5 and he hunted with us last year. He probably sat in the stand 10 times total. My advice to my son was to not take a phone or ipad in the stand. Kids have no business watching YouTube in a shooting house. Kids have no business on a phone in a shooting house or restaurant. Those two places are great places to parent a child and parents today are letting that slip away.
I was left in an old wooden later stand when I was a 10 year old kid. It was cold and I am sure they came and picked me up around 10 but it felt like two days. This important... stuff should be hard sometimes. On the child and the parent.
Re: Has hunting gotten to easy…..
[Re: Be_Cam]
#3514953 10/25/2109:06 AM10/25/2109:06 AM
One of the biggest things I am seeing from the 5 year old successful deer hunter, is the use of vises in the shooting house. Fathers are setting up vises in the shooting house so Timmy can get a deer before they can really shoot a rifle... what is the harm in waiting until they can actually fire a rifle on their own.
Nothing... its the parents own need to get a rush from Timmy succeeding in life. Ole dad can't wait... he needs to let everyone know ole Timmy killed at deer before everyone else. Sad times
Re: Has hunting gotten to easy…..
[Re: turkey247]
#3514955 10/25/2109:09 AM10/25/2109:09 AM
I try not to judge any style anymore (although I’m certainly guilty in the past). But I’m not putting a crossbow in the hands of an able bodied child of mine. I stated that here a few years ago, and I was definitely judged by members here and highly questioned.
I don’t let my kids hunt archery season in Alabama with a crossbow but my daughter went to Illinois with my Father in law on his property and used his.
I am a firm believer that Archery Season should be for bows that you have to draw and release with the game within range. Hunting with a crossbow is basically the same as hunting with a .22 rifle. It doesn’t require any more skill than rifle hunting.
Re: Has hunting gotten to easy…..
[Re: bama_earl]
#3514965 10/25/2109:22 AM10/25/2109:22 AM
One of the biggest things I am seeing from the 5 year old successful deer hunter, is the use of vises in the shooting house. Fathers are setting up vises in the shooting house so Timmy can get a deer before they can really shoot a rifle... what is the harm in waiting until they can actually fire a rifle on their own.
Nothing... its the parents own need to get a rush from Timmy succeeding in life. Ole dad can't wait... he needs to let everyone know ole Timmy killed at deer before everyone else. Sad times
Don’t get me wrong I understand what you mean but at the same time I see a lot of adults that should really invest in a good shooting rest/vise. If you don’t believe me just look at how many people need tracking dogs.
When someone gets ready to kill a deer with a high powered rifle that is capable of accurately shooting 1000 yards topped with a $1800 rifle scope that will zoom in so close you can count the ticks in his ear is it really anymore cheating to make sure you have a good solid rest.
Re: Has hunting gotten to easy…..
[Re: Be_Cam]
#3514968 10/25/2109:24 AM10/25/2109:24 AM
Who cares if a 5 year old sits on a dump truck load of corn and shoots a spike with a crossbow at 70 yds? The kid is having fun outside, providing groceries for mama, making memories with his dad, and lets not forget it’s just a dang goat. I’d venture to guess that most of you will be in a shooting house staring at some corn before the season is over lol.
Micah 6:8
Re: Has hunting gotten to easy…..
[Re: Be_Cam]
#3514969 10/25/2109:24 AM10/25/2109:24 AM
I could write an essay on what I think about this. Everyone wants to talk about longevity in passing down their love of the outdoors to their children. But then all they do is take a kid who is too young IMO put them in a shooting house and let them blast the first doe they see. Over a few decades where that leads is pretty much nowhere. Those kids become adults and "hunting" becomes nothing other than deer hunting. AND the only way they know is to sit in a shooting house and blast does. That's not going to stick through several generations. Just because it's easy doesn't mean that's what you should teach. Personally IMO.... if you want to talk about the lack of carrying on this tradition look no further than right there.
How many 10 year old kids do you know that could take a .22 rifle into the woods and walk out with a limit of squirrels in a morning? I'm betting ZERO. I'm betting you probably know ZERO adults that could do it as well.
I could do it when I was 10 no problem. I can still do it. I think hunting can teach you more about your self than anything a kid would experience at a baseball field....but, that's dependent on how you go about it.
Being a good "woodsman" is NOT being passed down. At all IMO.
No government employees were harmed in the making of this mess.
Re: Has hunting gotten to easy…..
[Re: TurkeyJoe]
#3514977 10/25/2109:34 AM10/25/2109:34 AM
Who cares if a 5 year old sits on a dump truck load of corn and shoots a spike with a crossbow at 70 yds? The kid is having fun outside, providing groceries for mama, making memories with his dad, and lets not forget it’s just a dang goat. I’d venture to guess that most of you will be in a shooting house staring at some corn before the season is over lol.
I don't care if you do it with your child... but I don't believe its a good idea long-term. It just does not build a hunter, in my opinion. There is just no need to rush it... make it really worth something.
Re: Has hunting gotten to easy…..
[Re: Be_Cam]
#3514979 10/25/2109:34 AM10/25/2109:34 AM
I think a lot of parents/grandparents want so bad to brag to their friends/family/social media that their kid killed a deer that they don't want to wait for the kid to be old enough to realistically do so (I understand this isn't always the case, but it is in a lot of cases). GomerJr was 8 before he killed his first. A lot of kids he knew from school/church/family were 'killing' deer at 4 or 5 yrs old and he didn't understand why he couldn't. I explained to him that in a lot of those cases, the adult was shouldering and aiming the gun, and simply had the kid reach up and touch the trigger. I told him that no matter what those folks say, that is NOT "killing a deer". I told him he could kill his first when he was able to hold/aim/fire the gun on his own, and that's what he did at 8yrs old. He may have been "behind" some of his friends, but he'll remember it better than them, and he (and I) will know he did it the "right" way. I was lucky enough to get GomerJr's first on video. He aimed and fired MY gun himself. He found the deer in the scope on his own, put the crosshairs in the spot we'd discussed and practiced, and fired it on his own, and you can see in the video after we find the deer that he nailed her about as perfect as one could ask for. The only "help" I offered was putting my hand behind the butt pad to try to stop some of the recoil so he didn't get scoped in the eye (he still almost did), since he was shooting my gun and the stock was too long.
There are 3 certainties in an uncertain world:
1. All Politicians Are Liars 2. All Gun Laws Are an Infringement 3. Taxation Is Theft
Re: Has hunting gotten to easy…..
[Re: Be_Cam]
#3514981 10/25/2109:35 AM10/25/2109:35 AM
... I know a lot of grown men that don’t know much about the woods just because they never got taught. I was pretty lucky to have a good dad and other mentors that has taught me about the woods, plus I still learn new things every time I go into the woods.
I think you answered your own question.
Lots of grown men have no idea "how to hunt" outside of sitting in a shooting house because that's all they've ever known because there was no one to teach them. Now all they can do is pass down the knowledge they have (which is minimal).
My challenge to all of you: take a kid hunting that doesn't belong to you. If you have kids, let them bring a friend. If we don't teach them, who will?
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." - Thomas Jefferson
Re: Has hunting gotten to easy…..
[Re: Be_Cam]
#3514982 10/25/2109:36 AM10/25/2109:36 AM
I think the term "hunting" in the truest sense went out years ago. I mean, what are you "hunting". With the new baiting law isn't it more like sitting, waiting and shooting?
Re: Has hunting gotten to easy…..
[Re: Be_Cam]
#3514983 10/25/2109:36 AM10/25/2109:36 AM
One problem is a lot of men these days don't know how to hunt any different...I really don't care how u wanna do it but mines gonna learn the old fashioned way 1st then he can do whatever he wants...my 1st bow kill was when I was 12 and I toted a treestand to the top of a ridge in Tennessee and thought I was gonna die but my dad said that's where I needed to be I lucked up with it only weighing 40lbs it was easy drag downhill lol
I can say that I've not done enough to get my 9yr old to wanna hunt like I did but I don't care what his passion is as long as he has some outdoor hobbies, he likes fishing more than me
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. Ben Franklin
Re: Has hunting gotten to easy…..
[Re: Be_Cam]
#3514991 10/25/2109:47 AM10/25/2109:47 AM
I like taking mine to the edge of a 55k acre wilderness, strip him down to his undies and tell him i'll be back in a week. I do give him a water straw but the rest is on him. He's 6.
He ties flies with his pit hair, he's a tough son of a gun.
Last edited by FreeStateHunter; 10/25/2109:47 AM.
Re: Has hunting gotten to easy…..
[Re: Be_Cam]
#3514995 10/25/2109:53 AM10/25/2109:53 AM
A lot of folks on here are angry that the people who do this do it just to brag....... then they brag about how they raised their kids different. These posts always blow my mind.
60 year old men talking about when they were 10, heck that's 50 years ago..... imagine if we did everything like we did 50 years ago..... there wouldn't be no Aldeer to complain about others way of doing things.
If a kid, a man, a woman ever shoots a deer standing on top of 6k lbs of corn with a 50 cal so what, that's them. Do what you do but don't talk about it, be about it.
It reminds me of the story in the Bible where Jesus referred to the Pharisee's boasting about how holy they were and how they would pray out in the open for everyone to see. They received their glory right then and there but they missed the big prize.
If someone has had the opportunity to learn or teach someone a different way of hunting view that as a blessing and not a short coming of the other fellow.
Re: Has hunting gotten to easy…..
[Re: Be_Cam]
#3514997 10/25/2109:58 AM10/25/2109:58 AM
My main reason for teaching mine the old fashioned way is because there may come a time when these resources and gadgets may not be available...if it weren't for that I'd be all about the easiest methods of killing deer...
They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. Ben Franklin
Re: Has hunting gotten to easy…..
[Re: Be_Cam]
#3515000 10/25/2110:03 AM10/25/2110:03 AM
With all of ^^^that^^^ said (including my own post above), let's be honest.....a lot of skill isn't really required to kill a deer in AL, particularly if you're not trying to kill "trophy" deer. I wanted GomerJr to do the aiming/shooting on his own out of principle, and it was a learning experience in how to go out, find a blood trail and follow it to track an animal, but ultimately I look at deer hunting as something to do to relax and just chill out. I'm not into it enough to put a lot of work in it. I want to sit in a comfortable shooting house, preferably in a nice comfy office chair, and wait for something to meander by so I can shoot it.
Turkey season is for "hunting".
Last edited by GomerPyle; 10/25/2110:17 AM.
There are 3 certainties in an uncertain world:
1. All Politicians Are Liars 2. All Gun Laws Are an Infringement 3. Taxation Is Theft
Re: Has hunting gotten to easy…..
[Re: GomerPyle]
#3515007 10/25/2110:12 AM10/25/2110:12 AM
That’s exactly where I’m at with my deer hunting,20 years ago was a different story but today for me it’s about relaxing and spending time with friends and family outside if someone is fortunate enough to kill a big buck that’s just icing on the cake.
![[Linked Image]](https://i.imgur.com/1mXVb4S.jpg)
