Ideas for taking my daughter hunting?

[alnen]

Hey all! Long time no see. I think the last time I was on here my daughter hadn't been born. She's 7 now!

Anyway, I want to take her hunting. More importantly, she wants to go. But I can not take her to a wma. I fear for her safety from what I have seen. Does anyone have a property or know of one that we could use for half a day or two? I would be happy to share any meat from a successful hunt but don't have much in the way of $. It would be with a rifle. Thanks!

 

[crackerdave]

Seven seems kinda young to start out with a deer rifle.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[Dr. Strangelove]

Your obviously online - do what I did and look at the maps, find a smaller property on a WMA that isn't overrun with people.

Be smart, wear your orange and then some. I used to put an old orange vest on my climbing stand when I backpacked it in.

Use the resources we're provided and paying for. WMA's aren't a front line battlefield, just find someplace that's not covered up with people.

 

[slow motion]

Good on you for taking her hunting. Good luck to you.

 

[JustUs4All]

Would your daughter be shooter or observer?

If she is the shooter:
How much .22 time does she have?
What caliber rifle will she use?
How much time does she have on that?
Can she reliably hit a tin can at 100 yards?

Are y'all from Dallas, TX or Dallas, GA?
How far are you willing to travel for this?

 

[Jester896]

this sounds like a nice daddy daughter trip
I would pack a lot of her favorites...practice quiet times
I never knew how bad beef sticks and some of the other stuff smelled when I took my grand the first time...deer won't come within 200 yards of that stuff
good luck getting a deer this trip and hope y'all have a great trip

 

[NCHillbilly]

Go squirrel hunting and get her used to the woods, worry about deer when she's older. Don't be too serious about it. Make it fun and interesting, not having to sit quiet and still for hours. I think starting kids out on deer, especially with the trophy buck hunting mentality, does not do any favors for developing a love of the outdoors and hunting in kids.

And public land is no more dangerous than private land if you do your homework and don't pile in the same spot with a hundred other people. That is very easy to accomplish. I've hunted public all my life, and took my son out there on it hunting all the time when he was a kid. I have never once felt unsafe. That's in your head. Don't pass it to your daughter. Our public lands are a treasure that we should cherish and enjoy. There are also plenty of opportunities for camping, fishing, and hiking with your kids on that same land. Get her out there, and keep her out there.

 

[Jester896]

sage
birds, rabbit and squirrel came before deer for me

 

[across the river]

Hey all! Long time no see. I think the last time I was on here my daughter hadn't been born. She's 7 now!

Anyway, I want to take her hunting. More importantly, she wants to go. But I can not take her to a wma. I fear for her safety from what I have seen. Does anyone have a property or know of one that we could use for half a day or two? I would be happy to share any meat from a successful hunt but don't have much in the way of $. It would be with a rifle. Thanks!

Buy her a crossbow. You can get one that will do everything you need it to for 2 or 3 hundred. She will feel way more comfortable shooting it than a rifle. Then you can hunt a WMA during archery season and an archery only area during rifle season if you are worried about other hunters. My daughter decided she wanted to hunt several years ago, so I got her a cross bow. One time practicing and she was good to go. Set it up on one of those bog pods in a blind and second sit she killed a little basket racked eight. She hasn’t been back, but I enjoyed it while it lasted.

 

[westcobbdog]

Snacks and drinks and perhaps a game or video on your phone to keep her happy and quiet.

 

[transfixer]

Go squirrel hunting and get her used to the woods, worry about deer when she's older. Don't be too serious about it. Make it fun and interesting, not having to sit quiet and still for hours. I think starting kids out on deer, especially with the trophy buck hunting mentality, does not do any favors for developing a love of the outdoors and hunting in kids.

And public land is no more dangerous than private land if you do your homework and don't pile in the same spot with a hundred other people. That is very easy to accomplish. I've hunted public all my life, and took my son out there on it hunting all the time when he was a kid. I have never once felt unsafe. That's in your head. Don't pass it to your daughter. Our public lands are a treasure that we should cherish and enjoy. There are also plenty of opportunities for camping, fishing, and hiking with your kids on that same land. Get her out there, and keep her out there.

I agree with NCH , 7yr olds won't want to sit still and be quiet, girl or boy doesn't matter, squirrel hunting would teach them everything they need to know before they get older and are able to be still for what will still be only short periods of time, I couldn't be still at 13 or 14yrs old even, squirrel hunting with a 22 will teach them the importance of accuracy and shot placement as well ,

and you won't have to worry about other hunters more than likely when squirrel hunting, and pretty hard to mistake a person for a squirrel in the woods . so WMA's would be pretty safe during small game season, I do agree about WMA's during deer season, I won't hunt them myself, and I used to many years ago quite a lot, not with today's deer hunters, no way! At least not any of them within driving distance of metro Atlanta which I assume is what you're talking about .

 

[sportsman94]

Go squirrel hunting and get her used to the woods, worry about deer when she's older. Don't be too serious about it. Make it fun and interesting, not having to sit quiet and still for hours. I think starting kids out on deer, especially with the trophy buck hunting mentality, does not do any favors for developing a love of the outdoors and hunting in kids.

And public land is no more dangerous than private land if you do your homework and don't pile in the same spot with a hundred other people. That is very easy to accomplish. I've hunted public all my life, and took my son out there on it hunting all the time when he was a kid. I have never once felt unsafe. That's in your head. Don't pass it to your daughter. Our public lands are a treasure that we should cherish and enjoy. There are also plenty of opportunities for camping, fishing, and hiking with your kids on that same land. Get her out there, and keep her out there.

I’m sure there is plenty of public land that is like that, but I’ve been on some hunts that I definitely felt unsafe. Around me, the wmas are pretty much all set up Where you can’t get more than a couple hundred yards off a road. It’s a checkerboard of roads for the most part. I could drive a couple hours to get to ones that are more remote, but it’s not always feasible with family requirements.

 

[across the river]

I agree with NCH , 7yr olds won't want to sit still and be quiet, girl or boy doesn't matter, squirrel hunting would teach them everything they need to know before they get older and are able to be still for what will still be only short periods of time, I couldn't be still at 13 or 14yrs old even, squirrel hunting with a 22 will teach them the importance of accuracy and shot placement as well ,

and you won't have to worry about other hunters more than likely when squirrel hunting, and pretty hard to mistake a person for a squirrel in the woods . so WMA's would be pretty safe during small game season, I do agree about WMA's during deer season, I won't hunt them myself, and I used to many years ago quite a lot, not with today's deer hunters, no way! At least not any of them within driving distance of metro Atlanta which I assume is what you're talking about .

It all depends on the kid. I have a buddy that has a daughter that will sit in a stand or blind through the cold , rain, whatever conditions as long as he wants to sit and then she doesn’t typically want to leave. No phone, iPad, or anything. She was seven this past season. His other daughter is older and has zero interest. I have a six year old nephew that loves the outdoors, but won’t sit still 5 minutes. We go fishing.

 

[BowSniper]

It all depends on the kid. I have a buddy that has a daughter that will sit in a stand or blind through the cold , rain, whatever conditions as long as he wants to sit and then she doesn’t typically want to leave. No phone, iPad, or anything. She was seven this past season. His other daughter is older and has zero interest. I have a six year old nephew that loves the outdoors, but won’t sit still 5 minutes. We go fishing.

Agreed. My daughter was 2.5 years old on her first hunt with me. She loved it and grew it from there. My expectations weren't high at that point, but we had deer in bow range that afternoon and she fell in love with it. She shot her first deer at 7 years old and made a heart shot at 75 yards with a youth .243 rifle. She is a natural at hunting. We went out one Thanksgiving morning at 23 degrees and she toughed it out like a champ, even as a mere child.

If your daughter wants to go, take her. Stay as long as she wants to stay and just enjoy being out there with her.

Our first hunt.


Her first deer 5 years later.


The next year (110 yds).


First bow kill.


A Halloween buck.


See those nails?


I hope taking your daughter out goes as great as mine. Good luck!!!!

BowSniper

 

[alnen]

Wow, I hope it goes that well too! I think I ruined fishing for her- first time out we went saltwater fishing and caught a bunch of fish, saw some dolphins, watched a sea turtle. Now sitting on the shore of lake allatoona seems underwhelming.

Gonna look into the squirrel hunting and other suggestions. Thanks guys!

 

[Lumpkin Hunter]

Allen if you are close to public land do a little scouting for spots close to the road for her. Find crossings that you can get 50 to 75 yards off the road with her so you are legal to set up and watch a trail. I would use a small low turkey blind so movement is hidden and a low turkey seat to keep her comfortable. Killing something should not be a priority with her but seeing animals is important for her enjoyment. Take an orange vest or 18” wide strip of orange cloth to strap around the tree you set up on at least 5 ft above your head plus wear orange head wear and vest. On WMA’s lots of good hunting is walked by many hunters thinking they got to get away from everything. These close to road set ups are sometimes best around 10 am to noon when hunters start moving back to their trucks. Let’s you take her in after daylight when everyone else is deeper in the woods.
One last thing make sure the crossing is not close to anywhere someone might park on the side of the road. I would want to walk from my truck or anyone else vehicle at less 100 yards to the crossing. Deer will cross when moving through the area.

Good luck with taking her it can be a very enjoyable experience for both of you.

 

[Wanderlust]

There are some very good adult/ child hunts available.
Been to several with my daughter and had a blast.
Think Sapelo Island was my favorite.

 

[Mauser]

My daughter is 7,has Down syndrome. She’s been going with me since she was 3,sitting in ground blinds in easily accessible places. Snacks and Capri suns are a must. We carry her tablet if she gets bored,Hook the speaker cord up to her electronic ear muffs to hear it. She loves going,but she wants you to keep shooting until the deer are gone or you run out of bullets lol regardless of how many you’ve got on the ground. Just get em out there,don’t take it too serious and make it fun. Pics are the first time she went and one from last year

 

[JustUs4All]

That is one sweet young lady with a beautiful smile.

 

[blood on the ground]

Go look at the Thread called, Post Pics of Kids in the outdoors. You can see a Timeline of my children and many others on there.
It’s in the Bragging board forum.

I don’t know how to link it here on my phone.