" Times They Are A Changing "

[LETMGROW]

I kind of wonder if anybody else has noticed the change in hunting habits the past couple years or so. I remember not so long ago, hunting was considered a man's sport.
Seems as of late, more and more guy's are touting the fact they take the kids and wives along. Or they are bragging about the acclomplishments of the same. It doesn't seem like the American Male is just content with running off on a weekend to go hunting. I see a trend where hunting is becoming more of a family adventure.
I know I wouldn't trade my family time for anything!

[PAstringking]

its the truth and i love it...as a kid i was tought by my uncles and grandpa and it will soon be my time to teach the little guys how to hunt. keeps the sport goin too which is great.

[wtnhunt]

I have encouraged and gotten my wife and kids involved and you are right food plots, planning and hunting is a family thing. I just hope my girls will continue to keep an interest when they get older.

[IN_hunter]

There was no better feeling than when my wife shot her first deer. I think I was more excited than she was. Hopefully, one of these days I will be able to say the same about my daughter.

[Illinois1958]

Same here. I started taking my nephews hunting in 2000 and i get more excited watching their faces as they tell the story of the hunt.

[Brianxt]

I worked at a summer camp teaching archery and hunter safety.Most of the kids were from the bigger cities most of this kids had never been in the woods or never even seen abow before.By the end of the week they were all shooting bows guns and driving boats I had more fun watching this kids than when I went to the camp.There is somany people out there that dont enjoy the outdoors they dont no what they are missing out on.

[JDAWG]

My first memories are of adventures with my grandfather. He taught me about sportsmanship, ethical hunting and respecting the land. I love taking my daughters out into the woods to share the very same thing with them

[VTbowman]

I agree.
Its always been viewed as manly to go out and hunt, kill and gut deer, and hang with the guys at camp.
Small boys at best would be there at times.
Now its take the kids and hunt.
Which I do,
Funny though my 10 y.o. son does not care to go much, but my 5 y.o. daughter begs me to go all the time. LOL
Dont push it on them, just show them that its there and what its like and let them decide IMHO...
They both go during stand hanging and scouting trips in the woods, food plot work, etc...

[LETMGROW]

I remember when hunting was a macho, guy thing. A group would get together the night before and tell tales and usually get a little tipsy. [ To say the least ]
That was before I was lucky enough to have children old enough to be interested in hunting.
My oldest daughter never showed any interest in hunting. Perhaps that was because I didn't have much time to hunt myself. Starting a family etc. kind of took away from the free time a bit.
By the time my son was old enough to go into the woods I had a little more interest in hunting. By the time he was 14, I started taking him along, teaching him what I could. NO regrets here! We have been hunting partners ever since. We even took his little girl to my blind a couple weeks ago. She is only 2. What a great time we all had.
My younger daughter does hunt, her two are the ones I started this post about. Someday soon we will all be in the field together hunting.
Keeping it a family sport also helps lessen the tension when I see a new gadget I just have to have.
Problem is, I have to buy a few more!

[massablake]

I love to see kids and women outdoors its a great thing

[RangerClay]

I took my daughter on her first deer hunt Sunday. I shoud have pics in about a week. I was was awesome.

[Doc]

Today, getting the ladies and kids into hunting is simply a necessity for the survival of the sport. However, back in the day when the macho thing was more in vogue, getting the youngsters involved was not really any effort on the adults part. The hard part was getting them to wait until they were old enough.

Now-a-days, we almost seem apologetic for the macho part that hunting used to play in hunting. We have convinced ourselves that we have evolved beyond all that and that the old-timers that used to rule the sport were some kind of low-brow Neanderthals that were just lower specimens of the male population.

Sure, it's good to go out of your way to get women and children involved in the sport. But, it seems to have moved to a point of frantic obsession. I like to read posts of hunters involving their wives, girlfriends and kids, but occasionally I do hear a tone of condemnation for the way things used to be. Personally, I look back on the old times as hunting memories, experiences and attitudes that I will always fondly cherish. The changes today are fine and necessary, but will never diminish the memories of another time with different attitudes and ways of looking at hunting.

Doc

[Chas]

some of the best times I have spent have been with my brother, mom, and dad hunting in the woods