popeye2

Whenever I take a young kid hunting I try to do these 3 things.

1.Be patient
2.Normally I take them squirrel hunting instead of deer hunting, much greater chance of getting a shot.
3. Have fun !!!!!

DannyD

remember,
This hunt is going to be about him not you. So if he's noisy, dont get annoyed, If he wants to leave, do it.
Like others have said:
- Use a pop up ground blind if possible
- Talk about all the things you see in the woods
- Bring snacks
- Plan on a short day
- Bring hearing protection for him
- Be patient with him

Bob H in NH

Things I learned taking my kids when they were young:
- attention span of a fruit fly, seems about right :-)
- bring snacks
- bring books and read to him
- when it's cold, don't go
- when it's "buggy" don't go
- keep in mind his legs are VERY much shorter than yours, going over things will be hard (trees, rocks, branches, streams).
- his legs are also short for walking distances, he will get tired faster than you.

4evrhtn

Hunt out of a ground blind, do what everyone else suggested keeping it short and to keep him occupied and when that fails a Nintendo DS will entertain a kid for hours which will keep him quiet and focused on something other than his butt falling asleep or being bored. My friends daughter has been shooting deer since she was 5 and I think she is up to 5 deer already at the age of 7. She is already holding out on small buck and waiting for the bigger ones. I think she will be impossible to please when she gets older and it will lose it's fun for her.
Another huge help is make sure the kid see's deer when they are out with you, something that is becoming extremely difficult to do here in Pa. Food plots on unpressured private land are the way to go for a youngster just getting into hunting. Sitting in the cold and not seeing anything isn't something that makes a kid want to do it again.

teedub31

Hunt evenings. The setting sun is a visual time keeper for the kids as to when the hunt is over. The rising sun will make a hunt seem as though it has no end in sight which can be bad if activity is non existant.

driftrider

I would be careful about this. Check to make sure it's legal before you do it. It's not in Iowa. You don't want his first hunting experience ending with you getting a big ticket from the DNR.

Mike

Onlychevy6

My daughter who just turned 7 years old went last year for the first time. I like to tape my hunts, so i made sure she was positioned high enough to see the animals and had a clear view of the camera if she could not see the feeder. Also ear muffs are a must, and bring a gameboy or something or even an ipod. I did all of the above and it was wonderful. Oh and she also had her own binoculars.

Good luck

Jeff

09_bobcat

yall are awesome, ill post a report to let yall know how it went, sometime in november im thinking it will happen. wait till it cools down a little bit but before it gets too cold. thank yall so much for the help. ill get what yall suggested and see how it goes! i wish everyone a great season with your families and friends as well!

buck-i

i make them sit still a little bit but then let them play some they get bored to easy want them to enjoy the woods they love play with and throwing sticks.
i make sure no hunters are around when im with them,knowing i would ruin your hunt.

baileym62

earplugs are a must but you need to know that they are going to yell at you instead of whispering and just keep that in mind my daughter is 7 shes been with me since five but only on either duck or turkey hunts, it gets her pumped and there is action or at least interaction so she doesnt get bored. this year ill take her on deer stand in a large tree cabin we have on our land but other than that or sitting on the ground none of my stands will accomodate her. Luckely in maine she cant actually hunt till 10 so i got three more seasons to figure that out. she loves it though and has no problems with the gory parts either.