No Young Hunter Left Behind

Young hunters need to be motivated, enticed, and most of all INCLUDED.  Thanksgiving is the most family-oriented holiday of the year and there is no better time to introduce a youngster to outdoor hunting adventure than now.  My daughter and three grandsons annually visit over the Thanksgiving holidays and the “middle boy” was bucking to take his first deer, so he flew in three days ahead of his family.

Gearing For Success

Maryland opens its general firearms season the Saturday after Thanksgiving day and the week prior to the holiday usually finds the deer woods strangely vacant as hunters switch from archery to centerfire gear.  This has always been one of my favorite times to hunt since the rut is winding down and there are plenty of antlered deer to hunt.  K.I.S.S. is the formula for youth hunting- Keep It Simple Silly.  All three of my grandsons have practiced with an Excalibur AXE 340 crossbow topped with a Burris FastFire IV red-dot scope.  Lately, I’ve added a Final Rest tripod that allows a young hunter to concentrate on aiming and takes some of the wiggles out of the quest.

Accommodate their Attention Span

Hunting conditions can be brutal, but that’s not the best way to introduce young hunters.  Kids are constantly hungry and crave motion instead of stoic stillness.  I asked a friend if we could hunt his small farm which had a partially constructed ground blind.  This allowed us to pack plenty of warm clothes and all of our gear to make the waiting game more tolerable.

The first two hours were typical November weather- cold, blustery, and spitting rain.  I noticed that his comfort level was waning and suggested we make a quick exit for some hot chocolate and a hot sandwich.  Luckily, a Burger King was just around the corner and we were gone about 20 minutes.

My youngest grandson and I have hunted together several times and I’ve learned to monitor his comfort level.  After flying on packed airplanes, kids are introduced to germs from around the world and I try not to stress their immune systems.  I always carry cough drops and do my best to keep them warm and dry.  If I ask if they are cold and they respond, “Just a little” I know that they are cold and we need to add a layer or take a break for a short time.  I want that beaming “I can’t wait to go hunting with grandpa” feeling to last a long time and I do my best to keep them motivated and reasonably comfortable.  If that means taking a break or climbing down from a stand, then that’s what we do.  Their enjoyment of the hunt is the ultimate trophy.

Warming Up Works

At least five times in my life, I’ve endured miserable hunting weather, usually cold rain and wind, and opted for the long run by taking a break, either to get hot food, warmer clothes, or both.  When I suggested that my middle grandson and I get a cup of hot chocolate, he didn’t hesitate.  Remember that youngsters will want to please you and “reading between the lines” of your conversation is important.  The weather was nasty, we hadn’t seen any deer and a break would boost our spirits.  After he inhaled a cup of cocoa and a breakfast sandwich, he was bright-eyed and ready to hunt again.   Ironically, 15 minutes after returning to the blind, a mature doe ran from cover and walked within 20 yards.  He held perfectly still and despite being fully exposed from the waist up, the doe didn’t glance our way, eventually circling the blind and disappearing.

After the doe passed, I prepped my grandson about the potential for a buck following the doe’s trail.  “The buck will follow the doe’s scent exactly,” I advised.  “Wherever it went, the buck will follow, so prepare for that shot.”  Ten minutes later, I saw white antlers appear along the leaves and this 7-point buck followed the does’ tracks like a bloodhound.  When the buck passed the blind broadside, I grunted and it stopped with its head up, searching for the sound.  The Excalibur launched at the perfect time and the Grim Reaper 3-blade expandable zipped behind the shoulder.  My grandson absolutely beamed with excitement as we looked for the arrow and began following the blood trail.