Archery in Washington hard on kids

[coastie hunter]

 There are no good archery youth deer hunts that blows. I feel like my boys getting punished for being an archer what a joke. Not happy right now I went for 667 modern for my boy but I already bought his archery tag for the other hunts I wanted to apply him for. so I ended up going for Pine mountain dont know any thing about it but it was the only youth hunt that was any tag. maybe it will be a good thing but I really wanted to hunt 667 a weak early.

[Johnb317]

Why 'youth' hunts at all?   I learned hunting with my father (birds), and he would let me shoot first.   
Everyone wants special status.   
Don't get me wrong, I think we need to teach our children to hunt, with, not special or separate season. 
IMHO

[coastie hunter]

Kids are the future of are sport nothing more important than getting them in the woods.

[D-Rock425]

Why 'youth' hunts at all?   I learned hunting with my father (birds), and he would let me shoot first.   
Everyone wants special status.   
Don't get me wrong, I think we need to teach our children to hunt, with, not special or separate season. 
IMHO

youth hunts normally higher success rates and without the pressure of general season hunts.  I think they are great for the kids but archery hunters don't have many youth hunt options.

[NWWABOWHNTR]

Exactly....MF has permits for youth... why not a youth Bowhunt for a couple of days prior to the general archery season? 

[bobcat]

Probably because with an archery tag many units are open for either sex. That's about all the youth permits give them is the opportunity to take a doe. So with an archery tag you really have no need to apply for any special hunts.

Also, as a youth, they are still able to apply for all the regular hunts as well- quality, buck, antlerless.

Be sure to put them in for all those so they can at least build points.

[DIYARCHERYJUNKIE]

Dont forget 2nd deer for 22.00!   

[bobcat]

Dont forget 2nd deer for 22.00!   

True, but that's really only an option if you have a modern tag.

[fair-chase]

I'm not in favor of adding any more antlerless hunts to the youth special permit category. Though I wouldn't mind a few more quality permits for them, I'm really not in favor of the youth special permit category at all. I would much prefer a youth general season that gives them a week head start on the adults in every weapon category. The current youth general season is a joke. It is for modern tags only and lumps the youth in with seniors and disabled hunters. Most of the youth season is not a season at all, with many of the units overlapping the regular general season and just giving an anterless option for youth in the point restriction units. I think the department could really do a better job of opening up a general season for youth, but then there are alot of things I think the department could do better.

[huntnnw]

Why 'youth' hunts at all?   I learned hunting with my father (birds), and he would let me shoot first.   
Everyone wants special status.   
Don't get me wrong, I think we need to teach our children to hunt, with, not special or separate season. 
IMHO

 

What else do u need? You get either sex deer hunts starting Sept 1 

[NWWABOWHNTR]

Why 'youth' hunts at all?   I learned hunting with my father (birds), and he would let me shoot first.   
Everyone wants special status.   
Don't get me wrong, I think we need to teach our children to hunt, with, not special or separate season. 
IMHO

 

What else do u need? You get either sex deer hunts starting Sept 1 

Really anywhere in the State.... LOL  I wish... most of the areas I hunt are 3 point... and for my kids also. Point here is to give the youth a chance to get into the field with a parent, grandparent and have some quality time, and a chance at an animal prior to the general season, just like they get to for Pheasant, waterfowl and turkey.  Youth are the future of our sport, and at least in my opinion more important to have a successful fun experience (not saying harvest an animal) than for us.  If you don't understand that the reason we try to protect our hunting traditions and heritage is to pass that on to our children and grandchildren then... well 

[bobcat]

I think it's nice to have a few extra opportunities for kids but I really do feel they pretty much have it covered. I mean if you give more to kids it means you're taking away from others, like old guys that may not have much longer left to hunt. I have two young kids (4 & 6) and I'll certainly take advantage of whatever special youth hunts the state may give us, but I also won't be complaining about there not being enough. Heck when I was a kid just learning to hunt, there was NO special seasons for kids. We hunted with the adults and I never once thought I should get special treatment.

[Todd_ID]

Yeah, Bobcat, I see your point, but when we were kids there was nowhere near the competition for our time like our kids have now.  If an extra week before the general seasons would entice only one parent across the entire state to talk their kid into skipping ballet practice and going hunting or getting away from the X-Box for a couple of evenings in a ladder stand with Dad, then I think it is effort well spent to lobby the state for that season.  I don't feel that special permits are the proper way to go about getting kids into hunting; permits are a way for the state to manage local herds and raise money: neither of which should we be using our kids to accomplish.

[bobcat]

Well, I don't necessarily disagree, but where would they possibly come up with all these "extra weeks?"

We've got early archery deer season running right up to early muzzleloader deer season, then muzzleloader elk starts and runs right up to the beginning of modern firearm deer season, etc, etc, etc.

So where could they squeeze in yet another season? Sure, maybe the last week of August, for archery? But what about muzzleloader and modern firearm? It could be done but then you'd have a lot of overlapping seasons.

[winshooter88]

J agree with Bobcat when I was a kid we hunted with everybody during the regular season and were proud to be out there with the adults. That said, I think the youth seasons that we have now are pretty good. Most youth hunts are only for does and archers already get to take does in allot of units. We have to many special interest hunts as it is.