Son's first tag - first kill

[turbo]

So I have been easing my step son in to big game hunting and this will be his 3rd year stomping around in the woods. He gets a few days here and there to hunt with me while I'm out for weeks. He saw the Bull I took down last year but none of the gore and handled it well..

He drew a Doe tag this year in the Gardner unit, a sure thing. He will be 16 so he's not a little boy but I'm not sure how he is going to handle the take-down and the gutting. I suspect it might be hard for him to take the life of a doe but I really don't know. 

Do any of you experienced dads have any suggestions to make this go smooth? What's your kids story with their first kill? I may be making too big of a deal with this but I see it as a make or break moment in his hunting career. Any suggestions are good. Thanks

[h20hunter]

I think that you know your son better than we do and will help him make the best decision for you both. The taking of the life should not be something that is passed over. I'm no great seasoned long in the tooth hunter and have only taken a few critters. What I would share with him if we were talking about the hunt to be is that preperation, practice, and patience will pay off in the most quick and humane death possible. Granted...there is always room for error but quickly dispatched animal leaves me feeling far more satisfied than other outcomes. Talk with him about what if's, choose the shot, make it count. When it comes to the knife work every hunter has to start somewhere. That could be getting elbows deep or simply helping hold a leg her and handing you an extra knife when you need it. If you keep the first experience to his comfort level the you should have more in the future. If you push and say this is the only way it gets done and he barfs or worse when forced to exceed his comfort levels then this will probably be his first and last hunt. Also, keep in mind that when the time comes to pull the trigger it is his decision to make. If he decides that the animal shall live...then so be it.

Best of luck to you both, keep us posted.

[Halo]

I guess growing up on a farm and in a hunting family as a kid I never gave it much thought. I cant remember a time when I didn't know and respect where meat came from and what it took to put it on the table. My daughter (now 20) was in kindergarden and the subject of deer came up in class, she says matter of factly, "my daddy shoots those", the teacher asks what the meat is called, fishing for the obvious answer, venison. She immediately says, "pepperoni". In all fairness she was correct for our house, deer (excluding backstrap), was pepperoni or sausage and elk was for steak, roast & burger. Sorry probably not much help.

[lostbackpacker]

My son has been hunting for a few years now, he is 14.  He has seend an animal gutted, but has not done it himself. 
He loves to help with the skinning.
I kind of eased him into  hunting, letting him help with the gutting, gorey part when he wants.  This year should be the bigger test for him as he drew a doe tag.  If he has trouble with it, I'll be there to back him up.

[turbo]

Good stuff Guys - Thanks!

He will know for sure that the final decision is his and I will not force it or be disappointed if he choses not to pull the trigger. I have shot a lot of deer and I have seen some ugly scenes but I will not let him shoot unless it's perfect. I'm sure I'm more nervous than he is. He is a solid kid. We'll see how he handles it.

[Timberstalker]

Good on you for teaching him to respect the animals we all live to hunt for.  This "Etiquette" is begininng to be more and more rare. 
Best of luck to you on this.  It has only just begun.

[crazysccrmd]

Has he caught/gutted fish before? Pretty much the same idea, just a bigger, messier scale.

[ckr]

As far as the blood and guts go, I always use it as a science lab.  My kids love to see what different parts look like and what they do for your body.  This is done with respect to the animal of course .

[WaltAlpine]

watch a lot of youtube videos on every part of the hunt. It will prepare him for what is coming in that you can talk to him about it all before it happens. He will have questions and comments that will be good teachable moments.
You are good to work with him like this. Nothing beats fatherhood.

[Stick em]

Sounds like your head is in the right direction. Killing and cleaning can be rough on some but for most boys it's a bonding moment with their Dad. I wouldn't worry so much about his issues cleaning the animal, as taking the shot. Support his decision to let it go, if that happens. That's a harder lesson to learn. My son took his first deer last year at age 12. He had already been involved with cleaning a few animals, always to his comfort zone. When he took his dear, he was so excited to clean and even more proud when we dropped it at the butcher shop. Good luck, I look forward to reading about the hunt.

[lokidog]

As far as the blood and guts go, I always use it as a science lab.  My kids love to see what different parts look like and what they do for your body.  This is done with respect to the animal of course .

Same here, both kids wanted to see what was what when they were little.  Started out pretty much with ducks and worked up to deer once here on the island.  It's easier when you can bring the whole thing home.   

I would think the shooting/killing could be tougher than the gutting.  I gutted my wife's first couple of deer, with her holding legs and stuff, of course.  Now she does it with me holding the legs.   

[WaltAlpine]

I remember when I was 5 and I saw this guy clean a fish. When I saw the swift cut of the knife up the belly to the gills I almost hurled. About 3 years later I saw a guy do the same with a nice big buck. Almost hurled.
Killing and cleaning is a gift from God that if we can come to terms with, is a great part of enjoying what God told us to do..."get up, kill and eat."

[Old Man Yager]

I would make sure you show him that taking care of an animal after you have killed it is an important part of hunting. You want a clean 1 shot kill , right? You also want a clean field dressing job, without letting any meat go to waste. Make sure he knows that the actual shooting and killing is part of the whole experience. Do you plan on butchering the deer yourself? That might be good for him to experience, then he will appreciate harvesting that animal from start to finish. Good Luck

[deerslyr]

Killing an animal is not for everyone. If he doesnt want to he never will, and thats ok. Nothing wrong with that all, different strokes for different folks. Theres a picture some where at my parents house of me trying to help my dad skin an elk in my diapers. There was no doubt in my mind I was a hunter and it never bothered me. Good luck to you and your son this year.

[Bigtine96]

When I was a kid I had a doe dead in the cross hairs and could not kill it. My dad saw my dilemma and told me I didnt have to shoot it if I didnt want to. Probably the best thing he could have done. I made the decision for myself and let that doe walk off.

[Rooster1981]

Good questions turbo,
 My step son is 13 and has had a very slow growing interest into hunting. While my two younger daughters are counting the days until they get to carry a rifle in the woods. I had to take baby steps with my son, we started out grouse hunting. That was a huge success, He now loves to bird hunt. Then I took him turkey hunting and we had a blast. Kids are smart, I'm letting my son make the decisions weather he want's to hunt or not. As much as I would love to see him shoot his first deer, I will have to wait until he is ready.
          If I could give any advice I would say don't pressure your son to pull the trigger. If he does or doesn't want to then let him make that decision.

[Bulldozer77]

Last year my daughter drew a west klickitat doe tag. After getting her multiple opportunities for does and her not sealing the deal we had to talk. She told me that she just doesn't feel like that's her thing. she still loves the outdoors and seeing the animals so I'm just going to buy her a nice camera and let her shoot them that way. It was hard for her to tell me that because she didn't want to let me down but I wish she had told me sooner. That way I wouldn't have put her in for the tag and another kid would have gotten it. They don't give out too many of those. oddly enough, my son drew it this year and he can't talk about anything else. Can't wait till October. Good luck to you and your son!

[turbo]

Thanks to everyone for your input, I really appreciate it.

Like I said earlier, I will not force the issue in any way. The final decision is his and his only once I've cleared him on the target. He's a great shot so that should help him.

I like the idea of a few science experiments with some smaller game and you tube videos. I bought him a 22 rifle a couple years ago and he is a squirrel chasing fool when I can get him in the woods. I think I will go out "small game" hunting and open up a few animals.

The biggest problem is he has a crazy busy schedule with Rugby and football this time of year through hunting season. Kids are too busy these days... A whole other topic! 

[Elkstuffer]

Be sure to let us know the outcome of your hunt. There are a lot of us on here that have little ones, me included, and just might be in your same situation one day. There can never be too much advise/guidance on this subject.   

I'm sure you will make the right decision for both of you. Perhaps setting him down and talking it through after a scouting trip may help you figure where his head is at. Most importantly making him aware that he's not letting you down if he decides not to take a doe's life. I'm wishing you luck with your situation.