12 years in the making
 

Yesterday morning
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from his first hunt at 6

He has become quite the hunter and pleasure to spend time with in the blind!
Headed off to college..........this time next year, I hope to see him as much.

cycles of life
 

sometimes the cycles of life bring a tear to your eye, don't they

Yes Time Sure Does Fly....
 

my two sons, through the years. 2008-2015

yep......you guys get it

Wish so much mine would have chosen that path instead of the one he choose.

To eman
 

You read my mind, those tears flow both ways for the happy and the sad!!! I too weep for the lost ones!!!

Mine's a lil younger then the previously posted......

is there a secret to increasing the chances that they choose the outdoor lifestyle????

Never leave them behind when they want to go has worked good for me. It can be an inconvience at times but worth every penny. I've yet to regret a single trip rather it be fishing, hunting, or dog training. Fine print to this would be that mine is only 5 so there is plenty of time for him to chose a worse path. Hopefully that won't happen.

TAKE THEM WITH YOU WHEN YOU GO! I brought my son with me as soon as he could ride in my lap on our ATV. WHen I was a kid a lot of Dads would go to hunting camps to get away from wives, kids etc. Drunken sailors were commonplace and kids from those Dad got a different experience. I never subscribed to that method and I developed a love of nature and the outdoors, not just shooting things, first. My son is now 20, in college, and the outdoors is a part of him. He enjoys hiking and biking in Kisatchie or crabbing at Marsh Island as much as deer or duck hunting, which we do a lot of.

Don't go without them, I turn down a lot of trips because my boys can't go!

And gauge their interest and plan around that. My youngest isn't quite old enough to "get it", although he does like to ride in the boat and catch fish (not too big on finding fish though, or waiting out the tide change), so I pick the days that work best for him which aren't always what works best for the fish. Waking a 6 year old up at 430 and putting him into ugly water and cold wind will steer him clear real quick depending on what type of child it is - a fair skinned kid baking in 100 degree weather with no breeze can have the same affect.

My oldest doesn't care anymore, but I think it has to do with not making it miserable and hollering at him to toughen up.

Fishing or hunting with your kids is not about catching fish or killing, it's about making that lifestyle and environment something pleasing in their mind, something relaxing and rewarding.


Sent

Good stuff.. Time flies.

Started mine young fishing theen tried hunting . He never caught the hunting bug. That was ok because i would rather fish. Too k him every time i could and he enjoyed himself. Once he hit high school he started down hill. Got married , moved to texas. Let him and his wife move back here w/ us Lazy wouldn't work govt check. Finally caught them stealing from us and i put them on the street. have not seen him in a few years but do know he is alive divorced and living in michigan.
We love him but he will never sleep under my roof again. Tough Love sucks.

I wished there was a recipe that made this easy.......It's just not there.........

I've just watched too many make a wrong turn.
I have surrounded mine with good men......men of all shapes, sizes, colors, interest and backgrounds.....but all good men in thier own rights. I think it helped.

I was lucky........very lucky.
My oldest was a challenge, and if we pulled in you parking lot with both my boys, you would see a clear difference. One is tatted up from his finger tips to his neck.

But, he works hard now, he made the turn.
In fairness he is my bonus boy, he hated to hunt.....loved to shoot.
His safe is all black and plastic, mine is all wood and bluing..

do whatever you can to respect what they want to be and what they like.
It's a give take.

Eman, I have watched my inlaws enable their son for years now. He is 44 and cannot survive on his on.

What I see in that is, he is killing them......literally killing them.
Tough love is hard, but you have to do it. Especially for the good kids you influence.

It's hard to be a good kid these days....too much focus on "not leaving anyone behind" and everyone getting a trophy.
Good kids are placated at best and down right taken for granted.

All good advice. My dad brought me every time he could. And as Gooh stated, if he was invited but I wasn't, he'd pass. And in his boat or blind, I had the first chance as partner, THEN another friend or co-worker was invited if room permitted.

Good thread Simple!

just think about why you got into it. For me, my dad ALWAYS brought me and my brother or when my brother was two young it was me and my cousins. I can't remember my first fish or fishing trip, but I also don't remember my dad ever telling me that I couldn't go with him. If I ever have kids, that was my plan. Bring him/her every chance I get, now I just have to hope that one day I'll have a kid of my own to bring.

Great advice guys! Gonna have to change my plans for this weekend now and invite my daughter and son. Maybe I'll take em to see the boat show at lake martin!!

I get invited on trips that mine could not come......I mean, I ain't tuning down a trip to Canada or Honey Brake for FREE......

so I take tons of pics and keep him in the loop everyday, and remind him that with solid decision making, he too will make trips like these one day

As a only boy on both sides of the family I feel like I had more chances than most if I wasn't out in the outdoors with my dad i was out there with my uncles, grand pa's, and close family friends. To me it is the only way to grow up and wouldn't trade it for the world!!! I have had more hunting and fishing than most have in a life time thanks to all the awesome men in my life. We are still so close that we are all in the same duck lease and we make many fishing trips as a group in the summer. There is no way that I can forget all the lessons and all the good times that we have had together. Can't wait until my little girl is old enough to start fishing and hunting going to be a whole nother chapter.

................"all the awesome men in my life"............

that there is the secret