Take Me Hunting!

Hey moms and dads, feel like you need to go hunting? Take your little one with you!.

I know it sounds crazy but I take my 3 yr. old with me all the time. We do have a hunting shack that we hunt out of so that does help, but here are a few tips that might help you along the way.

1. I do not give her a nap before we go in the evening. This often times works out so that she just falls asleep while we are hunting. Now if you have the kind of kid that can’t handle life in the evening without a nap, by all means get the nap in first. You know your child better than anyone!

2. Invest in a small dvd player so they can quietly watch movies to keep them occupied. Ipod movies, or u-tube movies on your phone or small laptop work also. Make sure the headphones fit them and are comfortable or you will frustrate them and yourself by having to put them on again over and over! lol Keep in mind battery life. It really sucks when it is just getting prime time and the battery dies in the middle of your little one’s favorite movie! (serious problems occur when this happens, can you say melt-down? ha ha).

3. Small toys also keep them occupied. (When the batteries fail you need other means to keep them occupied/and or distracted from the fact that the movie is not playing!)

4. Lots of snacks. Keeping a child well fed can save your night!

5. Get them their own pair of kids binoculars they love to pretend that they see a deer. And you never know, sometimes they see the deer first!

6. A potty chair is very helpful if you know what I mean! Take a large ziplock bag with for odor control and disposal! (Place the baggy in the potty before they do their job and don’t forget toilet paper.) You know full well that even though they will not poop on the potty at home, now will be the time!

7. Don’t try to take them for all day. Go by what they can handle. Our first outing was only an hour but each one is getting a little longer and a little better.

8. Dress them weather appropriate. We have a heater in our shack so she stays toasty warm.

9. Last but not least, DO NOT let them play with the grunt call! (We had a sick grunting deer in the shack the time she discovered how fun that was! lol)

Just remember they little and are just learning. Sometimes the only way to get out there in the woods is to take them with. It can be fun and rewarding for both of you when they look at you and say…Thanks mommy (or daddy) for taking me hunting! And someday, when you are old they might even take you with to the shack!

Kids go Shed Hunting!

With spring weather upon us and the recent snow melt these boys had a very successful shed hunt. What a great way to get kids involved in the outdoors in the late winter when there is nothing much to do.

I had talked to their dad earlier in the week and he told me they had Friday off of school and were  looking for sheds. They stopped by in the late afternoon, on Friday to fill me in on the exciting stories about each shed they found. Some where under the apple trees, others along fence lines or roadsides where the bucks had jumped to cross. With each story there was oodles of enthusiasm.  They took what started out to be a rainy drizzly winter day and turned it into a memory of a lifetime!

Kudos to Brett for getting not only his kids out but their friend also!

Kids in the Outdoors

I often see hunters, that wait until their children are “old enough”, to take them out in the woods. I feel this is a big mistake. My kids went with from us from day 1.

I have never let having little ones stop me from enjoying the great outdoors. I just adapt to bringing the child in the woods. For me this often means bringing the diaper bag along with snacks and drinks and toys to keep the little one busy.

My youngest, has been riding with us in the Rhino, to check deer stands and enjoy nature, since she was 2 months old. We buckle her car seat right into the ATV. She loves riding through the woods and seeing all of the things in the outdoors.

Children love to explore and see all the things in the woods. Touching the leaves and climbing the rocks, looking at the sky and clouds, and especially seeing all the animals with them is such a blast.  On our rides or walks will often see deer, birds, turkeys, mice, snakes, and occasionally a bear. Little kids get so excited when they see animals. We can teach them right at this point, that we have to be quiet or we will scare the animals.

My older kids were always in the woods playing in the woods. (For those that don’t know me, I had 3 kids in 3 ½ yrs, and then 19 ½ yrs later, had one more.) They even came back to the house with what they thought was a great big set of “sheds”. They were absolutely ecstatic at their priceless find! You couldn’t wipe the smiles off of those beaming little faces!

In reality, it was my first 10 point buck. A bear had stolen the rack and scull a couple of weeks earlier from the top of the old truck. They happily chopped the scull in half with their little hatchet, making it easier to carry, and brought it to me announcing… “Mom, mom, look at these sheds we found!” to which I sadly sighed and answered. “Good find kids, but sheds don’t have the sculls attached!” Oh well, they thought themselves pretty cool, and I would never have had it back if they hadn’t found it!

As they grew older we started taking them with us hunting. It was usually a frustrating yet rewarding day, when we would take one or two of them with us. (One per adult) Those of you, that have taken kids with you, know exactly what I mean. Children don’t have much of an attention span and usually get bored easily. Holding still, well that is almost impossibility.

I remember having my oldest daughter with on the stand one time (we group hunt, stand one drive one). I had her sitting slightly behind me next to a tree. I was trying to minimize her movement and desperately hoping that she might even fall asleep. First came the breaking of the logs. Ok they were little twigs, but they sound mighty big when you want the cherub to be quiet.

I told her, “be quiet and sit still”. She replied, “I can’t see.” So I answered back, “Alright stand up very slowly and quietly so you can see”. Of course she jumped up quickly and not so quietly.

I waited and watched, even knowing nothing would be coming my way. There was still a lot of movement behind me. I whispered again very sternly this time, emphasizing each word, “What, is, wrong? To which she replied, “I still can’t see!” At this point I turned around to see what was going on. There she was, with her orange stocking cap pulled clear down over her eyes, and moving her head back and forth like Stevie Wonder!

Now this story would be really very comical, if she had been four, but she was twelve (ok it is still funny). I was really not amused, but I couldn’t help but laugh. I realized at that moment that it didn’t really matter. There would be other chances to see deer, and that that day was about learning and having fun together and fun we had. (We did however have a discussion later about the importance of being quiet and staying still while hunting.)

Things like this are going to happen when you take kids into the woods, they are just learning and exploring. Like any other skill, while they are being introduced to kids need to, and will make mistakes! How we respond to those mistakes will determine if our kids continue hunting or not. Our attitude is everything!

I have seen kids that have not been in the woods much when they were young and when they finally are allowed to go it is very hard for child, as well as their parents because they have not been taught how to act in the woods. It is much easier to teach them when they are young. I have also seen kids that were brought into the woods very early, and those kids are as comfortable in the woods as any experienced hunter. Sometimes they even teach me a thing or two! It makes a huge difference.

Is it easy to take kids into the woods? No, absolutely not. I am not saying you have to take them every time.  No, there are definitely times when it is not appropriate. As parents we know our kids and what they can handle, but don’t leave them out just because it is easier for you.  They are our future and it is well worth the hard work, taking them with when they are young. You will teach them skills that will last a lifetime and build memories that will amuse you forever!