Getting Youths Involved

[BusterMcThunderstick]

I am taking my 8-year-old daughter out with me this year, but she won't be on the trigger.  I just want to get her out in the field and gauge whether she wants to get into it.  She's pretty excited.  I also am going to take my 16-year-old nephew out with me.  When I talked to him about it the other night, I cold tell he has never even thought about the possibility of hunting turkeys.  I picked him up a choke and told him to start studying up on birds since they are much different that deer.  Our season here in Indiana doesn't open until April 25th so he has time to study up and get his gun sighted in.  I also gave him an old slate call to start toying with.
My question is this...would you guys suggest I invest in a ground blind?  I know that's a pretty broad question.  My thinking is that with my daughter, I don't want her to have to sit through a Spring rain and get soaked and end up thinking that turkey hunting sucks and give up on it.  Also, she's a pretty active kid and I don't want to have her get frustrated with me every time I tell her she has to sit still.
As for my nephew, I want to be able to monitor what he is doing so I want him close to me at all times until he gets the hang of it.  He's a smart, responsible kid, but he just doesn's have a lot of experience in the field yet.
I was thinking about buying a ground blind, but I am almost thinking I could get a couple of the stake & panel type blinds for much cheaper while still not giving up concealment.  I reckon I could invest in some rain gear for my daughter or get her a camo umbrella or something.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[jakebird]

Taking youngsters is awesome, but youre right, we need to take a few more steps to make sure the experience is a good one for them. Sounds like youre on the right track. A ground blind (full enclosure) may be a great investment. My 7yr old son shot his first gobbler during a downpour last april. Thank God for the tree umbrella and the fact that i'd brushed in a natural blind the week before when i located those birds and their strut zone. Those two factors kept us mostly concealed and dry. Failure to prepare likely would have left us with a brief, wet, and disappointing hunt instead of hugs, tears (mine not his  :p) high fives, and a photo shoot. Best of luck!

[dirt road ninja]

I think a blind would be a good investment. I too am going to be introducing my 8 year old to turkey hunting this spring. We've already put out several blinds out with more to follow this weekend. I set them up in groups 2-3 around roosting areas and travel routes a few hundred yards apart. That way if he gets bored or the turkeys are not heading our way, we can move to a new spot without a long hike. We already had a few tent blinds from deer hunting together, so I didn't have to go buy new ones. I also got my son a few calls this winter to let him practice and learn on. He runs a trumpet and wing bone much better than me.

I started taking him with me rabbit hunt when he was 3. He started learning how to shoot a bb gun at about the same time. At 4 I had him shooting a .22. The summer he turned 5 I taught him to shoot a scoped .22 and that when he really got into. It didn't take long before he was busting bottle and cans @ 90 yards from a bench. We then move to shooting off the porch rail with no sand bags and no rear rest. Shortly after that he was hitting balloons @ 100 yards. Late that summer I bought a .243 with the same length of pull and the same scope as the .22 he was used to. I shot the gun and sighted it in without him. When deer season rolled around I felt he was ready to hunt. He killed 2 the first year and several since, including some nice bucks.  I never let him shoot the hunting rifle, unless it's at an animal. I know I started shooting deer rifles that kicked to hard at a young age and it took years for me to stop flinching.
I think the key to hunting with small kids is not letting them get to bored. My boy carries pocket video games and will bring a book sometimes. We've had plenty deer get by us because we were goofing off, but we were having fun. Also, letting them have their own hunting stuff seems to help. Be it a pack with some binoculars and rope or an old knife, they seem to like knowing it's theirs to use and take care of.
Good Luck

[jakebird]

Ninja, you brought up a great point about giving the youth a little bit of ownership of the hunt besides sitting still and pulling the trigger. Letting them make a few calls here and there really means alot to them. A good starting place is blowing locator calls. Who cares if they arent perfect replications. If a kid hits a crow call and a gobbler rattles back, i believe you may just have that kid hooked. This spring i'm making it a point to let my son do some of the initial calling, and hopefully i'll only have to do the "finish" work, aka the last cluck a gobbler hears!    He loves having his own calls and his own little twenty gauge.

[twinters]

ground blind would be the way to go,taking my 15 yr old daughter an i am using a blind for that hunt,she is kinda adhd when she is hunting,wants it to happen now.give it a try

[remmy1187]

Ground blind for sure with your daughter, it is next to impossible for a youngster to sit still especially for an extended time.  I would say let the 16 year old decide if he wants to sit in a blind or not.  Make him keep the cell-phone in the vehicle or he might be texting instead of focusing on turkey hunting!  Good luck!

[yankeedeerslayer]

Blinds have made it possible for me to keep the remaining sanity I have left and still get my boys out in the woods. We can talk, steal each others snacks, sip a pop and even read and not mess up the hunt. We have had deer at only 15 feet from the window looking right at a wide eyed 6 year old that will likely never forget that sight.

Blinds can be a lot of work depending on where your setting up and if you carry it to the spot or leave it for the season. I hunt public land for the most part so I set up and break down every time we go. Blind, gun, two chairs, shooting sticks, food and drink, hand held game and other junk. Yes, it's a lot to tote in but when you can catch a few Zs while the boy plays gameboy it's worth it.

[miketphoto]

My 10 year old has gotten both of us into hunting with this coming turkey season being our first.  Based on all the research I have done here and else where a blind is the way to go.  I just ordered a Doghouse from Cabela's yesterday. They have them on sale right now.

[sugarray]

Ground blind all the way!!!  I have been taking my son since he was 4, and he killed his first at 6 last year. 

Don't count your daughter out.  Get some dove loads at Wal-Mart and let her shoot a full pop can at 20 yds or so.  She will love seeing it explode.  She will show you she is ready. 

[Epson]

Just remember the thread topic, it's all about the youth. When they are ready to go, it's time to go... Don't put too much psi on them to stay longer. Some of my most memorable hunts occurred during the truck ride to the farm with my sons.

[Frank_T]

Started taking my 10 yr old daughter out last season . Now I think she's as anxious as me for the this season to come . I've learned to keep the hunts with her a little shorter if there's no much action so she doesn't lose interest. Also getting them some of their own calls and gear keep them excited .