at what age to start bringing the kids.

[oldvesper77]

What age do most of you guys start packing the little ones in the truck with you? it just seems pretty hard for me to take a 2 year old out all day and trying to get into the tree can be a big task as well if the wife dont come along.kid always wants to go, so its hard to leave her at home...

[Jkohnke]

My daddy was hauling me when I was a little thing. I can remember riding his shoulders to the tree when coon hunting. I had my son in the woods deer hunting with me at 9 months old. My wife at the time worked on Saturdays so if I was going to run the deer dogs he didn't have a choice. Had a carseat in there and some bottles and here we go. My daughter was same way been in the woods since a baby.

[THE BLUE BLOODLINES]

I have taken all my kids when they were all in diapers lol!!! I think that's why my boy don't like hound hunting. I have a 8 year old girl that loves to hunt she's seen a lot of bears in her life time. SHE think there nothing to treeing a bear. she loves dogs.

[tman308]

I have been taking my son with me since he was 6 months old I fabricated a backpack to be able to haul him. Now at nine years of age he can spend 5 to 6 straight days hiking up and down the mountains. They're never too young in my opinion. You just have to be in shape enough to pack them along with you.

[LarryBeggs]

When my oldest boy was 3 I carried him on my shoulders into the last bear we treed before measure 18 passed. My youngest was 6 and my oldest was 9 when they called me in a nice 6 point bull.I have a picture of them sacked out in the bare bed of my pick up. Each with an elk reed hanging out of the corner of there mouths as we bounced around some rough roads to our next hunting spot at about that same age. They were pushed pretty hard for little fellers. Something I dont think we do enough with our kids now a days. At age 19 my youngest had killed six bulls in six years. The last three pope and young Rosevelts. My oldest has also killed several bulls and killed a pope and young rosevelt within an hour of his brother this year. If it sounds like I am bragging I am. My point is though that you cant start them to young. And the only problem with pushing them hard is they show you no mercy when you start slowing down a little bit.

[super white hunter]

As soon as there off the nipple

[Dexter]

[attachment=-1]uploadfromtaptalk1394162829115.jpg[/attachment]

This is me and my daughter at her first tree at three years old you gotta look but you can see the kitty. She is now 5 and has her own redbone /walker cross and chasin coons and lions shes mad when I go without her.

Josh

[Kenneth]

My kids have been hunting with me since they were a year old. At first, I just planned short trips for a few hours. The older they got, the more they could stay out longer. My oldest is only 9, and she can keep up with me if I'm packing all of our gear, and she can go for miles. If they get tired or thirsty, we stop and take a break. We take pictures along the way. I've only been able to get her into two lion trees and one bear tree, but she has no problems. If I go without my oldest, she gets disappointed. My middle child is 6, and she's been to two lion trees. She doesn't seem to handle the commotion of all of the dogs under a tree, but she still does well for what her little legs can do. She is usually good for a hike of about 3 miles or so if I keep it at her pace. I don't catch much game when I have them, but that doesn't matter. We all have a great time seeing some pretty country and following the dogs. My youngest is a little more than 1, and the only reason I haven't had him out is because my wife isn't ready to let him out of her sight for that long.

[scrubrunner]

I was to young to remember when I started going with my Daddy but can remember riding on his shoulders just like Jkohnke. When I was a kid there is no place on earth I would rather be than riding on the dog box flanking a deer race. I started taking my three sons as soon as they were out of diapers and able to wipe their own butt and stuff. I can remember sometimes when I'd stop the truck to listen when it got time to move again I'd look around and every one of those boys would be in the top of a pine tree rocking it back and forth. My oldest granddaughter has been going deer hunting with me since she was 9 but I've never taken her at night fox or cat hunting. I hate to admit it but probable because she is a girl. I can remember Daddy leaving me at the truck in the dark and going to a tree a time or two and I was Scared it seemed like he was gone forever! When he'd get back he'd ask me if I was scared, I'd always lie and say, No I wasnt scared. All kids are different, none of mine show much interest in fox or cat hunting but they all three love deer hound running. My oldest loves fishing, but will go bowhunting and still hunting some. My middle son doesn't care much for fishing, and will not go bow or still hunting of any kind but likes hog running and LIVES for spring gobbler season.my youngest loves fishing, bowhunting, still hunting and goes turkey hunting some. My granddaughter loves deer running and turkey hunting but cares nothing about rabbit running with the beagles. I guess what I'm trying to say is keep them with you all the time whatever you are doing, if they want to go, encourage whatever they show interest in and it will keep them happier, possible out of trouble and a lot closer relationship with you. Time with your kids is more important than the result of the hunt but when they have the gun success helps. Be mindful of their limitations and keep it fun. Our job is not to raise kids, our job is to raise responsible adults.JMO

[jcutler]

Don't push them over their limit at a young age. If they have a bad first couple experiences they likely won't ever like it. What I mean is don't make them hike forever so they start complaining or ride in the truck for hours or make them stay out in the cold for too long. Make it short and sweet and they should grow to enjoy it more and more.

[1bludawg]

I enjoy hearing Dads talk about their kids .I started taking my daughter when she was about 3 or 4.I had to pack her into several trees but she saw lots of bobcats and 3 cougar . I even wrote a story in Full Cry Magazine about 23 years ago. It was called"Big Cats and Little Girls ".I have a lot of great memories from those years .Now if i can just get my grandson away from her long enough to go hunting.God Bless all your children!

[Buddyw]

This a good post, I enjoy reading about others taking their kids hunting also.

We went hunting a week before my daughter was born, and a week after she was born. But that was a bit nervous for me going a week before (We got a flat tire that day, and I think I could have competed with a Nascar Pit crew how fast I changed that thing, I kept thinking to my self.. Crap!! This is how the story starts..!) and honestly it was a bit hard for my wife a week after We both agreed aferwards those were not our best decisions, and we didn't really enjoy our selves due to the added stress.

(for the record My wife was the one that insisted we go hunting for both, I'm a jerk but I'm not that bad!)

We've pretty much hunted and the kids come with us, We don't get to hunt as hard as we would like sometimes, I spend alot more in fuel driving a Superduty crew cab, We put some DVD's in the back ,so the kids will play and then climb in the back some and watch a movie, Do activity pads. We pack allot of snacks and play allot of games, like i Spy, I think I could sing every Mickey mouse song that ever existed.

My wife really has alot of patience and is really the only reason that we can do it often It definitely takes two, And I'm pretty much driving so she really get's all the credit.

We are very careful to make sure that we size up each situation and tree and decided if it's one that everyone can make or if one of us will stay back with the kids at the truck and throw rocks and play.

We also camp so that we can go our for a couple hours and hunt and then go hang out at camp some.

Buddy

[Big N' Blue]

Both my kids are grown and I started them too young and burned them out. Wish I had given them a little time as I really feel like they would have stayed with it if it would not have been such a burden on them when they were too young.
Hope all of you have better luck than I did in that respect!

[wiscohound]

My brothers first bear. Both of us had our sons there. Ages 5 and 6. Both made it to the kill site and were very excited. Great experience for my brother and I to share together and very special to share with our sons.

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[haynhogdogger]

Like most here we started huntin when we were very young pretty much as soon as we were off the nipple as someone already had stated. The above pic is my buddy with his son on his back on a hunt for boar he and I did a while back. I do understand the burnout as my brothers were kinda like that but as for me I couldnt get enough of huntin. I'd sneak into the dog box without anyone seeing and my dad got a surprise when he turned the dogs out. And got a good a** whoopin' but it didnt matter to me how much lickin's I got. I was huntin and thats all that mattered LOL!!!

I was huntin' boar alone by myself when I was 7-8 years old i'd get home from school take of the animals do my chores turn the dogs loose and head into the hills. My Mom hated it cause she was always worried especially when I hit a bad boar and dogs got killed. I never carried a gun until a really bad boar killed my pack of dogs and ran me up a tree a few times before I was finally able to grab him and stab him. That was a very defining moment for me in my hunting career.

God Bless all of you and your kids and may they continue the hunting traditions that each of you have taught them!!!!!