My daughter has been hounding me to take her out into the woods so she can watch me hunt. She has her own bow and is becoming a pretty good shot but she isn't pulling enough weight to be able to hunt yet. I think that I will take her with me and set up the ground blind for us to sit in together. I know that she will enjoy using hte video camera but what are some other silent things that I can take to keep her occupied when the times are slow? Any suggestions would be appreciated!
...I'm always looking for things...I still can't get much more than an hour out of my boys...but I'm OK with that. Not sure your daughter's age, my boys are 5 & 6 so their age is getting closer to being serious...I started taking them on quick hunts at age 2 - those were tough Water Bottle, small snack, digital camera, binoculars, rangefinder, and sitting on ground allows to play in the dirt, find acorns, etc. Good Luck...to me the best part are the conversations!
Texting...all the cool kids are doing it. My daughter is only 6, so this might not apply to your daughter...food is an absolute must on a hunt. Something quiet and easy to eat. It usually only takes 30 minutes before I hear "I'm hungry". Kids get hungry when the action is slow.
I am planning on taking both but my 11 year old is one of those that can't sit still or keep her mouth shut. She loves to hear herself talk! LOL My 6 year old I actually think will be better suited for hunting. Think she will do just fine!
I've got a bit of experience with this... Take a blanket (or something to that effect) so they can lay down on the ground and take a nap while waiting on prime time... let them use the binos a lot... cars or toys are nice to have a couple of... take lots of snacks...
I took my son opening day a few years back and I made sure he brought his Nintendo DS. He started getting antsy so I had him get his game out. Not 10 minutes later we had a fat doe come in and I dropped her with him by my side. Its the most memorable hunt I have to date. We had a great time that morning.
Honestly T that is one of your best ideas! Dariyn asks about him all the time! We will have to make sure that we get all the kids out on the ice together this year!
My son and I just got in - first stand hunt together. He brought a book, and a bottle of water and some snack bars. He was good for about 2 hours and kind of frayed from there. When we used to hunt in the blind (did a few weeks back for youth day) he would bring his didj or some other game and book. Snacks are key! Good luck, I love hunting with my son and daughter - even when we don't see anything (like tonight).
Thanks for all the suggestons. Hoping to get out next week with my older daughter! I'll let you know how it goes!
I take my 5 year old daughter with me about once every couple of weeks. She thinks it's great to wear camo & get sprayed with scent killer. Once in the blind she stays entertained with bino's or my rangefinder.
I started my daughter out in the blind rifle hunting when she was 6. I can still remember the first trip. I told her before we went out that when I picked up and aimed the rifle she needed to cover her ears as tightly as she could. We had been out for about an hour and she was doing great reading books. About 60 yards out I saw the biggest rack I had seen on my property EVER about 10 yards from a shooting lane. I picked up my rifle, and she dropped her hard covered book on the wood floor so that she could cover her ears. It was priceless. Two nights later I shot a fork horn with her because she told me to shoot it. She held the flashlight while I gutted it, and "helped" me drag it out. Definitely bring the snacks, books, nintendo, and anything else that will keep them occupied! At this point it is more about them enjoying themselves than you shooting something.
