Outdooraddict
Active member
I had been lurking on this site for years before signing up in 2009. After that I have shared a few pictures of my son hunting or fishing with me. One of my first posts was of his first fish he caught by himself, from cast to reel, and he wasn't quite 2 years old. I thought it was odd that a boy could use those motor skills to cast, push a button, and reel before he could jump and land on 2 feet. But he loved it. This year I allowed him to go deer hunting with me and I was lucky enough to connect on a descent buck. He was so excited to be part of the hunt, I even strapped a front quarter in his pack to bring back.
Now he is 7 years old and itching to hunt on his own. After having him tag along with a bb gun for a year, I thought it would be o.k. for him to take a hunter safety class offered by the local 4h club- at least it would be good practice or a learning opportunity even if he doesn't pass. So I take him and his friend (who is 8) to the class. The instructor looks at me like, "I hope this guy is staying so I don't have to baby sit these two." The boys behave very well in class, they even participate and answer questions. Test day- my son asks me, "If I pass my test can we get a turkey tag?" I give him a quick 'yes' and hope he doesn't start crying when he doesn't pass. I quiz the boys on the way to the test site, telling them to listen (the questions are spoken for the younger students) to all the possible answers before making a decision (like D: all of the above). I sit in the back of the room watching the two impulsive kids answer questions before the instructor reads all possible answers, so I prepare myself to say something positive to the boys. After the tests are graded, I looked at his buddy's test- he missed 1 question in the first 5. "Not too bad," I think to myself as I examine his test. Then I realize, that is the only problem he missed... only 1 out of 50! Next they give me my son's test... 50 out of 50!
He did not miss any. Couldn't believe it... still can't. They did great on the firearm handling/shooting test as well.
To make a long story short, I bought him a turkey tag the next day. We spent days hiking- and he enjoyed being out. We saw plenty of turkeys, but just couldn't get them close enough for that single shot 410. The last weekend, we were lucky enough to call in a jake, and the kid connected. "I GOT HIM!" he yelled. We admire the turkey, take some pictures, share some hugs, and tell him good shot. He looks at me and I say, "He's your bird, you ready to pack him out?" And he answers with a smile.
Now he is 7 years old and itching to hunt on his own. After having him tag along with a bb gun for a year, I thought it would be o.k. for him to take a hunter safety class offered by the local 4h club- at least it would be good practice or a learning opportunity even if he doesn't pass. So I take him and his friend (who is 8) to the class. The instructor looks at me like, "I hope this guy is staying so I don't have to baby sit these two." The boys behave very well in class, they even participate and answer questions. Test day- my son asks me, "If I pass my test can we get a turkey tag?" I give him a quick 'yes' and hope he doesn't start crying when he doesn't pass. I quiz the boys on the way to the test site, telling them to listen (the questions are spoken for the younger students) to all the possible answers before making a decision (like D: all of the above). I sit in the back of the room watching the two impulsive kids answer questions before the instructor reads all possible answers, so I prepare myself to say something positive to the boys. After the tests are graded, I looked at his buddy's test- he missed 1 question in the first 5. "Not too bad," I think to myself as I examine his test. Then I realize, that is the only problem he missed... only 1 out of 50! Next they give me my son's test... 50 out of 50!
He did not miss any. Couldn't believe it... still can't. They did great on the firearm handling/shooting test as well.To make a long story short, I bought him a turkey tag the next day. We spent days hiking- and he enjoyed being out. We saw plenty of turkeys, but just couldn't get them close enough for that single shot 410. The last weekend, we were lucky enough to call in a jake, and the kid connected. "I GOT HIM!" he yelled. We admire the turkey, take some pictures, share some hugs, and tell him good shot. He looks at me and I say, "He's your bird, you ready to pack him out?" And he answers with a smile.
