Hunting with Children

Hunting with children is a completely different beast. There are two crucial things we must all bear in mind. Firstly, it's all about the children, not you. Secondly, no matter how grown-up you think a child is, their thought process is not like an adult's. Let's consider the first point; it's the one that requires some adjustment. There's nothing worse than someone telling a child to tough it out when they're cold, hot, bored or whatever. I'll provide some personal anecdotes about how this unfolds and may require a sacrifice on your part, but will yield great rewards later on. My son Epi and I went fishing one autumn afternoon; we drove for an hour to the lake, launched the boat, and began fishing. Epi was about seven, and after 15 minutes on the water, he became bored. I offered him some snacks and hoped for the best. However, shortly after, he said he wanted to go home. I turned the boat around, loaded it up and we set off for home. He still adores fishing. Another incident occurred just last year; we rose early and made our way to the deer hide. We crept into the woods and settled in the hide just before dawn. We had barely been there a few minutes when he started to fidget, which I found strange as he's been deer stalking numerous times. He mentioned he just wasn't in the mood that morning. So without hesitation, we went home. He recently mentioned to me that he's excited about the upcoming deer season. Had I forced him to stay, he might have lost interest in deer stalking for some time. If you want to ensure your child will never hunt again, make them stay in the woods when they don't wish to be there.

Children don't think like adults. I must constantly remind myself of this. I've been hunting with Epi for 11 years, so I sometimes forget he's just a child. He's completely obsessed with rabbit hunting and once he spots the rabbit, his entire focus is on catching the bunny. He becomes frustrated with me for always asking 'is your safety on?' or 'watch where you're pointing the muzzle' and so on. I still won't let him stray too far from me when we're hunting. If we have guests on our hunts, I stay right by his side the whole time. He's beginning to assert his independence, thinking he knows more than he actually does. This past trapping season on the first day, we were setting traps in a stream for raccoons and beavers. I warned Epi that the stream could get quite deep and to stay close to me. I began to set a trap and he decided to walk down the bank to a beaver slide. I shouted at him to stop and come back to where I was. Just as I spoke, he stepped into a hole and went in up to his chest, filling his waders with cold November water. I reached him in about two large strides, pulled him out, and threw him onto the bank. I stripped him off and got him into the truck to warm up. Needless to say, our day was cut short. I asked him why he went where I had told him not to. He simply said it looked like a certain spot to catch a beaver. Child's logic – he hadn't considered anything else, just catching a beaver. They don't think of the consequences. No matter how intelligent they are or how much they read, children lack the life experience to make sound judgements in the woods, or indeed anywhere else. This must always be remembered. It's our responsibility to keep them safe.

Two years ago we were rabbit hunting with our hounds when a winter storm came through. The wind was strong and it started sleeting. We had only been hunting for a short while and the hounds were chasing a rabbit. I kept asking Epi if he was doing alright, he would just give me a thumbs up. Every time I looked over at him he would just smile. Finally, out of the corner of my eye, I saw him shivering. I asked him again if he was alright, this time I could see his cheeks looking quite cold. Again, he said he was alright. I looked at him and told him I was rather cold and getting hungry. I wasn't, but I knew if it was my idea to stop he would be alright with it. He looked at me and said, “Since you're cold we should go in.” I could see the relief on his face. As they get older you are going to have to be the one that needs to stop or go in. This helps them maintain their dignity. They don’t want you to be disappointed in them. Speaking of cold, I spare no expense when it comes to kitting out the lad. Even though I know he is going to outgrow his boots and clothes by next season, I make sure he is well equipped with gear that fits him and is suitable for the conditions we are in. We have all been on hunts in our lives with the wrong gear; it makes for a miserable outing. Don’t put a child through that. Let them experience that when they are grown and do it to themselves.

At what age should we allow them to carry a firearm? There's no single answer to that. It entirely depends on the child. Their training and how well they listen are crucial. I know some men who shouldn't be allowed to carry a firearm in the woods. In my case, my children have grown up around firearms and shooting. They all understood from a young age the importance of respecting a firearm. I started by letting Epi carry an unloaded BB gun while hunting when he was five. I aimed to teach him how to handle it in the field, to always be conscious of where the gun was pointing. I constantly reminded him to behave as if it could go off at any moment. When he was seven, I bought him a Rossi Mini, a 410 single shot. He carried that unloaded for several years. If a rabbit appeared, I would load and cock it for him and assist him in holding it. I did this until he was 10. At 10, I gave him a Stoeger over-under 20 gauge. This was a significant step for me because an over-under has no hammer, so the gun is ready as soon as you shut it. That first year was incredibly tense for me. I'm aware it has a safety, but I never rely on any safety. This year I bought him a Remington 870 20 gauge. We shoot plenty of clay pigeons in the off-season to sharpen our skills.

Here are my suggestions regarding firearms and children. The single-shot .410 is light and easy to carry. However, being so small and light, it delivers quite a recoil for a young child. A single-shot has a hammer that's difficult for them to cock. It will hit them in the face upon recoil if they don't hold it properly. If they can't take a shot, they need to decock the hammer. I've seen the hammer slip from a child's thumb and discharge the firearm. Fortunately, it was pointed downwards and away. The over-and-under didn't have a hammer, just the safety, which I've already discussed. The downside of the over-and-under was that we couldn't attach a sling to it. We could never find a satisfactory way to fix the sling to the front of the firearm where it would remain in place and be comfortable to wear. Speaking of slings, attach one to your rabbit guns. It will greatly assist your child. Regardless of how light the firearm is, it becomes heavy after some time, and when it gets heavy, things start to deteriorate. This brings me to my final point on this topic. Ensure your firearm has a sling and is comfortable, because by the end of the day, you'll end up carrying both your own and their guns. Not to mention all the rabbits and every deer skull, cow skull, deer antler, tortoise shell, fossilised rock and turkey feather in the countryside. Epi has his own little natural history museum in his room. All collected while hunting, and carried back to the truck by me.

Children love to eat every 10 minutes, so make sure you're prepared. This means having more food and drinks in the lorry than most supermarkets. At the start of the season, I take Epi to Wally World and let him do some shopping. He chooses which snacks are going in the lorry and what drinks he fancies; it's all part of the experience. From October to March, if you're peckish just find my lorry and it will have enough snack cakes, crisps and jerky sticks in it to keep you going for a while. There will be a cooler in the back full of bottled water and fizzy drinks too. What goes in must come out, so be prepared for that as well. Toilet paper and wet wipes are good to have on hand. When he was younger, we also brought extra clothes, including a spare coat. I also always have dozens of jersey gloves in my lorry, as there's nothing worse than cold hands. The one thing not allowed is any kind of electronic device. I take my mobile, and that's it. Epi knows where to find my mobile in case of an emergency. Although most places we hunt, we can't get a signal.

That brings us to what happens in the event of an emergency. One of my greatest fears is something happening to me, and Epi being left stranded in the middle of nowhere all by himself. It's not a pleasant subject, but teach them what to do, or show them where to go if something happens to you. Last year I taught Epi how to drive my lorry well enough to reach safety if necessary (he's 13 now). I always tell him where to go in the event of an emergency. I tell him my keys are in my right pocket and the phone is in my chest pocket. And that if anything happens to me, he should just get himself to safety. As he grows older, it's not as much of a worry as it was when he was a little lad. I learned years ago when trapping, to always let someone know where you're going and when you're expected back. Miss Kim is very good at keeping tabs on me, especially when her child is with me. One minute past the time I say, and that phone starts to ring.

When hunting with a child it's not just about the catch, it's about the youngster. It's about the time they spend with you. It's the whole experience of the day. We have rituals, starting with the shopping trip the day before. Then the morning of the hunt Epi will help make our sandwiches for lunch, he will make me a coffee in a travel mug. He fetches the dogs from the kennel while I put on the e-collars and load them up. We always stop to grab a breakfast to go in one of the towns on the way. When we return home we stop and eat at the same blooming place every time. These little things are all part of creating memories.

I’m going to leave you with one last story. In 2010 Epi and I went to Western Kansas and stayed in a cabin. We were going to meet two other Beaglers and hunt for 4 days. The hunting conditions were tough, very dry, unseasonably warm and extremely windy. The other two beaglers went home after the first day. Epi and I stayed the entire four days. The first day Epi shot his first rabbit ever, he did it all by himself. That was the only rabbit harvested the entire trip. Oh we hunted some, but mostly we drove around looking at the countryside, walking around the lake or hanging out at the cabin. To this day Epi will tell you it was the best hunting trip he ever had. It was also one of the best I ever had. I used to guide hunts, and from time to time folks will ask why I stopped. I tell them, because I would rather hunt with my kids than get paid to hunt with a stranger. Epi and I hunt every weekend during the season. We spend all of Thanksgiving and Christmas break hunting and trapping. My oldest son Jacob even joins us on occasion. Get your kids out there folks; make some memories for them, and for you. Take every chance you can to spend time with them, in a flash they will be grown and gone. I hope when I’m gone my boys will take their boys hunting, and tell them how their grandpa used to take them hunting with him. I hope they teach their boys all I taught them. And always remember the times we spent together in the field.