youth tagged posts

5 tips for hunting with kids

Tips-and-Tricks
Whitney's husband and niece out in the duck blind.

Camo is the New Black‘s owner and operator Whitney’s husband and niece out in the duck blind.

By John Mondin

For most outdoorsmen (and women!) there is no greater pleasure than passing on the love of the outdoors to children. However, hunting with kids can pose special problems and challenges. Kids are not apt to sit quietly in a stand for hours on end. 

Safe hunting rules need to be reinforced, possibly at every outing. Even if your children seem very interested in hunting and all that goes with it, remember to keep in mind that they are still children, and that they have different requirements than adult hunters.

Move Around

Instead of sitting in a stand for hours at a time, try moving around. Sit in one place for an hour or two, and then walk to another area to sit for a while...

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Happy Father’s Day

Guest Post

Happy happy Father’s Day!!  Father’s Day is a day to celebrate dads all across the world.  Deceased and living, dads everywhere have helped their daughters get into hunting and fishing. Today we are thankful and hope you spend some extra time with your papa.  Yes, not all of us have come to hunting and fishing through our dads but many of us have and men continue to be extremely important in helping increasing the number of women who hunt and fish.

In honor of Father’s Day… here’s one of our favorite dad stories from 2014. 

Colin and Cidney with a big Montana fish

The Privilege
By Land Tawney

The sky was blue, sun was hot, and water was clear.  I could see the rainbow colored Rapala lure working to perfection five feet below the surface of the water and then it happen...

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Raising outdoor kids

Guest Post

Jennifer and family 
BY JENNIFER CONE 

Growing up, we spent many weekends up at the lake or out in the woods. This was a focal part of my upbringing and made me who I am today. I’ve always loved being outside, whether I was sitting in a deer stand or casting a line from the boat. Now my husband and I have three children of our own and we’ve really started to focus on ways we can get them active in the outdoors at a young age so they can start to develop that love and appreciation for the outdoors as well. As an avid hunter, I’m eager to get them started early so when the time comes that they are of hunting age, my hope is that they will excited to get out in the woods. Here are 7 ways that we bring the outdoors into the lives of our young children:

1. Deer Season Prep! Fall is such a beautiful time to ...

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What is it that hooks us?

Guest Post

By Bethany Erb

What is it that hooks us? When was your defining moment that you realized you loved to hunt and it was a part of you? 

For many people it’s the early childhood experiences with a parent, cousin or grandpa. But what about the person that doesn’t start early? How do they begin? Many people don’t have the opportunity early in life because of certain factors such as not living in a rural area, lack of mentors etc. I wasn’t an early bloomer; I grew up around hunting, but preferred horses. I found hunting intimidating and for men…that was until my college roommate Amanda said let’s go hog hunting (northern CA). So we went and I was hooked!

Grace and her Marshmallow gun

Grace and her Marshmallow gun

I’m glad I started when I did, but wish I had gotten into the field a little sooner...

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Thanks for taking me hunting, Mom

Guest Post

The temperature outside was eleven above. The wind chill was eleven below. To a seven year-old, it was perfect. Snow scuttled across the highway in streams and waves. The small boy in the backseat peered eagerly through binoculars for the better part of the drive.

I put the truck in 4-wheel drive as I turned off the road. Snow-covered tracks lead up to the first draw, where we’d begin. After donning coat, gaiter, hat, snow pants, and gloves, the small boy jumped out of the truck and raced to the back for his bb gun. I put the eager boy in charge of the backpack filled with essentials, prepped my rifle, and we started across the field.

The draw was steep. Arched tufts of grass bore the weight of the snow, rebounding from our steps as we made our way down...

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