My 6 yr old boy doesn't want me to shoot deer in front of him

Looking for some advice and personal experiences here. A little background before we get started...last year I took him knowing I wouldn't be able to shoot anything in front of him since I promised. I thought he was afraid of the "bang" more than anything. Fast forward to this year and before we go we have a talk that Daddy is going to shoot something if a shot presents itself. He's ok with that and we head out. Its a great day as we see deer right away and the rut is on and the activity is pretty much nonstop. No shooters during the morning set and the afternoon is even better than the morning. After I realize the bucks are not going to give me a shot (they stay in the western part of the field) I tell him I am going to shoot a doe since there are plenty of shots where we are. At this, I can see the water start to fill his eyes and he turns away from me so I can't see what he's doing. I know he's crying, but he's trying to be tough and not show it. I ask him what's wrong and I finally get out of him that he would feel bad for the deer. We discuss how the fun is not in shooting or killing the deer, but the time we spend in the outdoors together and the haveresting of the deer is to help us eat. And its just like chicken or beef we get from the store. He seems to understand this, but it does not change his mind. He says he's ok with me shooting a deer when he's not there, but just not in front of him. He enjoys the outdoors and we had a great time "watching" the deer and other wildlife and I wouldn't trade the last two days for anything. I will say I am proud of him that he values and is sensitive to life or taking of one no matter what that life may be. My questions are these; has anyone gone through something similar; what did you do, did you wait or did you shoot and deal with it after the fact; is he too young to see this kind of thing? The last thing I want to do is turn him off to hunting because I rushed him into it when he wasn't ready. Any educated thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for the long post.

He may be too young yet to see it!!! In my opinion, I would not shoot anything in front of him!!! It may be too traumatic for him now!!! Its best just to enjoy the outdoors with him now and let him decide when he can accept it!!!

Don't push him, he'll come around to it in time. You don't want to ruin him for life.

He is not too young. Kole watched me harvest an oryx at 3 years old and loved it. He even watched the gutting and skinning of the animal.
Also make sure to have hearing protection for your kid. That helps to minimize the bang and doesn't scare him.

Just talk with the boy, maybe go hunt rabbits with a .22. Start him off on smaller stuff then work up to the bigger animals.
Some kids are just like that.

Also like Fisher said....don't push him. This past few days while hunting axis, when Kole said he was done in the blind, we got out and walked around. The true joy is spending time with your kid in the outdoors, not just harvesting an animal.....

haven't thought this through much, I have daughter that just turned 5 though. I took her duck hunting at 3 and when returning home with game I have always let her look and watch me clean them. So far she hasn't had any problems and seems gung-ho wanting to go hunting with me and she even likes eating game. if my daughter said she didn't want to watch me shoot something I would respect it 100%. at that age are they really making that decision themselves or is mom, grandparents, or someone at school giving them an anti-hunting vibe? I know with my daughter everyone around her is pro-hunter, she just watched grandma shoot a deer and was so excited for her "can't wait to eat it".

another perspective my dad was an avid amateur golfer and my much older brother was even a pro, he started me golfing when I could barely walk, was always having lessons with best instructors, always playing, and always traveling to tournaments. I quit golf burnt out at 17 and barely play a round every few years. a little resentment I put so much into something I didn't like just because my dad liked it. flip side he loved hunting & fishing and I have always loved it too.

interesting topic.

Honestly I kinda still feel bad when shooting a deer a little bit...I guess is just the ending an animals life... I don't know how to explain that cause I love the hell out shooting deer and hogs... I would honestly start off shooting dove and smaller game like ducks etc. I think it would be eazing him into the killing aspect. Especially when it comes to the cleaning the animal...Gutting a deer is pretty gruesome thing for kids now days. I wish kids could grow up like they used too where chicken soup meant going out side and killing a chicken...ETC.. I honestly think it would change a lot of things! I had grandparents that gave me that experience and we butchered cattle at home.. most kids don't even know where meat comes from now...

Good Luck! it will work out!

I wouldn't push him into it. He'll let you know when he's ready. And if he doesn't, it's not the end of the world. Kids are all different. And not all of them take to hunting. You still love & respect them for what they believe.

My 12 year old daughter just took an interest in hunting this year. Took her out and she got her first deer this year. She had no problem with the gutting & skinning of it. Got in there and wanted to help. She's hooked now and can't wait to go again. Now my 7 year old daughter has no interest in shooting deer. She enjoys going to the shooting range with me. Will she ever come around to wanting to hunt? Only time will tell.

I would just enjoy the 1 on 1 time with him in the stand, deer stand time can never be replaced, great talks. You can always hunt deer. But your time and talks with your son will change quickly. Today he is 6 tomorrow he is 16 then in college and moving out. I am sure he come around and I agree with the others about starting with the smaller game. I hunted with my son from 5-10 before he would let me shoot or he would shoot. It was more about the snacks, walking around the woods, the camping out etc. Today he loves to hunt (15y/o)......but since he loves it so much I never get to shoot he is always doing it for me.

Good luck and enjoy the time together.

Wouldn't Push for sure they will let you know know whe they are ready.

I agree with the guys that say "don't push" I would also say don't expect anything either. Everyone isn't born prone to hunting, even if he/she is in a 5th generation hunting family. If he only ends up with a love for camping or just the outdoors then so be it, he will still benefit from the best part, being in nature.

Don't watch Bambi right before the hunt... Or Land Before Time....ever

I wouldnt push it. I remmeber when I was real small not sure of the age , my dad and uncles were slaughtering a spring lamb. It bothered me for a long time. But as I got older I understood. I dont think it would have been a good thing if I was subject to that everytime. Dad just let me be . And by the time I was ten I was hunting.

Do not push him and just love him for who he is. I helped get mine over it, by teaching him the importance of deer management. I explained to him how now days there is not enough predators to keep a deer herd in check so we have to fill that role. And if we don't the herd will get to big for the area that they live in and not have enough food to stay healthy. So by hunting responsibly we are in turn helping the overall deer population. That helped him a lot.

I agree not to push him. Let him make the choice of what he wants to see. Sooner or later he is going to want to take the shot himself!
soon enough he'll be a teenager and you'll be wondering what happened to your little boy.

I agree do not push him, and to let him make the choice when he wants to see it, my 4yr old begged to go with me I was scared of your situation and because it was his idea to go and was not pushed in the least bit on him, he was all for it.

Unfortunately, there's no shortage of those who want to brag about their five or six-year-old kid who just took his first buck. And I remember all too well the guy who wrote in one of the hunting magazines how his eight-year-old was shooting a centerfire while his friends were still into BB guns. Besides, how many so-called "hunters" equate their hunting skills with how much lead they can blast out the end of a barrel. Take away their feeder or food plot and they wouldn't know where to begin in filling an ice chest.

I would suggest spending time teaching him first about the outdoors and how the predator and prey food chain works. Teach him how to find and read deer sign, and the importance of knowing animal behavior. Your overall goal should be to provide him with knowledge that will give him a much wider view of the sport itself. And finally, teach him that in order for people to eat and live, something (plant or animal) must be killed.

Otherwise, you might just do as so many do and only teach him how to sit in a box stand and wait for something to show up and eat.

X2 we already have enough anti hunters he'll come around for duress he gets to be 9 or so he should be ready to take his first animal. I shot my first deer when I was 7 but I had been goin to the stand with my dad ever since I was 2

My sister was the same way. She grew up around hunting and with hunters. She enjoyed the outdoor activities and going to the stand or sitting on a pond. When she was around 12, we went dove hunting and I found her in the middle of the field "doctoring" one of the wings. She didn't mind that we shot the animals and she didn't mind eating them, she just didn't like seeing the killing part. Another time, one of my rabbit hunting adventures ended when she told me everytime I shot, all that was running through her head was the song "Little Peter Cottontail." I put the gun away and we started fossil hunting.

After years of going hunting and being around it, she finally shot a doe at 33 years old. She told me to have my gun ready in case she didn't make a perfect shot, but we didn't have to worry about it. I am about to load up the truck and spend the weekend trying to get her a second deer.

I realize that it isn't a kid, but I see her as a future hunter and someone I can and have enjoyed the outdoors with. Not sure what would have happened if my father or I had pushed the issue and I would hate to think I might have missed the time we did get to spend if we had done it differently.

Give him time and help him understand, but remember you can lead a horse to water, buy you can't make him drink. Cherish the times you have together and the rest will fall into place.

Good Luck

Guys,
I appreciate all the great advice. I am in the camp of not pushing him, but was wondering if there was anything but time to help the situation. We had a great time out in the field and we did our fair share of "tracking" and counting the numbers of animal we saw. He even saw yotes at 300yds that I didn't pick up with binos. As a hunter that started later in life and who told my wife I didn't know how I would react when I shot my first deer (I was going to lay the gun down and walk away or end up loving it...I'm here now so you know which way I went) I definitely understand my son's feelings and your points. Thanks again for your help and advice. I'll just enjoy more BB gun practice at targets and more time just enjoying each other's company.

Screen some videos for him to watch. There are even some Christian hunting shows on TV that he can watch to get an idea of what it is like. Turn to the Bible to let him know that God put these animals here on the earth for us to use. It should get him acclaimated some to the thought of the death of an animal benefiting a family. When the time is right, take a deer and donate it to someone who needs it and let him be part of that.

That's some pretty good advice there. ^^^^

The boy has heart plain and simple and this is a very good sign! We ran across some hunters a while back that had some pictures of a friendly deer that made its way into camp. He was just a spike and for some reason he was all over these guys I mean like a pet dog! They asked one of my boys if they'd shoot that deer and I interjected with, " they'd better not shoot a deer like that!" "If they'd shoot that deer we'd definitely have to check their Heart!" Your son's feeling a sense of remorse over taking an animals life is a very good thing. Its actually something that's sadly missing from some hunters today. He'll grow to be truly a fine outdoors man and not another slob hunter.

I have a six year old also.I have the advantage of hunting 20 minutes from my door, to the door of the deer stand. I usually let him decide when he hunts, and when he does, we carry a camera, rifle, snacks, and most importantly Hotwheels, or something to do. It's his hunt, and is treated as such. So far we have taken some nice pics for mom, learned a lot about different animal tracks, and built some really cool ramps for toy cars. In return, I know all about his friends in Kindergarten, what he wants for Christmas, and that my first name should be Steve Like others have said, don't get too caught up in the killing part, and just consider it time well spent with your kid.

My daughter did the same thing around that age. One evening she was sitting with PaPa and he shot a doe. She was ok with him shooting it but she didn't want to see it. It didnt help that we had lost one of our horses that year. I ended up taking her back to the house so she didn't have to see it. She is now 10, and has several hobbies. I let her decide when she wanted to start getting into hunting/shooting. As a matter of fact, yesterday was her first time to shoot a .22.

With age will come more understanding. Some kids can handle it while others can't at a young age. Just give him time. This would be a great opportunity for him to get trigger time with a bb gun or .22 at the range. Shooting a gun will be easier when he wants to shoot a deer.

He might or might not ever want to hunt. It is for some while not for others. I have 5 nephews that I started shooting and hunting. 3 of them really enjoy hunting while the other 2 do not. All 5 like shooting though.

Enjoy the time with him and like others have said getting him shooting BBs or 22s is a good start.

I agree 100%. He is at the age where you really have to watch how to handle him. He will make up his mind in a few years what he likes or don't like.

I have 7 kids, have hunted and owned my own gun since I was 5, and my Dad carried the shells...I had to clean his Mod 11 20 ga
Remington...remove the action, carrier ect before he would take
me bird hunting...Don't know your situation, or his...so advice
is what it is...I cleaned birds and was his bird dog when he didn't have one...was glad he took me...Might try letting him shoot a 22 w/CB Caps in it until it's his idea to go..Once he
starts you may wish you'd hunted more by yourself...it's cheaper

Dirt

^ This Daddy has it figured out 100%.

Well,,,,it aint for the extremely sensitive....poor little guy. I take my 4 year old daughter to the stand and she has a blast...even love the gutting part!!;)

Don't worry about it - I think all of the advice on here was right on target. If the biggest problem you have with your son is that he does not like hunting then you have a great son on your hands. Believe me, the issues get alot more complicated the older they get! (I have three sons 24, 22, and 13 years old).

My oldest son is in the Army and has been to Afghanistan once and is about to go again. He is by far the best bow shooter in our family - he can group better at 60 yards better than most men can at 20. But for whatever reason he has lost a little bit of the desire to hunt.

On the other hand, my 22 and 13 year old drive me nuts - I can never hunt alone.

I think part of the problem is the morons who go around bragging that their 3 year old daughter shot her first deer and field dressed it, caped it, and quartered it all by herself. It makes you feel like something is wrong if your 6 year old boy does not like to hunt.

Don't worry about it - it will all work out for the best anyway.

Thanks for all the positive notes guys. I'm not worried about the boy. I'm lucky to be his dad. I just wanted to make sure I don't screw him up. Trying to be a good dad trumps taking a deer anytime for me. I'm glad that some folks don't have to worry about their extremely tough kids. I bet it sure does make it easier raising them.

Js4242......it is a good thing that you are concerned. And asking questions, it shows how much you care for your son. If it bothers him for you to shoot a deer in front of him, don't. You'll end up driving him away from what you like to do. We are not all made to hunt, some are fisherman, some are golfers, some ride motorcycles, sports, etc. Just do what ever it is he enjoy's doing and keep him close to you as possible. They are only small for a Little while. If he enjoys going hunting with you and scouting, tracking, exploring by all means take him along and enjoy every second !!

take him on the trip and let him hang around camp. bring mamma and put them in a separate stand (if you have the resources to do so). They can observe wildlife all they want to and not harm anything that way. Take him on hikes midday. He may not be a hunter after all, but that don't mean he can't enjoy being outdoors. My brother never cared to hunt, but he always went and had a great time looking at plants, arrowheads, rocks, messing with cows and just kind of exploring.

You have him out there already which is already more than what most do. just be patient, even if he doesn't like idea of hunting he may become a great biologist