Hope everyone is doing well. What age did you guys start taking your kids turkey hunting? I have a 4.5 year old that says he wants to go( he also says he wants to go moose hunting here in NC) . Im not really concerned with killing one when he's with me (wouldn't turn one down though) I would be just fine spending the time with him.
PS He "killed" his 1st deer this past season. And I have been on many hunts in my 43 years and that was hands down the best hunt I've ever been on......and most challenging LOL.
Any suggestion/recommendations on how to approach taking a little one much appreciated.
Thanks
That's like your grown up kids asking how to be a parent. There's no right or wrong answer. Just do it! You're gonna have opinion after opinion, Just do it! you'll figure it out. But for the love of our Lord...Just take him/her! Those memories are the best you are ever going to have.
It's great that you want to take your son along with you on your hunting trips. With deer in my opinion it's a little different than with taking him turkey hunting and trying to move around and both of you covering a lot of ground. Setting up on a bird with a 4 1/2 year old is just going to be difficult. But the hunt will be special with lots of memories. I see where a blind would play a big part in him being able to move around, eat snacks, play games and take naps. Again it's not necessarily about either of you killing a gobbler, it's more about you both spending time together. I took my son along on hunts and what i did was buy him one of those old pop guns, and he would carry it around with us just like i did with my rifle or shotgun. We would sit in the deer blind and he would pop that gun and act like he was killing a deer. All of this was a process in getting him familiar with guns and having fun as he grew into a hunter. In his early youth before he got a 22 rifle, I got him a Red Rider BB Gun and to this day he still has that weathered and scratched up BB gun... It did take a while before i let him have his first pack of BB's and start shooting cans and other targets. He still talks about that old pop gun and his Red Rider BB gun, more than the other guns he has now ... He remembers his first hunting knife. You will make some of the best memories with him that's for sure... So enjoy your time together, because they grow up so fast. Now my son is serving his country in the Air Force and is stationed at Dover Delaware.
I started taking my son a fare amount when he was 4. During the first year we boogered/bumped an awful lot of turkeys. An unbelievable amount!
Like every turkey we encountered.
He was 5 the next year and I thought I'm gonna have to do something different. We still boogered turkeys but things were getting a lil better. I felt like we needed to some success so I bought my first pop blind and I killed a turkey out of it in front of him. From that point on he was hooked.
Age 6 and using a tripod in that same pop up blind he killed his first.
Age seven he killed his first sitting out in by a tree. Not in blind
Now he is 12yr old and he called up his first gobbler right by himself this past weekend. Without a decoy might I add. Extremely proud daddy here!
My advice is go ahead and get a blind and a tripod. I also recommend a decoy.
It gonna be tough on the lil fellas playing the running and gunning game and that age.
Just my two bits.
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I started my kid off with a Stevens 301 .410 with a Burris FF3 at 3 years old. He's now 7 years old and 19 states into his US Slam (75+% public land) hoping to have his slam completed by age 12
I'd take him turkey hunting this season, and when we got done turkey hunting we would change shells and go Moose hunting. I bet y'all would have a blast walking around making Moose calls.
I would second the blind and decoy strategy. Also limit the time if he starts getting bored or restless.
I also hunt with my son, who is 15 now and can handle himself well. Other than keeping it safe and age appropriate, don't worry too much about strategy. My boy and I get out hunting and have such a good time just being in the woods together and having long talks that we sometimes forget to actually hunt.
My little guy is 9 and has hunted since he was 4. He absolutely loves to hunt. Each passing year the hunts get more serious. At age 4 our "hunting" was more of an outing into the woods.
A good blind with comfy chair, iPad with earphones and snacks are a must. We play tic tac toe on the iPad or another fun game. God has blessed us with some amazing memories!
My 7 year old killed his first a couple days ago. I took him a couple times last year too
My recommendation is
Blind with comfortable chairs
Tripod to rest gun if you have one
Jake and lay down hen
Bring headphones that if he gets bored you can hook up headphones to phone
Setup somewhere you know they frequent
Snacks and drinks
If there's no action and he gets too bored we go down to creek and look for Indian arrow heads
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This answer here
Kids
« Reply #8 on: Today at 08:39:54 PM »
Quote
My 7 year old killed his first a couple days ago. I took him a couple times last year too
My recommendation is
Blind with comfortable chairs
Tripod to rest gun if you have one
Jake and lay down hen
Bring headphones that if he gets bored you can hook up headphones to phone
Setup somewhere you know they frequent
Snacks and drinks
If there's no action and he gets too bored we go down to creek and look for Indian arrow heads
My oldest is 8. She has been going hunting with me since 4. Started deer hunting just sitting in a blind. As she has gotten older she continued to go. She's seen deer and has a blast. Always bring her tablet and snacks. At age 6 she went on her 1st turkey hunt. Sat in a blind with a decoy, she spent the afternoon playing with a box call and trying to learn a pot call. Last season she went 2x once to our private ground and she covered almost all 600 acres looking for a turkey. The next morning she wanted to hunt public. Took her to a spot that is pretty safe. Sitting at the truck waiting to here a bird. 1 gobbled 50 yards behind us on the private field edge. We spent the next 3 hours working around the field trying to get him to commit. She finally looked at me and asked if we could just go fishing. We picked up and went to our fishing place. For me its all about enjoying the time. Hunting on her time and when she's tired of being there I dont make her suffer and wait it out. This season deer hunting we brought her .22 single shot cricket. 10 minutes after sun up the squirrels where everywhere. Being on the property by ourselves that day, she begin shooting at them for the next 2 hours. Finally got out of the shooting house and set up targets. Gave her my shooting stick and let her go thru 100 rounds with her doing everything herself. Tried my .410 and she wanted no more of it at the time. Again I'm not forcing any of it. She wants to shoot a deer next season, told her she has to shoot at least 1k rounds of her .22 then we will switch over to the .243 and go thru at least a box of ammo thru the summer. Always have snacks, fishing poles and what ever else your kid wants to do. Enjoy the days and don't worry about killing anything. Memories will last forever. Goodluck
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No right answer , just take him / her as much as they want to go .
+1 on the blind. When my son was that old he squirmed all over the place. I used to take him to a pop up blind with no intent of killing a bird. We played go fish with cards and ate a lot of candy. Glad i did it
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Take him. Spend the time with him. You'll no regrets that. Even if it's an afternoon hunt and the goal is as much about instilling a love for the outdoors as anything else. Hopefully he'll hear a gobble.
I do not have any children of my own yet, but have helped a guy take a kid the last couple years. Like others have said - a blind is a must if you're not wanting to spook birds. If he's over it after an hour or two, go grab a bite to eat or something and see if he wants to try again. Either way you're spending time outside with your boy, so it'll be worth it.
Like a lot of people have mentioned. Each kid is different. I joined my old man and watched him taking many deer and turkey starting at the age of 4 or 5. He didn't let me pull the trigger on deer or turkey until I was 8. I never felt as though he held me back by waiting a few years. For the kids I've taken 8 seems to be the sweet spot. Some sooner some later. Start them out with a small gun on squirrels and ease into big game. Bring plenty of snacks, set up a blind in a good location where you'll hear plenty of gobbles and let the youngster call even if it doesn't sound good.
Absolutely! Lots of snacks! And keep the kids comfortable and dry. A blind, some decoys and a sleeping bag for the cold mornings.
I had my son out in a blind with me deer hunting was since he was 5. We never hunted Turkeys from a blind. Started him out hunting Turkeys at 7 sitting in the woods. Fidgets are bad for kids, but as long as your expectations are in check, you will make great memories. My boy missed a jake that first year at 7. I then googled "best 20 ga turkey load" and came across TSS, and the rest is history as they say.....lol. From that point onward he's had great success. He killed his first bird that next season at 8. 7-8 is going be prime for starting to be able to reasonably handle a gun outside of a very controlled situation IMO. I'm sure it could get done sooner from a blind with a tripod. My boy is 12 this year and already had 2x the experiences I had at twice his age....I'll agree on general consensus here. Keep it fun, keep your expectations in check, but get him out there! After all nothing is for granted in life....so do as much as you can when you can.
I think every kid is different and every parent's approach to introducing and involving their kids in the outdoors is different.
My oldest is 6. I had him riding on my shoulders checking trail cameras with me in the fall, scouting geese after work during waterfowl season and listening for turkeys at 2 years old. In our house, hunting and the processes/work associated with chasing critters is a 52 week a year lifestyle and I'm fortunate to do "hunting stuff" several days a week during the offseason in conjunction with hunting multiple times a week when seasons are open.
At 4 years old he began deer hunting with me regularly and he watched me shoot 5 does that season.
Because he was so involved in the processes associated with hunting, he naturally transitioned quickly from a spectator/observer to a participant.
He killed his first two turkeys at 5 years old from ground blinds on tripods and a 3rd last year from ground blind on a tripod shortly after his 6th birthday. After his 3rd turkey I told him we were no longer hunting from blinds, or using tripods and we weren't hunting with decoys anymore. He hunted several additional times with birds coming in range but he struggled to see them while sitting in my lap and without decoys to put the bird in perfect position. Because of his success, I felt he needed to experience some failure and learn the skills necessary to become a real turkey hunter.
He killed his 1st deer this fall at 6 years old, as well.
My recommendation is to make sure you have the right gear and the right gun to set your kid up for success. Cold weather means blankets. Snacks and drinks are imperative. When it comes to turkeys, roosting the gobbler the night before and setting up close by ensures an action packed experience that starts immediately the next morning. Additionally, the most important aspect of kids being successful is weapons manipulation from hunting positions. My son spent a ton of time working off his tripod in my trophy room moving his gun around to various mounts and squeezing the trigger.
I've taken a similar approach with my 2 year old and he seems to be as addicted if not more than my oldest was at 2. We'll see how it all works out but I have accumulated an incredible number of memories with my son with an integrated approach.
My oldest is still 6; we leave Friday morning to head to Alabama for his first out of state hunt. I'm beyond excited to have my sidekick in the truck with me to kick off my season.
Best of luck to you.
Quote from: TurkeyReaper69 on March 14, 2023, 08:10:04 PM
I started my kid off with a Stevens 301 .410 with a Burris FF3 at 3 years old. He's now 7 years old and 19 states into his US Slam (75+% public land) hoping to have his slam completed by age 12
Got damn you're a lunatic!! Good luck to the boy.
Really any age so long as they are comfortable. 8 years old was the youngest .
If he says he's ready take him but remember if he says he's tired, cold, wet, done it's time to go home. Go at his pace, it's only a turkey after all. He's more important
Quote from: TurkeyReaper69 on March 14, 2023, 08:10:04 PM
I started my kid off with a Stevens 301 .410 with a Burris FF3 at 3 years old. He's now 7 years old and 19 states into his US Slam (75+% public land) hoping to have his slam completed by age 12
Cool! Keep us posted on your son's progress.
Quote from: Turkeybutt on March 16, 2023, 07:21:50 AM
Quote from: TurkeyReaper69 on March 14, 2023, 08:10:04 PM
I started my kid off with a Stevens 301 .410 with a Burris FF3 at 3 years old. He's now 7 years old and 19 states into his US Slam (75+% public land) hoping to have his slam completed by age 12
Cool! Keep us posted on your son's progress.
Rolls eyes...
Thank you all for the stories. Some good ideas. I am looking forward to our April 1st youth opener. Good luck to everyone this year!
As the parent only you can make the call. My kids are 4 and 6 and they love the outdoors, but I feel like they are lacking in maturity for handling weapons yet. I've been teaching gun safety with nerf type guns for now. I think my oldest will be ready for the pellet gun this summer.
Good luck with your decision.
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Quote from: cuttinAR on March 15, 2023, 11:11:30 PM
Quote from: TurkeyReaper69 on March 14, 2023, 08:10:04 PM
I started my kid off with a Stevens 301 .410 with a Burris FF3 at 3 years old. He's now 7 years old and 19 states into his US Slam (75+% public land) hoping to have his slam completed by age 12
Got damn you're a lunatic!! Good luck to the boy.
Hahahahahahahahahahahah
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