Jeff Gilbert
New member
Good thread topic . . .
I didn't start hunting until college, but had always been around firearms. My father bought me a BB gun around the age of 8 or 9 which I used at my grandparents property doing target shooting, cans and paper. I was 13 when I received a .22 rim fire bolt action Marlin for Christmas.
My son, who will be 12 in April has been hunting with Grandpa and me since he was 7. For the first couple of years for him, it was tagging along without a firearm during grouse and deer seasons. He loved being out in the woods, looking for animals and chasing an occasional squirrel with his slingshot. This provided a great opportunity for me to introduce him to the sport, showing him the need to be stealthy, observant and most of all safe. Three years ago, at the age of 9, I enrolled him into our required Hunter Ed here in Washington. He passed both the written exam, with one of the highest scores in the class of approximately 20 individuals and then passed the role playing portion of the exam demonstrating his ability to conduct himself in a safe manner. What was interesting is that most of the individuals in the class were young adults, a few of them with their fathers and two boys aged 7 and 8 who also passed. These young boys, who's father is in the military, were very good students and knew a great deal about the outdoors. It's great to see kids getting involved in hunting.
The past two seasons, my son has been hunting both deer and elk with me and Grandpa. He took his first grouse during this past deer season, using his youth model 308 to shoot the head off at approximately 30 yards. That was quite a thrill for both of us. Although he's not had the opportunity as yet to harvest a big game animal, it's obvious he loves going with us. He gave up going to Disneyland with Mom and Sister this past hunting season. How many kids would do that?
With a new dog we bought this past spring, I'm looking forward to many more years with my son in the field and blind. Perhaps there will be times even in a boat that I'd like to build, if we can convince Mom that building one will be good for the both of us.
Looking forward to hearing more from others with their experiences.
I didn't start hunting until college, but had always been around firearms. My father bought me a BB gun around the age of 8 or 9 which I used at my grandparents property doing target shooting, cans and paper. I was 13 when I received a .22 rim fire bolt action Marlin for Christmas.
My son, who will be 12 in April has been hunting with Grandpa and me since he was 7. For the first couple of years for him, it was tagging along without a firearm during grouse and deer seasons. He loved being out in the woods, looking for animals and chasing an occasional squirrel with his slingshot. This provided a great opportunity for me to introduce him to the sport, showing him the need to be stealthy, observant and most of all safe. Three years ago, at the age of 9, I enrolled him into our required Hunter Ed here in Washington. He passed both the written exam, with one of the highest scores in the class of approximately 20 individuals and then passed the role playing portion of the exam demonstrating his ability to conduct himself in a safe manner. What was interesting is that most of the individuals in the class were young adults, a few of them with their fathers and two boys aged 7 and 8 who also passed. These young boys, who's father is in the military, were very good students and knew a great deal about the outdoors. It's great to see kids getting involved in hunting.
The past two seasons, my son has been hunting both deer and elk with me and Grandpa. He took his first grouse during this past deer season, using his youth model 308 to shoot the head off at approximately 30 yards. That was quite a thrill for both of us. Although he's not had the opportunity as yet to harvest a big game animal, it's obvious he loves going with us. He gave up going to Disneyland with Mom and Sister this past hunting season. How many kids would do that?
With a new dog we bought this past spring, I'm looking forward to many more years with my son in the field and blind. Perhaps there will be times even in a boat that I'd like to build, if we can convince Mom that building one will be good for the both of us.
Looking forward to hearing more from others with their experiences.