For bowhunting enthusiasts who care deeply about the survival of our heritage, one of the most exciting things about fall 2006 is that many kids will enjoy the thrill of accompanying their parents on their very first bow hunt. Whether that initial experience becomes the entry point of a lifelong passion (as mine did for me), or is simply a one-time event will depend on much more than an animal being killed. It will rest, in part, on how well the parent manages the quality of the overall experience. I believe that one simple practice can greatly assist parents as they strive to make a child's hunting experience both wonderful and memorable. I'll reveal it by way of illustration.
Last summer, in preparation for my son's first bowhunt, I placed a ground blind at the intersection of a farm lane and a thick fencerow. As the local deer spent the summer getting used to the presence of the blind, my 6-year-old son practiced sitting still and being quiet. October finally arrived and, with it, Titus' big day. One relatively calm evening, with only a few hours of light remaining--I’ve learned not to depart too early when hunting with kids--we headed down the grassy lane behind our house.
Several hundred yards into our walk was not the time to make sure we had all the gear we needed. Nevertheless, a quick check revealed that we appeared to be in good shape: decoy, binocs, backpack with pee bottle, snacks (for the kid, of course), and sweatshirt for the evening chill. In addition, we each toted our own foldout camp chair.
We had not hunted from inside a blind before and it didn’t take long to encounter our first unforeseen challenge. Titus’ chair turned out to be too low for him to see through the window of the blind.
“Sit on the backpack and see if that helps,” I instructed. But the inch or two of added height was not enough. Now what? I couldn’t have him stand the whole hunt.
Baffled, I unfolded my man-sized chair, sat down, and had barely started to ponder when I realized that I was staring at a problem of my own. When I looked out the window, I saw only the
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ground five yards in front. When I looked straight ahead, I was treated to a view of the inside of our blind.
He was too low; I was too high. I can’t remember who thought of the idea but we agreed to switch chairs. His feet now dangled and my knees were in my chest. But it worked. This, I suggest, illustrates the key to making possible a successful parent/child hunt: We have to swap seats. The parent must see the hunt from the kid's perspective.
The difference between the way kids see the world and how we grown-ups see it became apparent to me a few years ago. I had returned to my childhood home and, for whatever reason, decided to walk across the road to one of my favorite old stomping grounds. It was in these woods that my neighbor and I had hunted squirrels and built countless campfires. More than once I had gotten lost in the sprawling forest.
However, upon my return I discovered something had happened in the intervening years: the woods had shrunk. I felt like I had entered the twilight zone. The once-vast wilderness, no longer awe-inspiring to me, was only a few acres all along.
That experience helped enlighten me to the fact that when hunting with a child, he or she is going to experience everything differently from how I experience it. We will gaze on the same animal but, in his eyes, that creature is bigger and more mysterious. The pre-dawn darkness will seem darker to a kid. The cold will be colder. The walk will be longer. The treestand will be
higher. The sounds will sound closer (and probably spookier).
With this in mind, when you walk with Junior through a knee-high grass field, you will have to imagine yourself walking through waist-high grass. When you walk through waist-high cover, you'll have to imagine yourself walking through chest-high cover.
Constantly, we big people need to ask ourselves questions like, “How is my kid perceiving this aspect of the hunt? What's going on inside that little brain? What is she learning for the first time? What might be intriguing to him that I’ve overlooked simply because I’m used to it? Do I need to slow down? Stop? Teach? How can I capitalize on the novelty of this particular aspect of the hunt?"
In short, it's not about us. Plain and simple, it's about the kid. And we will best cater to his interests when we attempt to see the hunt from his perspective.
I'd been sitting in my son's seat that October evening for about thirty minutes when we laid eyes on our first deer - a 5-pointer (I think) with 12-inch main beams and towering 4-inch tines. He had emerged upwind of us from the standing corn. Titus perked up as the young buck moseyed closer.
"Shoot him, Dad," Titus pleaded.
"Why couldn't he be a doe?" I thought as I whispered back, "He's too far away." Half hoping he wouldn't venture into range; I knew what I needed to do if he did. The buck wandered away. The selfish side of me was relieved and Titus learned that, more times than not, a bowhunt ends with a full quiver. As darkness fell, I handed him back his chair. The look on his face confirmed it: A successful hunt.
More Bowsite.com Kids' Features
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| Semi-Live Family Bowhunt |
Join the Lefemine family at Shiloh Ranch where Pat Jr. attempts to take his first bowkill at age 9. Lots of action on this hunt! - 2005-07-19 00:17:04.0 |
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| Treestand Safety for Young Bowhunters |
Bowsite.com spotlights safety in this informative must-read article. Includes a video of a hunt where safety was a top priority - 2004-10-24 23:59:53.0 |
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| Birth of a Bowhunter |
A great story about Tyler Silks and his first deer!. - 2005-11-27 10:40:11.0 |
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| Conner's Big Hunt - Kids' Book |
A MUST-HAVE book for any kid. Superbly illustrated with a fabulous story. Geared toward kids 5-12 this book speaks to hunting, ethics and family. - 2005-11-27 10:40:11.0 |
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| First Elk - 14 Years Old |
Nicholas Harrison goes on his first bowhunt ever and lands the elk of a lifetime! - 2005-03-26 16:36:35.0 |
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| Bowfishing Action 2004 |
Lots of action in this recap of our 2004 bowfishing trips. Kids and seasoned vets shoot carp, gar, rays and more from the NE to the SE. Videos included. - 2004-06-26 15:51:41.0 |
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| Programs Recruit Young Archers |
Dr. Dave Samuel and Pat Lefemine spotlight two successful programs which introduce kids - our future - to archery and bowhunting! - 2004-03-31 01:37:35.0 |
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| Nugent: Inspiring Children into the Wild |
Ted's first Bowsite.com article talks about the importance of bringing kids into hunting. Ways to encourage youngsters into the outdoors, and out of the indoors. Our first of many features by Ted. - 2000-07-14 00:00:00.0 |
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