youth weekend

[purple heart]

We have a youth weekend this coming weekend. It's for kids under 16
that have passed the hunter safety course and got their hunting
license.
All deer are legal for the kids where during the regular season spikes are
not legal.
A young guy(35) that hunts with me is bringing his son out for the first time.
The boy has been with us on some hunts before but not able to hunt himself.
This should be fun.
Not having any grandkids of my own this is as good as it's going to get.

Anyone else have and participate in a youth weekend?:)

[Altjaeger]

Texas had one of their youth weekends last weekend. Our youngest hunter aged out this year when he turned17.

[howdydoit]

Missouri's youth season was this weekend as well, and my boy Clay got his 1st deer. ill have to post a pic when i get home.

He was so happy and I was so proud of him.

Howdy.:p

[Deerslayer]

We had our statewide youth hunt a few weekends ago. My kid had a hacking cough so the only time that we got out was late Sunday afternoon. Between his fidgeting and coughing we did not see much. He has also gotten drawn for one of the state's "learn to hunt" deer hunts which will occur this weekend. It should be a fun hunt. The bucks ought to be on the prowl big time here.

[pepaw]

My 10 yr old daughter tagged her second buck on Sat. pm here in East Central TX. Not huge or high scoring, he was perfect in our eyes. Unusual right beam that went up and out like a pronghorn on one side and a normal 3 point horn on the other side. 15" inside spread. Bucks have to be 13" to be legal in this county.
A single .222 from 75 yards through the shoulder into the lungs dropped him in less than 20 yards.
Her mom and I have really enjoyed youth seasons with our kids. A great opportunity to enjoy nice weather, abundant game and more relaxed hunting.

pepaw

[Bushman]

I tried it a couple of years back and clearly determined the my son had inherited all of his hunting genes from his mother. It was too early to get up, it was too cold, it was too boring, "Wake me up when you see one dad." The last straw was sitting in his stand sawing the forearm checkering on his mint M99 back and forth on the metal cross bar because he liked the sound that it was making. X-box 360 and the instant everything has ruined an entire generation from enjoying a lot of the outdoor activities. If you have an outdoor kid that likes to do what you like, cherish the time together.

[pepaw]

I have one of each. Unfortunately, the one that doesn't like to hunt likes to kill and never misses. An excellent shot! He also likes catching fish, but doesn't like to fish. Talk about a frustrated dad!

The one that likes to hunt is like me and buck fever tears us up! But she will glass for deer and pigs all day while waiting on a chance.

Perhaps bird hunting will be better suited for ours that get bored.

pepaw

[Wapitibill]

I don't see the purpose of youth hunts and the last few posts illustrate the reason why.

If a youngster has the interest and ambition to become a hunter they will do it - youth season or not. On the flip side, no special season or relaxed regulation will spark an interest that isn't already there to begin with. There also has to be the opportunity to actually get out and hunt. The son or daughter of an avid hunter will have that opportunity regardless if there is a youth season or not. If a kid has no place to hunt (and/or nobody to take them hunting) it wouldn't make a bit of difference if the season was open all year.

The hunting gene kicked in when I was a kid. It kicked in BIG TIME! All I wanted to do was be in the woods with a rifle in hand. But Dad wasn't a hunter and his attempts to discourage my budding interest in the chase didn't work. I became the hunter that I am (be it good or bad) despite the lack of the mentor programs and youth seasons you hear so much about these days. And I know of many others who became avid and successful hunters despite growing up in an urban environment or non-hunting family.

There's a local farm where I shot several hundred deer over a period of 3 years. The farmer had a 14 year old son who's interest waned after shooting one deer. He'd rather play video games or ride the ATV. If I had the chance to hunt every day of the year, and shoot an almost unlimited number of deer, when I was 14 I would have been in absolute paradise! I know of other farm and ranch kids who don't care all that much about hunting. I tell ya' - life just ain't fair!

[dave-t.]

I think the youth seasons are as much for the parents as for the kids. Dad gets his hunting time and his hunting with his buddies, and still gets to take the kiddo out, without it horning in on dad's deer season.

It takes away a lot of the reasons for leaving Jr. at home.

My Grandpaw was a very good and Christian man, but when it came time for one of 'his weekends' to hunt or fish with longtime friends, he went alone and as far as I know never took his kids. My dad learned to hunt and fish on his own, even though grandpaw was well known for his catfishing and turkey hunting success.


There were no youth seasons when I was starting out, but it was a rough beginning as dad didn't know much more than me about hunting deer.

[Herne]

I think hunting any big game is one of patience, and not many youngsters have much of that. Rabbits and target rich environments are for most of them, and then I think you mellow into deer hunting.

[Sabre]

I think hunting any big game is one of patience, and not many youngsters have much of that. Rabbits and target rich environments are for most of them, and then I think you mellow into deer hunting.

I've long thought that squirrels and rabbits were the proper place to start a kid hunting.

[pepaw]

Well, I spent youth weekend with just the family on the family ranch.
In TX, it is usually a target rich environment of deer and pigs and if all game laws and ranch harvest quotas are not violated, I don't see a downside.

Target, rabbits and squirrels are where they begin to get to this point.

Some kids have patience and some don't. Just like adults. And not everyone likes to hunt. But youth season appears a great way to get some kids started on the outdoors and away from their videos and TV.

pepaw