THE NEXT GENERATION CONTINUED
Remember , our job is not to shoot the biggest critter that day , nor catch the largest fish . Our primary goal is to ignite a passion for the outdoors within that child , which will burn long and bright , so they may pass on the same traditions to their children . Most of us have limited time schedules when it comes to outdoor activities . Work , family obligations , vehicle maintenance , domestic chores , and other extracurricular activities , all play a part in limiting our time on the water or on stand in the woods . Before embarking on an outing with your children , you must first establish your priorities for the season or day .
I have found weekend evenings work best to take our kids out hunting . This allows me to seriously hunt or fish the morning hours when I have had the best luck in the past and it allows them to get plenty of sleep . In turn , I will plan the evening activities for the last few hours of daylight , thereby limiting how long we are out . A few hours confined to a small vessel or ground blind is usually about all a young person ’ s attention span can handle . Animal activity typically increases at this time , so odds are very good we will see something , turkeys headed to roost , deer coming out to feed , geese flying in for the night , or osprey fishing for a bite before bedtime .
If that day does not work well for going afield , it may be possible to have the children help you prepare for the outing . Let us get them involved and help them to take ownership of our shared activities ! Sometimes , turkey box calls need to be tested or duck calls need to be exercised . My daughters find it very interesting to see what I put in my daypack the night before and have helped to restring more than one fishing reel . Building weasel boxes together makes for an educational and hands on project a child can take pride in . Additionally , if I am feeling ornery , we may even have smell tests for which bait would work best for coyotes versus bobcats . Mother is not as fond of the last activity , but like me , children seem to have an innate curiosity regarding bait and it can generate much raucous laughter !
Safety , Ethics , and the Law
Safety is one subject , which can never be stressed enough . There is not any way possible to be too safe . While fishing , depending on the age of the children and the body of the water you are fishing , ensure all children have a personal flotation device available and they wear it if necessary . Most states make this a requirement if you will be fishing from a boat . If hunting with a bow , all arrows equipped with broadheads should remain in an appropriate quiver until you are sitting in the stand . The same concept applies to a firearm ; it should have an empty chamber while moving to and from your hunting stand or trap location . Once seated in a stand or ground blind , as a right-handed shooter , I place the children on my right side and my rifle or bow on my left , with me in between them . While this may limit my field of fire , I set the stand up in such a way to accommodate for this . It also allows me to control access to the weapon of choice that day and prevent the kids from being swept by a muzzle or cut by a broadhead .
Someone once told me children are like video cameras with no off button . It is an important analogy to remember . The kids and I will often have conversations of why I cannot shoot an animal or keep a certain fish . I will explain either I do not have a tag for that species or it is out of season . Maybe the animal is positioned for a poor shot or it is getting too late and it would not be ethical or legal to take such a shot . I try to explain it would not be fair to shoot the animal too late in the evening or that if we shot it in a bad spot the animal would suffer and get sick . Kids develop an early since of fairness and this is an easily grasped concept for the children .
You cannot hide contagious excitement ! Continued on page 9 .
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