Paul Annear
Setting up your land for a young hunter takes intentional effort.
Young deer hunters have different needs and aspirations in order to deem a hunt “successful.” Most youth hunters display very little patience, want instant gratification, and of course want to shoot a buck. As a hunter who is creeping into a few different stages of my hunting career, I find my definition of a successful hunt very different than just 10 or 12 years ago.
I enjoy hunting for the fresh air and solitude as much as coming home with venison. After long walk up to the top of a turkey hunting ridge in southwestern Wisconsin’s hill country this spring, I quickly found out my 10-year-old son didn’t enjoy the 20 minute walk that found us climbing 350 feet in elevation as much as I did. There was a little complaining and already talks of wanting to head back.
To make the overall hunting experience more enjoyable for a young hunter, you may need to change a few things on your property. It might set up great for a guy in his mid 30’s wanting to grind away for two weeks in a row to find and kill a buck during the rut, but not so much for a youth hunter. Small changes can add up to much more enjoyable experience for kids. Here some changes I’ll be implementing soon to ensure my kids keep returning with me to the woods.
Take a Softer Approach
“Grab my 30_06, be quiet, don’t move, and I’ll pick you up at dark.” Those are the words many adult hunters of the last few generations spoke to their children on opening day of rifle season. I’ve heard the stories; my dad has a few of them. Call me soft, but that won’t be my approach with my young kids. I’ll be providing more guidance and teaching.
Simply put, it’s a different era of hunting where we may need to approach things differently to retain new hunters. If you’re a sports fan, you know professional sports leagues look entirely different than they did just 15-20 years ago. Pitchers used to go 9 innings and defensive backs in football were allowed to blow up wide receivers on crossing routes. Those things don’t happen today.
Things change, society changes. So does hunting. Hunting is easier than it was just 15 years ago, so in a lot of ways hunting has swung in the complete opposite direction of where we were just over a decade ago without cellular cameras and top notch blind technology. If allowed to do so, young hunters have it easy and don’t have to earn it quite as much as they did a while back. That’s a new-age battle modern hunting parents are faced with.
I’m all for involving kids in the process of the hunt, but understanding your child’s view of hunting is very malleable at their young stage, and taking a softer approach may be appropriate if you want a hunting buddy for life. So, setting up the property well is key, but a good mindset has to come first.
Mask Their Imperfections
Kids are loud, that’s the way it is. This won’t change just because you’ve walked outside the walls of your home or removed them from an afternoon free of quarrels with their siblings. They’re going to be loud walking to the stand, and while on stand.
To reduce noise and make the walk in more enjoyable, you should use a mower or find another way to clear trails to and from your hunting locations beforehand. I know some hunters who take part of a day and use a leaf blower or a tractor brush attachment to remove leaves on access trails.
Not only will mowing trails direct deer travel, but it will also reduce foot step noise and number of burrs or stickers your young hunter collects on their clothing. Collecting burrs on our clothing is a simple annoyance for you and me, but it can ruin a kid’s experience and be something they don’t want to put up with.
If your land lays out well to drive close to your hunting locations, do it. You’ll not only save time but also eliminate a lot of complaints and sweating from your young hunter!
Go Big or Go Home
Sticking your kid in a cold tree stand on a frigid day is a recipe for frustration, and about a 30 minute hunt. If you have the budget and ability to place a blind on your land, you should do it.
Hard-sided blinds increase comfort levels and mask a kid’s noise, movement, and scent. Some of the best days to hunt are during cold fronts, making long sits tough on an impatient youth hunter lacking the comfort of a blind.
Blinds greatly increase the hunting experience with a kid. Toss in a propane heater and you’ve essentially moved your living room to the field. Don’t discount pop-up blinds though, they also reduce a ton of movement, scent, and keep young hunters warmer too.
The lesson here is, make the hunt comfortable. If you force them to be a little miserable just for the sake of making them ‘earn it’, you may lose their interest entirely and regret it. If don’t set up blinds, make sure they can sit comfortably from a ladder stand and feel safe with a lifeline and safety harness.
There is a very fine line here and understand each child is different in terms of what they will tolerate. Also, don’t skimp on buying quality gear for young hunters. Oftentimes we stick them in cheaper camo clothing knowing they’ll grow out of things soon.
Tee It Up
In today’s age of deer hunting, many adult hunters have a distinct choice in how easy or difficult they want to make their hunt. Budgets and time constraints get in the way of course, but with food plots, box blinds, and advancements in trail camera technology and weapons, we have a lot of choices on how we want to hunt.
This presents a difficult question adults are confronted with for their youth hunter - how do we balance not making hunting too easy, while also not making it so difficult they lose interest in the sport.
I would air on the side of making these easier rather than harder. If you’ve been putting off implementing a nice big food plot that you know will boost hunting opportunities for you and your young hunter, maybe this is the year to do it and start making memories.
Hunting is hard enough as it is when you plant food, run trail cameras, and hunt out of scent-proof blinds. You can’t make hunting automatic, but you can go to certain lengths to make it easier to have success. If baiting and feeding is legal where you hunt and that’s how you want to hunt, by all means go for it.
It’s About Them
Hunting is really no different than parent/child dynamics in youth sports. Is it about you, or is it about your child learning, having fun, and improving? Too many times we get caught up in the moment and the hunt becomes something we never intended for it to be.
I am by no means anti-crossbow, but if I had a choice I have to be honest and say I would rather have my kids begin hunting with vertical equipment. That being said, they aren’t strong enough for that yet and if I purchase a crossbow, it will open up weeks of hunting opportunities we’d otherwise be missing out on. So here I am, peeking at crossbows to give my kids more opportunities.
In the end, make your kid feel significant and special on the day of the hunt. Do something unique or different before or after a hunt like going out for breakfast or packing some snacks for the hunt that you would otherwise limit around the house. Make it all about them.
