On occasion I watch hunting shows on the outdoor channel or videos, and sometimes my kids watch them with me as well. I started thinking about this today. I do not want my kids getting the wrong impression of hunting. I don't want them to only think of big antlers, the endless ridiculous marketing of the latest and greatest gear, and being a big shot in the hunting world. I just want them to think of hunting, plain and simple. Does anyone else understand what I am saying? The year proceeding their first year of hunting I believe I am going to eliminate any and all hunting videos or shows, minus instructional videos. Thoughts?
Just be prepared to have children that don't use terms like: * "Rage in the cage!" * "Smoked him!" * "Management buck" * "Cull deer" * "I hung a set." * "Gimme a minute!"
I let my son watch them but I point out what I do and don't like about whats going on. That's good, that's bad, that guy is an idiot and why he is idiot, don't do that, thats the way it should be done,that may be a good product, that's a gimmick etc. And if its a show that I don't want him to watch I change the channel just like I would with anything else. We're watching a bow hunting show right now.
Yeah, I think my wife believes I should come home with a monster every time I go too. Tilted view due to TV Hunting shows.
My daughter and I watch some together every once in a while. She's 6 years old. She hears me complain when I think bad choice shots are taken. She's picked up on what bad shots are now without me saying anything. I trust her judgement more then I trust some of the crap people post on here. I think you can watch stuff with your young kids but you gotta intervene when needed. Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk
Yes, I understand what you're saying. I'm very conscious of what I let my kids 14, 11, 9 watch on TV. However, I think you can do a lot worse than hunting shows. It's up to you to instill the values that you want to see in them. A hunting show isn't going to do that, and a hunting show isn't going to turn them into an idiot hunter either. Yes, they're marketing everything under the sun at every given opportunity. Kids understand that, they get marketed to more than any other group on the planet. You'd rather have them getting marketed HSS gear than Viagra. That's partly why I leave the Outdoor channel on the majority of the time, I don't have to pause it for every other commercial. I wouldn't be too worried about it, if you're this concerned about it already, you're obviously going to make sure they do the right things while they're out there. They'll learn their hunting from you, not the shows. I doubt my 14 year old could tell you one thing he's learned from one of the shows, but he knows how to walk through the woods because of me and my father, and his father, and his fathers before him. You get the point.
I cant wait to read everyones answers to this question cause it is one that I think about a lot......I worry about this same thing with my kids. I love to take them hunting and want them to enjoy it growing up the same way that I did. I want to make sure that they know thats there is more to hunting than the camera. My kids shoot a recurve that I bought them from 3 rivers archery I want them to see where bowhunting has came from. MY other problem is when it comes to land management. THe farm that I live on is set up nice when it comes to food plots and timber. I think thats its important to learn how to hunt with out that stuff in order to mature as a hunter. Im going to try and find a nice small pice of land close to the house that I can hunt/lease that will just be our family stomping ground.
I do let my kids watch some hunting shows but they don't watch many. I try to put my kids in the best possible situation to not only see deer so they are interested but to be successful. I will not however do all the work and get everything set up just to walk them to the spot and let them shoot. They have to help with mineral sites, trail cameras, scouting and setting up and brushing in their blinds. I want them to learn so when they get older they can do it on their own. I have never told them what they can or can not shoot. They look at the pictures and have decided they dont want to shoot young bucks. They do however want to shoot as many does as they can.
That's very interesting Clinton....I agree with that. Never thought about it, but my hunting here is different than your anyway. Good point!
Good point but here's another angle. Have the kids film wildlife with a sony cam and take stills with a nice slr. My teens started this 5 years ago on youtube and now will only film a harvest if in frame self filmed. I about threw my Son and his tripod out of the stand last week after I had cornered a great buck in a pine grove. 8 hour sit and he steps out. No in frame/no trigger pull. But that's his choice. Youtube thedandkproductions 100 kills self filmed from teens. Keeps them excited and always nice to review the footage for shot placement or buck id.
No offense, but I will never bring up filming deer kills with my kids. If that is something they want to do when they get older and learn about it on their own, then that is fine. If your kids want to do it, no problem with me and I see nothing wrong with it.
You need to expose them some but make sure they realize every hunt will not go the way it does on TV.
I let him watch shows but I make comments like, "You know they probably sat for a week straight to get that shot". Just things like that to make him think it isn't like the real world. Well actually he already knows because I did not see a deer anytime he was on stand with me this year.
While most of these shows do promote plenty of pointless/trendy topics, they are leading the kids and new hunters in the right direction for the most part. I would much rather expose them to a show like Drury's Wildlife Obsession than expose them to the redneck poachers that seem to lurk every back-road in the nation.
I tried watching one last night. Every other word out of his mouth was baby and oh baby. That was before he killed something and it got worse after he shot the deer. Oh baby I shot a monster 8. He is a bigger 8 then I thought, baby. He apparently was seeing something different then me... it weren't no monster. It was a baby !!!!! He was hunting Kansas. My kids don't watch hunting shows. After seeing that show... I can see why. Tim
Its all in how you raise them! Sure I film and take part in a show, It hasent affected my kids one iota! For many many years I watched hunting shows with my kids as they grew up and was always selective in those, some I just cant stomach and changed channels real quick! They learned what I taught them and zip from hunting shows! I dont worry with it as I have already been down that road!
I guess my main concern is they watch shows and think hunting is supposed to be that way. I have nothing against many of the guys/gals on hunting shows, I just want my kids to understand what hunting is all about....and it ain't all about the latest/greatest gear, 200 inch bucks, QDM, etc.
I worry about the same thing, but my son is only two so it is not a problem yet. Right now I am just excited when he says "Daddy, let's watch hunting deer!" Despite a couple of bucks I have on the wall, must of my success is with does for the meat. Having, shot only does this year, I make a point of letting him know it is for food, not trophies. Even at two he knows that hunting is for "food deer, we eat that, right Daddy?!" It is getting hard to watch these hunting shows that only shoot monster bucks and have over-the-top celebrations. I will be monitoring that more closely as my son becomes old enough to hunt.
