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New Hunters Lose Interest:

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loneranger

Well-Known Member
"I have several deer hunting friends that share a concern.Where are the youngsters that will replace us?We all agree on one thing:The kids aren't seeing enough deer. My son is 16 and my two nephews are 18 and 15. MY brother and I own some prime hunting land adjacent to hundreds of acres of State land. The boys saw one deer last season.They only saw one deer the previous season. As youngsters, my brother and I saw lots of deer. We didn't care how big they were;it was exciting and we loved it.We want our boys to have similar experiences.They practice shooting,read and talk hunting, spend lots of time in the woods.We are noticing that they seem less excitied after each season.They just want to see some deer.We are doing everything we can to keep them interested. The DNR could certainly help.Let's rethink what we are doing to the deer herd.Once these boys, and others like them, find new things to do on fall days, we'll have lost our next genration of hunters." Does this sound like a letter from a hunter in Iowa? Maybe not yet,,but it could be in the future. This was a letter to the Editorial page of a popular Michigan Ourdoor publication I still receive. I left that State, partially because of the crapy state of Deer Hunting there.Now it looks like Iowa is going the same way.No place else to move!?
 
It's especially hard these days to keep the younger generations interested in a game of patience. We have become a society governed by instant gratification. What we do in moderation our children will do in excess. Our children will only naturally be more impatient than we are. Think of the changes in only the last twenty years or so that promote this life style. The younger generation looks at life through an XBOX. I heard my nephew say just yesterday that the video game he just purchased was boring. If there isn't heart pounding stimuli to feed the adrenaline junkie every minute or so they say they are bored. It just stands to reason that deer hunting will become boring to them after a very short time if they aren't seeing deer like they do in a video game hunt or a hunting show on the Outdoor Channel. They've yet to learn to appreciate what is going on around them in nature. Unfortunately for some, they never will.

The kids in my family that I take on hunting outings think that there are going to be deer running in to our setup just moments after we arrive. I always try to keep the hunt as short as possible and usually setup near a feeding area where we stand a better chance at seeing deer. I also try and plan these mini hunts during the best weather conditions. By making the extra effort to pamper them a little they usually have a better time and are more eager to return.

It's true that the average age of the hunter is increasing while the total numbers of hunters are decreasing. Some of the decisions made by our State game management's seems only to promote the decreasing numbers. I guess all we can do is to continue encouraging our youth to take part and to teach them how exciting nature can really be.
 
I can honestly say that I will not encourage my son to get into this sport until he is showing more interest. At 13, he is passionate about his basketball (as was I at his age). With all the challenges regarding land access that is a constant uphill battle in today's hunting, I don't see the younger generation maintaining the present hunter numbers into the future. To be honest, I don't blame them at all. This is and will continue to be a sport in which the costs will continue to increase. I hope I can continue to enjoy the sport for another 10 years.
 
Excellent post, Rack. It is a societal problem but I'd say it even goes beyond the need for instant gratification. Many kids ... not all, but many ... and even some adults today are just plain spoiled. Lack of patience is part of it, but they also don't want to have to work for it. And they don't improve with age. Living in a college town, I see many signs of it. Dorm rooms are now one-person suites, food service is a smorgasbord of choices, and they whine in class if they aren't spoonfed the information. It's no wonder they expect to get a deer and get it NOW when they go out. They don't want to have to work for it.

As you suggest, maybe the best we can do is try to build a general appreciation for the outdoors and hope it takes hold.

One last thing, I think the original letter writer may need to rethink his definition of "prime" hunting ground if the kids are only seeing one or two deer. And are the dads going along or just turning the kids loose? My dad didn't deer hunt so it took me a long time to figure out what to do and what not to do, at a time (early '70s) when there were a heck of a lot fewer deer around. I'd have learned quicker with someone to show me the ropes. (But maybe the lessons I learned stuck with me better!
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Yesterday I spent my father's day watching my 3 boys play video games all day.

I asked one if he wanted to play catch in the back yard......no.

I asked if he wanted to play dad at basketball......no.

I asked if anyone wanted to go bike riding with me......no.

I asked another if he wanted me to take him to the golf driving range......no.

I asked them all if they wanted to go fishing with me to the club pond......no.

I didn't even bother to ask if I could watch one of the DVD movies I got for a present. Wouldn't want to use up their bigscreen.

The weather was a drop dead gorgeous bluebird day. 80 and sunny. So I ended up shooting my bow and riding my bike down to the park alone, and watched a softball game there.

I always make a token effort to see if any of them want to go 3D shooting or hunting with me each fall. But none do. I'm stopping buying WY preference points for my oldest this year. He'll never use them.

I have to laugh when I read articles about deadbeat dads not spending time with their kids. I could disappear for a year and they'd never even notice. Haha.
 
Its to bad to see a letter like this. Although I can say at 25 I grew up in this impatient generation, I must say this is a pretty bad stereotype. 12 years ago when I got started in this sport I have to say that I was a little impatient, but naturally never sitting in a treestand before I had no clue how this whole ball game worked. However, if the kids continue to be impatient, they probably learned it from someone they hunt with becuase it is are elders and hunting partners that we learn the tricks of the trade from. I know many lazy and impatient hunters of all ages, I don't think it is just the younger ones, IMO (. I think the post above about setting up kids on feeding areas, where deer are more abundant in certain hours is great. Getting them excited about hunting early in life is important, they will eventually learn what they want to take from the sport by watching those around them. If they see dad/brother/friends putting in the early season scouting time, quality time in the treestand, and the satisfaction that comes from taking a trophy after all this hard work they will likely get excited and gradually start getting into the sport more and more.

This is exactly how me and my hunting buddies got excited about the sport. We watched those around us, who were dedicated to the hunting and the outdoors. Today, I would have to say that of the hunters I know personally, I would put us at the upper end of the dedication.

I have to admit I do know and have heard of younger hunters who are impatient, but I also know the people who introduced them to the sport are the same way, so I am not all that surprised to see the results.

Remember you can't make someone a dedicated hunter.
 
Man, I hope that my children want to come hunting with their dad. My 18 month old son is pretty darn good at fingering pics of bucks in my magazines and saying "buck", it sure makes me smile. I hope that he sees the passion that I have for the sport and chooses to make it a passion of his own. You cannot make your passion somebody else's. Nobody got me interested in hunting, I never did it until I was 16 and I shot my first buck when i was all by myself. For 13 years the obsession has just grown stronger and stronger.

Like I said, I hope very much that my son and our baby on the way want to tag along with their pa but I can't make them love it. I can however ensure I don't play second fiddle to a video game every day b/c they'll never have one.
 
This is one area where I've really lucked out. My nine year old has taken to shooting his bow and hunting with me. I started taking him 3 years ago. We would sit in the stand together (I built a big one that holds us both). He is a video game junkie, but will drop it at the thought of going with me shooting 3D. He's pretty fired up that he may get to put on some broad heads next season. He's fairly patient, but when he was younger, I would have him bring his gameboy, so if he got bored, he could play that for a while. He really only did it once. Even in the slow times between deer sightings, we would whisper about what to do if one shows up. It's been some really fun stuff. I got lucky as he took to it. I know a lot of people who aren't close to patient enough. My dad isn't a deer hunter and has zero patience for anything. Even fishing, he's got to catch fish constantly or he's leaving. I try to teach him all the important things about hunting so he can hand it down to his kids. My daughter is only 2 1/2, but I plan on taking her out someday too. That's honestly my favorite part of bowhunting.
 
My kids have always wanted to go out hunting with me. I guess maybe it is in the genes.
I started hunting at 5 and they all did too. I told them when they could hold the gun they could go duck hunting with me.
My daughter goes deer hunting, bow and slug, and got her first deer (doe) last year. My boys both shoot bow and can't wait until they can go out with me.
I feel the pain of parents that can't get their kids interested in anything but the TV, video games or just Star Wars at the moment. I coach youth sports and it is really no different than hunting. Getting the kids motivated can be hard at times. It seems like most kids now days have to much given to them to easily, but that is a whole new subject matter.
 
THe one thing that I am concerned about is opportunity at quality hunts. I must say that the opportunity of quality hunting opportunities are few and far between and are getting tougher all the time. When I was a young boy, my dad and I didn't have trouble attaining access to good hunting ground. Now, it can turn into a real rat race and a big argument real fast. I am considering moving west where there are still good quality public hunting opportunities so I can bring my kids into the sport where they have a great opportunity to enjoy the outdoors.
 
This is why it is important for local sportsman groups to get involved and support such programs as the Archery In School Program, Jakes, women in the outdoors, etc......
 
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