Greg Slone

This is a question that all hunting parents have asked themselves at one time or another. This question can only be answered by you and your child. There is no right or wrong answer; it's simply up to the parent to give the child the right opportunity and them wanting to pursue it. Now I know that every child wants to go see the deer in the woods and I have 3 children that are that way. However, there are many things to consider before taking them DEER HUNTING instead of DEER WATCHING!

Any deer hunter knows the time and patients is what it takes to be successful in the woods. So be very careful when deciding to take a child into the woods for a deer hunt. Here are a few things to remember when putting a kid in a deer stand.

1. Kids are very impatient and very fidgety. So make sure you are in an area that will produce plenty of deer to watch. Their attention needs to be captured by the presents of the wildlife. Oh yeah, never start them out hunting for a trophy buck, that's going to go horrible wrong most of the time.

2. Where to sit is the next big question. Box blinds or ground blinds will accommodate a child much more easily than tree stands. Plus they are much safer and allow the child to move around more without disturbing the hunt. A lot of this depends on the age of the child of course and the maturity to.

3. Be prepared to take some entertainment for you child to keep them quite and, well entertained, between the deer sightings. Some suggestions are snacks, hand held video games with a mute button or head phones, maybe even a small DVD player, anything really. Oh yeah, if you are gun hunting make sure to take them some ear protection, you don't want to scare them. Take these things to pass the time and to enjoy the opportunity and quality of time you get to spend with your child. Remember, they won't be this little forever, so make it count.

4. The weather is where you have to be careful and very considerate of your child. Make sure you can take them in the best conditions possible for your area. They need to be dressed for the situation, and one thing I have said before, you can always take close off if you get to warm. Bottom line is, if your going to take them make as pleasant as possible so they will want to go back again!

5. The last thing you need to do is prepare them for the harvest. A child may not understand that when you shoot a deer it's not coming back to LIFE! It is of the utmost importance that they understand LIFE and DEATH. They also have to be prepared for the blood of the deer. Now, I don't mean you must have them field dress the deer or even be there when you do, but there will be blood on the deer. Are they o.k. with that? Even at a young age we need to try to explain the difference of KILLING and HARVESTING a deer. Being that when we harvest game it will be processed for food to nourish our bodies.

I hope these 5 things will help you determine if you child is ready for the woods and please remember, there is no right or wrong age to put a child in the woods, it is simply put, ARE THEY READY FOR THE WOODS?