first elk hunt

[bnsafe]

taking my son on his first elk hunt. we are leaving tonite after school an headin up. im just hopin we see an elk an the snow isn't to bad. but man if he could kill one it would be unbelievable. if we can get it done he would have a whitetail an elk under his belt, with a pronghorn hunt coming up later this year. wouldn't be bad for 12 yrs old.

[FreshPow]

Good luck!

[BMF11]

That would be quite the feat for a 12 yr old. Enjoy the hunt, harvest or not! I hope to go afield with my son when he's older too. Good luck

[Broken arrow]

Good luck!!!!!

[Huntography]

Enjoy it Scott. Great memories right there.

Hope you guys get on one.

Rudy

[Triplebhunters]

Sounds fun. Enjoy, they grow up fast.

[bnsafe]

well that was a very frustrating experience. we got up at 415 an got to our spot early cause I wanted to be there first. started in at 6 an we got to where I wanted to go after a very slow walk in. no elk in the morning, no sign in the snow either. we left around 10 an got some breakfast, then went to a spot I have never been to before. had some new elk tracks an droppings an found a gorgeous spot for elk, he sit there for awhile an I could tell he wasn't having fun so we ended up leaving an coming home early. I kept my mouth shut an told him it was his hunt we could do whatever he wanted. I feel like we would have seen one tonite, but whatever I guess.

[Bullnuts]

Don't be too disappointed Scott. Sometimes it takes a few years for kids to catch the fever. Being cold and tired isn't too much fun for me, and kids pretty much don't like it either, unless you get into elk right away. You might want to try an afternoon hunt instead, where you can get up at a decent hour and sit on a western facing slope in the sun. Bring a lot of snacks, a knife sharpener for him to learn to use (my kids love that), or something else to help him pass the time quietly. He may not be having fun right now, but just wait until he has an elk step out in front of him!

[bnsafe]

I purposely bought both my tags as archery so I wouldn't have a tag during rifle season cause I figured this would happen. its not a big deal. he had fun, just lost interest.

[Huntography]

One hunt at a time.

My son is younger than yours but I experienced something similar.

When I take him to the range, he's excited.

We shoot for a good while but where I can shoot longer, he gets tired. And that's ok.

I tell him he did great and we'll gave more fun again next time.

Keep your head up. There's always next time.

Rudy

[Lark Bunting]

Nice to know he's out learning.

My son and I are learning together. I never hunted growing up, received my hunter's ed card right along with him in the spring of 2012. We did some small game hunting last fall and I put in for a deer tag this year but didn't get drawn. Since he's only 11 he couldn't hunt big game yet but he didn't miss a single hunt with me this year. He had a LOT of fun calling though. I got my OTC either sex tag and we hunted all but one weekend in September. We put in some miles but I also made sure some days we would hike our way back to camp. I came up with a game to play after lunch that he loved; Camo Hide and Seek! It helped break up the day. Snacks were also essential. I'd ask him to pack the snack bags and to also put together home made trail mix. I think by him pitching in he enjoyed it that much more in the field.

Now, on our last hunt, we had found two elk, a bull and a cow, high up the mountain from where we were standing to listen. I happened to catch a small glimpse through the forest when I saw them. My son stayed put, I went ahead and he was doing his cow calls with some high pitched short bleats (calf-like) and was actually moving the cow down the mountain. I was so proud of him for this and gave him a thumbs up but he thought I was telling him to move up...game over.

We're planning for next season. I should have my deer tag for a unit close to home and he's putting in for deer to start establishing preference points. The unit I should be hunting deer in is also an OTC elk unit where we hunted this year PLUS he will have his OTC elk tag. Should be interesting! We are also planning a four night back pack trip for elk if I get drawn for a unit up north.

Long story even longer... I wish I could say that once my elk season was over he's been reading and practicing his elk calls. Unfortunately, at 11 years of age, he right back to doing what boys do and he hasn't really mentioned elk hunting much. He did mention buying himself the Bear Apprentice RTH package and would like to practice with me out in the garage in the spring. I hope he can get the bug as badly as I have it and will be haunting this place to learn from you folks.

[bnsafe]

very cool. glad yall had fun an he likes it

[JGH]

I dragged both of my boys hunting ... and they eventually grew to be efficient killers with rifles ... mostly, I think, so that they could be "done" and get back home!

Maybe I pushed too hard with my first, so I was a little more gentle with my second ...

-- I waited until he was a bit older
-- I focused on shooting, not hunting. Kids have a natural attraction to rifles, shotguns, and handguns, and somewhat to archery.
-- I picked "funner" hunts ... turkeys from a blind, pheasants behind a favorite dog ... and spared him the 10-degree forced marches to a deerstand.

It may have paid-off ... at 18, he now "wants" to go hunting more. He killed a pronghorn with a great stalk this year. And he just asked if he and I are ever going to take "that DIY Alaska caribou trip."

There is great fun in having your kid along, but there is also value in him thinking of hunting as a "grown-up" event with some mystery to it. That way, when he chooses to be involved someday, the "mystery" is still there.

And ... if he chooses to not be involved so much, that is OK. Repeat: It is OK to not enjoy hunting. He'll still know the value of hunting, of elk or deer on the table, and the importance of "wild things".

[Bullnuts]

I dragged both of my boys hunting ... and they eventually grew to be efficient killers with rifles ... mostly, I think, so that they could be "done" and get back home!

Good point. I think that, as parents, we sometimes have unrealistic expectations of our kids - especially our first born sons. I remember buying my oldest a bicycle when he was only 4, getting him his first bow at 2, and generally pushing him along. There was a time when I'm pretty sure he hated hunting. But now that I'm a little older and wiser, I let him call the shots. He's going on 18 now and has his own vehicle, so it's a real thrill for me when he tells me he's going out hunting on his own or with one of his school buddies in the morning. I think that us dads are sometimes so anxious to have our kids join us and to have fun like we're having that we push too damned hard and drive them away from the hunt.