Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Aldeer General Forum Kids

My oldest just turned 13 and he still will not sit still and quiet. My 10 year old is good for about an hour then starts with "Daddy I don't think we are going to see anything".

What do you guys do to help them learn patience and to be still.

Go for about an hr. 2 hrs max, anything longer than that and I get bored myself

I started taking mine really, really young. But like mentioned above, don’t plan on long sits. First and last light. Also - for the little ones - my trick would be to keep them up late the night before for a morning sit and if going in the afternoon, don’t nap them during the day, so either way whenever we get settled they’d just drop to sleep. I’d sit in the quiet and then wake them if/when a critter appeared. Works like a charm.

When my son was 12yo, he would get up before i get up to go to work, get ready, drive our farm truck 1/2mi up the road and go get in the treestand he hung himself. He killed his first deer at 6yo. Killed his first buck by himself in his treestand at 12yo. Hes 15yo now and bow hunting. He was in a tree several hours today. I dont know what to tell you about your situation. I dont think i did anything special. I just took him hunting and he loved it. Every kid isnt going to love it like that. I guess thats ok. The only advice i could give is to make it about them. If theyre sitting in the shooting house with you, its their turn. I know alot of men really have a hard time letting it be the kids turn. I always made it a point to make sure Joseph killed the first deer, after that it was my turn. The one down side to my situation is that i seldomly ever get to hunt with my boy. Hes a little too grown up now. Just keep trying the best you can.

I don't have a problem letting them go first. Problem is we never see anything when they are with me.

Yeah, thats hard to sell there. Ive done alot of work just to get it where we can see a good number of deer regularly. Probably spent too much time and money on it. But its a big part of who we are. My daughter got fired up and wanted to kill a deer one year. We hunted like it was a job. She got two shots but missed both times. She didnt kill a deer that year and didnt want to go any more. I guess she just thought it would be easier. I still make her go sit in the shooting house with me once a year.

It's tough sitting in a stand and being still- even as a 58-yr old geriatric. Something has to make it fun - and I'm not talking about phones or video games.

If the area you are hunting has a pretty good deer population - then it becomes easier, if they are scarce - then much more difficult.

Listen to podcast, music on his phone.
Read a book.
Coloring book.
Play games on his phone, ipad.

If you make it "no-fun" they will stop going.

Put the big guns up get the little ones out some. Go squirrel hunting .

I like the podcast idea but really trying to get him off the electronics some. But if it helps till he gets a deer maybe it will then be more exciting for him.



Did that this past Tuesday and he enjoys it until we aren't seeing squirrels. They're are plenty around the house be we live in "City Limits" that have no reason to be considered city limits. Pellet rifle for the win I guess haha.

I ran cameras the first few years so they'd know they would see something. Don't really have to now as they have grown confident in our methods.

People sit still while deer hunting? I can still perfectly still for over an hour waiting on a gobbler, but deer? Pfft. They need to be quiet is all.

I suggest a ground blind with nothing but a hole for the rifle in the screen. Put it maybe 80 yards from a feeder. Comfortable chairs. That's a kid stand.

Also, look at it as training a hunter, not trying to kill something. I know people are all about having their kid take a break from playing on the phone to shoot their deer for them, but that's not how it has to be.

And take lots of snacks. Lots. I keep a tote in the truck well stocked.

The first time i took my son hunting we sat there about 15minutes and Joseph said "daddy, i dont see any deer". Ill never forget that.

Some kids are diff now a days

Mine goes a handful of times a year - I don’t push it. I took him on an incredible turkey hunt - where everything happened - killed a big strutter in his face - I had a turkey hunting partner for life right ? On way home he said - do u mind if we don’t go again for a while? I was like - Do what???? He repeated - I said oh - ok - that’s fine In shock. He did not go rest of season. I hav taken him to kill a 5 year old buck chasing and he was excited - afterward - he was done for season. I had a 6 year old showing up daily - stud - showed the boy the pics - I was tagged out. He said - nah - give him another year - I said - he does not need one - let’s kill him - never went - Buck will b 8 this year if he here

Some kids r just diff - I hope to get him out 1 more time and I will make it in the most ultimate day - we play cards on the phone - laugh joke - etc - he not like me - not a diehard that eats and breathes it

If I push he prob done forever

My Son used always go to sleep. I actually had to wake him up to kill his first deer, at 10 years old.

Lol i remember when my boys were real little they would always fall asleep about a half hour before dark (perfect timing) and they would wake up just after it was dark and start crying (they was real little) saying they were ready to go home 🤣 Man those was some good times lol

Kid got napping in the stand down is halfway there.

When mine was young he slept all time - he killed one when I woke him up also

That's funny - my son woke me up before he killed his 1st deer. Thanksgiving day when he was 13, we ate lunch with my wife (his mom) and I told her that he would be be gun totter that day. We were sitting in a ground blind full as a tick - he woke me and said, "Dad - there's a big doe on the power line." A minute or so later - we were celebrating. We called my wife/his mom and he said, "I had to wake Dad up." It was the BEST hunt that I have ever been on!!!!

I’d be willing to bet if most folks on here were honest, they’d admit to reading Aldeer from the stand. So, what’s the difference in letting a kid have electronics in the stand? I always limited time in the stand with my kids, when they were young to 1.5-2 hours max. I also picked the perfect conditions to go, hoping to increase our chance of sightings. While I always hunted every weekend before they were born, I realize lost young kids just have that in them.

My Son enjoyed walking through the woods shooting squirrels better than sitting still waiting on a deer.

He does like deer hunting now at 30.