Playing the long game

Status
Not open for further replies.
Rembrandt

Rembrandt

Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2003
Messages
4,657
In recent years found myself setting aside my own hunting interests and goals for those who have little hunting experience. Realize the clock is ticking on grand kids soon being grown and gone, window of time to teach them hunting is pretty small.

Become more apparent this year with youngest grandson...missed shots, inexperience with bow, clumsy things that scare away game, and unending questions. I know we all go through those experiences to become better hunters. Forgotten how far I'd progressed and how much of my own inexperience I've forgotten about. Love these kids so much and want them to have the same wonderful outdoor experiences to remember.

As we bungle our way through this season I remain optimistic it will all be worth it years after I'm gone. Besides, what the heck am I going to do with another set of antlers laying around....rather have the memories.
 
My grandkids are still too young to hunt (4&2).
When my boys were learning to hunt, I really thought they were cramping my style. I couldn't get away to hunt without one of them. I was always working on stands that were two-man. All that us over now, my boys are grown. They buy their own guns to hunt with, instead of the 'safe' single shot slug guns that i gave them. They choose their own hunting spots, without my advice.
?.......looking back, those busy seasons that I had getting them started, was the very best seasons of all.
Here i sit in the house,, on the last day of the firearms season. I need someone who is excited about going to motivate me.
 
My gun season this year was dedicated to my two granddaughters(13 and 9). Built two blinds so both could hunt comfortably(one with their dad, one with me) and had no intentions of pulling a trigger of my own. It helped I had a good bow season, but like with Rembrandt the drive to shoot another deer, regardless of how big, has dwindled compared to the desire I have to see my grandkids have the same passion for hunting and the outdoors that I do. The blinds really helped as we were able to have heat to make sitting all day more comfortable and they hid some of the movement that kids, regardless of how hard they try not to, make. Took me a while to get over the continuous rustling noises next to me a they pulled their phone out of their pocket, opened up another brownie, re-positioned the handwarmers or took another drink of water. Brought back the memories of my two boys when they first started. Like with my boys, I was rewarded by being next to her as my older granddaughter took her first deer with my 77/44. Probably will never see that little carbine again. Listened to the younger girl miss two different deer, I think she needs a different gun or needs to get a tad bigger. Watched her miss one during the youth hunt too with the same gun. still, the excitement in her eyes and the desire to get out and try it again, was worth more than putting another one in the back of the truck. I'll probably have to hunt the youth turkey hunt this spring. Can't wait.
 
My 2 stepsons now 24 and 31(raised them from very young) never really expressed an interest in hunting ,shooting or reloading.Video games seemed to trump any outdoor activity. I am at the point now as what to do with,guns,reloading equipment etc. Im gonna downsize the firearms as the wife wont know what to do with them. Be glad you have someone to pass guns and knowledge on to.
 
My 3 boys are all hunters, some more serious than others. But it's still in their blood. I've hunted long enough, and killed enough stuff that I get more enjoyment seeing them be successful. We are regulars at a hunting camp set deep in the PA big woods every bear season and I am so grateful that we have that opportunity. That's a culture phenomenon that is hard to explain but something that we all look forward to and cherish. Good times and great memories!

Only one grandchild so far, a girl, and I hope I can see her go hunting when she is of age. I think more might be coming soon, God willing!
 
Ks5shooter said:
My 2 stepsons now 24 and 31(raised them from very young) never really expressed an interest in hunting ,shooting or reloading. Be glad you have someone to pass guns and knowledge on to.
Click to expand...

We cannot wholly dictate what our kids will seek out as hobbies. We can give them the knowledge and the experience, but we cannot always make them love what we do. Hunting is no different than learning to play an instrument, or playing sports. My oldest son never really had the patience to fish, so he gave it up at a young age, even tho I was passionate with it. 20 years went by and he learned to fly fish for trout and now he is enthralled. He also now enjoys other types of fishing and his youngest daughter is addicted. My youngest son sat with me in a deer blind from the age of 8 till he went to college. He hasn't had the desire to since his Freshman year, 9 years ago. Yet he loves to go bird hunting with the dog and loves to shoot guns at the range. It's not just that they took the baton and ran with it like I did, it's that we still have the memories......and the memories are all positive. Pushing too hard sometimes makes for those to turn. Enjoy your kids/grand-kids and encourage them to follow their passion, even if it isn't your own.
 
I’ll give you the other perspective. I grew up hunting with my family. Killed my share of deer through high school and then after college became a cop and had a hunt club. Still hunted with my Dad but I was 3 hours away and “on my own.” In 1998, went to law school at 29, later ended up in federal law enforcement and lost all interest in hunting.
Fast forward to 2019. My 80 year old Dad asked me to hunt with him. I now have cool guns and gadgets galore, stuff we never had as poor country folk. So I jumped on the chance. He has more time, so he scouted the spots and did what he did when I was a kid, sit here, they will come. On the first day of rifle I killed the biggest deer of my life with a suppressed 300 blackout. He laughed at my gun and I made fun of the 50 year old R700 BDL he’s killed a million deer with. What a great experience.
Fast forward to March 2020, Dad had a bowel infarction and spent 13 days in ICU. After a month in the hospital, he came to live with us. We all thought his days were limited and best case scenario he was living a limited life. Well I’ll be damned but he worked his ass off and got himself back to full speed. We hunted all of November and December together on a farm where he didn’t have to walk in the timber as far as he did before the accident. I now have the bug, all I think about is hunting and I’m looking at archery hunting for the first time ever. Why? Because my Dad asked me to hunt with him in 2019. I’ve had experiences I never would have had without that off the cuff request. Never give up on family, in either direction.
 
Rembrandt said:
In recent years found myself setting aside my own hunting interests and goals for those who have little hunting experience. Realize the clock is ticking on grand kids soon being grown and gone, window of time to teach them hunting is pretty small.

Become more apparent this year with youngest grandson...missed shots, inexperience with bow, clumsy things that scare away game, and unending questions. I know we all go through those experiences to become better hunters. Forgotten how far I'd progressed and how much of my own inexperience I've forgotten about. Love these kids so much and want them to have the same wonderful outdoor experiences to remember.

As we bungle our way through this season I remain optimistic it will all be worth it years after I'm gone. Besides, what the heck am I going to do with another set of antlers laying around....rather have the memories.
Click to expand...
And never forget, a lot of successful adult hunters STILL bungle their way through successful seasons. Sometimes it’s luck but most of the time it’s because those things we consider bungles aren’t that big of a deal (some are).
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top