4-point rule 117/121

[PA BEN]

My son and daughter have had no issues killing legal bucks for the last 3 years now. The rule was implemented the first year my daughter hunted. She was 10 at the time. She didn't know what the old days were like. I told her the rules and we hunted. Period. She had to let 2 or 3 walk before she got her chance. Big fricking deal! I looked at it as more days to be in the wods with my little girl. She looked at it as that's just the way it is. We saw a moose that season and had to pass on it as well.

Most kids are entitled little whiners because we made them that way. They are going to have to follow rules they don't agree with there entire lives. If a rule keeps them out of the woods or lack of "success" makes them loose interest then they probably weren't that into it anyway and might not become life long hunters. My 10 year old son had to hunt to the very last day of the season last year before he got it done. It was AWESOME! My kids play a ton of sports and deal with disappointment all the time. Why should hunting be any different?

No kidding...I get the feeling that alot of people are in just a hurry to fill their tags!! I dont get it... I love being in the outdoors and hunting.

Some of us live in the great outdoors and spend tons of time enjoying the outdoors years round. The meat is also more important than horns to some hunters. If you get a big one it's a bonus w/more meat.

[huntnnw]

but thats the issue, I can put a doe in the freezer on a daily basis if I wanted....Id rather hunt and be outside than tryin to hurry and fill my tag. I wont even fill my deer tag usually unless its a mature buck. I have elk in my freezer every year, so deer are just a bonus.

[DBHAWTHORNE]

My son and daughter have had no issues killing legal bucks for the last 3 years now. The rule was implemented the first year my daughter hunted. She was 10 at the time. She didn't know what the old days were like. I told her the rules and we hunted. Period. She had to let 2 or 3 walk before she got her chance. Big fricking deal! I looked at it as more days to be in the wods with my little girl. She looked at it as that's just the way it is. We saw a moose that season and had to pass on it as well.

Most kids are entitled little whiners because we made them that way. They are going to have to follow rules they don't agree with there entire lives. If a rule keeps them out of the woods or lack of "success" makes them loose interest then they probably weren't that into it anyway and might not become life long hunters. My 10 year old son had to hunt to the very last day of the season last year before he got it done. It was AWESOME! My kids play a ton of sports and deal with disappointment all the time. Why should hunting be any different?

A voice of reason.   

[PA BEN]

My son and daughter have had no issues killing legal bucks for the last 3 years now. The rule was implemented the first year my daughter hunted. She was 10 at the time. She didn't know what the old days were like. I told her the rules and we hunted. Period. She had to let 2 or 3 walk before she got her chance. Big fricking deal! I looked at it as more days to be in the wods with my little girl. She looked at it as that's just the way it is. We saw a moose that season and had to pass on it as well.

Most kids are entitled little whiners because we made them that way. They are going to have to follow rules they don't agree with there entire lives. If a rule keeps them out of the woods or lack of "success" makes them loose interest then they probably weren't that into it anyway and might not become life long hunters. My 10 year old son had to hunt to the very last day of the season last year before he got it done. It was AWESOME! My kids play a ton of sports and deal with disappointment all the time. Why should hunting be any different?

A voice of reason.   

How is this the voice of reason? It's nice to live close to where you hunt, you can take your kids hunting after school and on the weekends, it's nice to not worry about getting your deer meat because you have an elk in the frizzier, but if you don't have an elk in the frizzier and are taking your kids out of school to go on vacation with you to hunt, that's a different story. Time is a factor. It's great that I'm home now and can hunt out the back door, but for the last 8 years I took vacation to come home and hunt, I would take more time off then my kids so I could help my Dad on the farm, the most I could take my daughters out of school was a week, sometimes only a few days, my wife would drive over to visit and take the kids back to the wet side. Not all kids are entitled little whiners, my kids and the ones I've taken hunting except the fact that you don't always fill your tag. I do know it's not going to destroy the deer population to let kids shoot any buck.       

[Seabass]

PA Ben,

           I sort of agree with you on this issue but dog gone it you sound kind of whiney in your comments. I have a hard time feeling sorry for you having a farm in Eastern Washington to take a week long vacation with your kids to hunt. I hunt public land for the most part and none of it is very close to my home. I haven't been able to take a week off with my kids either. I simply roll there little butts out of bed at 4:00 am and we drive an hour to the spot, hunt for a few hours and I drop them off at school a few hours late. I pick one of them up after school and we repeat the process until they tag out or wear out. It's a challenge but it's AWESOME and they will never forget it. I look at it like this. Lots of kids get to take a few days off from school to hunt but not many kids can say they shot a buck before school, went to school and still made it to football or soccer practice the same day. I would love to have a family farm to take my kids to for a week but I don't and no amount of complaining is going to change that. We just do what we do because we love it and if it get's to the point that it's no longer fun we will quit.


I hope you didn't feel like I was specifically calling your kids whiners because I wasn't. However a large number of today's youth are in fact entitled, soft and whiney. That is not a debatable issue! They weren't born that way. We made them that way by our own actions. My only point was that if you want it bad enough you can usually figure out a way to make it happen and success isn't always measured by the outcome. Many times it's about the process. I love the process and I think my kids are learning to love it as well. We have been checking trail cameras together for weeks now and they are itching to get to the woods Saturday morning. My son is up first this year and he has a chance to do something epic. He has a football game 3 hours away from where we hunt so he will only get the first hour of light. He has it in his mind that he will shoot a buck and score a TD in the same day. If it happens it will be pretty cool and I will be exhausted!
           

[PA BEN]

Not whining at all. I have my opinion and you have yours. I have 5 daughters and they all have harvested deer, some the last day of season. As far as private land to hunt, I do and I'm very protective of it. When I would hunt out of my area I would stop and knock on doors w/my daughters. You would be surprised on how many farmers will let you hunt or point you to a place near by to hunt.

[DBHAWTHORNE]

My son and daughter have had no issues killing legal bucks for the last 3 years now. The rule was implemented the first year my daughter hunted. She was 10 at the time. She didn't know what the old days were like. I told her the rules and we hunted. Period. She had to let 2 or 3 walk before she got her chance. Big fricking deal! I looked at it as more days to be in the wods with my little girl. She looked at it as that's just the way it is. We saw a moose that season and had to pass on it as well.

Most kids are entitled little whiners because we made them that way. They are going to have to follow rules they don't agree with there entire lives. If a rule keeps them out of the woods or lack of "success" makes them loose interest then they probably weren't that into it anyway and might not become life long hunters. My 10 year old son had to hunt to the very last day of the season last year before he got it done. It was AWESOME! My kids play a ton of sports and deal with disappointment all the time. Why should hunting be any different?

A voice of reason.   

How is this the voice of reason? It's nice to live close to where you hunt, you can take your kids hunting after school and on the weekends, it's nice to not worry about getting your deer meat because you have an elk in the frizzier, but if you don't have an elk in the frizzier and are taking your kids out of school to go on vacation with you to hunt, that's a different story. Time is a factor. It's great that I'm home now and can hunt out the back door, but for the last 8 years I took vacation to come home and hunt, I would take more time off then my kids so I could help my Dad on the farm, the most I could take my daughters out of school was a week, sometimes only a few days, my wife would drive over to visit and take the kids back to the wet side. Not all kids are entitled little whiners, my kids and the ones I've taken hunting except the fact that you don't always fill your tag. I do know it's not going to destroy the deer population to let kids shoot any buck.     

In your case it sounds like the lack of time to take the kids hunting was a personal choice. Every part of this state has public land close enough that taking vacation to take a kid deer hunting would be unnecessary unless you worked daylight to dark 7 days a week.

[PA BEN]

5 DAUGHTERS all wanting to hunt + the wife. Yeah i can be in several places at one time, let alone have enough guns to out fit them all. Funny thing is this is my opinion and my opinion only. Everybody wants to miss read into what I say and say I'm being whinny. All along I've said open it up for the kids, seniors and disabled. BTW, most if not all of the local people I talk to who live here in 121 around the Chewelah Valley say the same thing. Hunters want to come to 121 and find a BIG BUCK behind every tree and that's not the case and never will be, big bucks get big because they are smarter with age. Over the years most of the really big guys get shot during the rut. Back in the day I would pass on all kinds of bucks just to hunt Thanksgiving day with all my family. I had to kick the brush on deer drives for the older family members, but you know, I would shoot some pretty good bucks that way. BTW, some of the biggest bucks I've seen shot came from the Cheney area.
 10 year old, 2001

13 year old, 2004
 
First Deer age 8

I shot this deer in 1976
 
Black tail doe age 9

2010

age 9 2000

2004 age 15


 

[Sitka_Blacktail]

Sweet Pix PA BEN! You done good getting them all interested in hunting.

[Seabass]

All but 1 of those bucks would be legal under today's rules.......

[Sitka_Blacktail]

All but 1 of those bucks would be legal under today's rules.......

And yet they were still around to take when there was an any buck season. 

[PA BEN]

  Lots of spikes, forken horns and does over the years went into our frizzier.

[Seabass]

PA Ben,

           Those pics are awesome! It looks like most of your kids don't fall under the youth category anymore.

[PA BEN]

PA Ben,

           Those pics are awesome! It looks like most of your kids don't fall under the youth category anymore.

Just one left home now, she is 14. It's great to spend time with her and not have to break it up for the rest of the kids. I have one in Spokane who I hope will have time to hunt this year, she could use the meat.

[Jonathan_S]

Hey Pa Ben, does that one buck have 2 pedicles?