Thread: Boys first hunt

So my 10 yr old is keen to come with me on a short fly camp hunt to watch over a couple of clearings not too far from
Clements mill rd,what do you experts with young fella consider essential gear for the trip?he has hunted hares and has joined me for opening weekend the last 2 yrs campining on the farm by the lake we hunt but never bush camped before.any tips appreciated,we will only be an hours walk at the most from the car for his first foray.thanks

lots of snack foods in non noisy wrappers..lollies in zip lock bag...jelly jet planes etc....
lots of water to drink..... consider 2 minute noodles for lunch break with hot milo...good excuse to stop n boil billy when in spot with view of clearing etc.
small cheap set of binos for him...
make sure he has footwear that he comfy in....
tell him its OK to stop Dad if he needs a pee....
for you.....make sure trip is about taking lad for a walk...point lots of stuff out to him...a deer seen is a bonus..a deer spooked is a bonus..a deer shot is fanfarkintastic but not the main goal on the first few trips.

enjoy these trips mate...the little tykes grow up real fast.

my old man tool me to clements for the first and last time (covered in a post a couple of years ago and cant be arsed repeating) when i was that age........but there were huts there then.
make it about him teach him stuff most kids are a sponge for information and getting home with no dramas is important otherwise serious arm twisting will ne required before mum lets him go again.....

I dont have kids, which puts me in the category of an unmarried marriage guidance counsellor I guess.......but going from my personal experience when my old man took me hunting the first few times, the most important thing is that the trip is all about the kid.
Its not about you going hunting and taking him, its about building a bond while he is at a learning stage, a learning stage that will morph into a lifelong activity that he will remember. Just my 2 cents worth. I hope the trip is successful in creating that bond..

I agree with all of the above . When we started taking our kids out bush for day walks at a very young age it was all about getting them involved as much as possible . Don't just take him as an observer . And be prepared for several lost opportunities to take a shot , in favour of letting the lad watch the animals for a while if any seen , and explain all you are doing , what you are seeing , why you approach from a certain angle etc . Make it a learning experience first and foremost .
And snacks are top priority . Even now my young teenage daughter damn near needs a trailer to carry just her snack food for a day trip , let alone her actual meals . Believe me , there will be hell to pay if you don't have enough calories to stuff 'em with . The quickest way to ruin a walkabout .....

My daughter is now 14 and has been hunting with Dad and family since age 5 on day walks . She now is a "fully qualified" hunter capable of shooting , skinning , gutting , boning out and determined to carry out anything she shoots by herself . All because we got them involved in the whole process since day one .
i am not allowed to help anymore unless specifically asked .

I have become the observer ....

Lots of lollies as has already been said. You need to carry everything though.
Marshmellows for the fire at night if you are camping.
A lot of the enjoyment they get will be from just being with Dad.
Let him take the lead on the way back to camp as it gets a bit boring following Dad all day.
Plenty of sitting and waiting and enjoying being out there. You dont want to thrash them too much so plenty of rest stops. They are pretty noisy at that age so sitting down will give you your best chance of coming across an animal.
You might be surprised though, at 10 they can walk a fair way. I have definitely noticed the progression in my boy in the last few years. He just turned 12 and can pretty much go all day with me.

He’s a fit little bigger so keeping up shouldn’t be a problem,the dog is still learning as well so not expecting any animals while walking,hoping one of the few clearings I know of in the area will hold a deer long enough for a shot.be the pups 3rd hunt..

there is another "job" hold the end of dog lead if Dad needs to take a shot....or morning contitutional.....DO NOT want the dog to go and roll in that!!!!
speaking of such...baby whipes are priceless..... a bum rash from raw leaves will put youngun off quicksmart .

Never fear,bog Rolland chaffing cream are first things to go in my pack!!

Got some of roberts cast bullets loaded subsonic in case of possum attack in the night for the boy to use as well.

All went well,did quick walk to a well known clearings area off army rd,got there just on dusk and got squeezed at as soon as we hit the titree,boys eyes were like saucer’s,stayed till too dark to see then him and the pup led the way back to the truck by torchlight,checking out the glow worms on the way,camped at the old mill clearing by the roadside then early and heading up to another big clearing,decided to stalk our way in as there was quite a bit of sign from the start of the climb and spooked a stag and spiker that he got to see as they exited in a hurry,no chance of a shot 30minutes into our climb,then near the clearing managed to bump another deer that crashed off unseen from about 10m in front of us in pepperwoods,watched clearing for an hour around mid day then headed back to camp,quick evening hunt but no joy then pulled pin this morning as the wind was all over the show.he reakons he loved it and is keen to go again although he’s a lot more comfortable with the morning hunts than evenings ,every little bird noise coming up to dark was met with. “ what was that noise dad?.” Too many utube videos involving Bigfoot me thinks..thanks for all the advice here fellas ,much appreciated..oh and I gave him his first knife before we started as well( free one with duck license but he doesn’t know that) very happy lad and pup..

Awesome. That's a successful trip on my book. Won't be long before you have one on the deck. Get him to practice his Sika Roar. You have about four good years before his balls drop and he won't be able to hit the high notes.

Oh yea,he sleep talks a lot and I was woken a couple of times last night in the tent ,mostly muttering about the dog but one very clear,,” dad,there’s deer poo right beside the tent”. We looked at a lot of poo and deer tracks that day…

Well you hunted before I got to the end of the thread.
All I was gonna say was Noone said no don't do it, now you broke the ice Happy Hunting

Well done thats 70% of the hunt sorted,the other 30% of hunt,shoot deer,cut up deer and shooter carrys out deer.Have a great time.