Grenades for fishing

[DXT]

We definitely do need to recruit new hunters. 7 to 8 years from now i plan on being a full time taxidermist for my retirement so ill need the work.. If crossbows are the answer then ill probably be all for it.

We need to get the youth intrested! But as usual NY wont let a twelve or 13 year old  use a crossbow, they can bow hunt but NOT the crossbow till 14. The problem is that a lot of 12 and 13 year old kids can't draw the minimum draw weight required for bow hunting,  My 12 year old daughter is itching to go deer hunting,  but cant draw the minimum draw weight,  a crossbow would be nice for the  kids,and also the older folks.  Hopefully NY will get it changed,  we gotta get the kids hooked young,  otherwise they won't be interested!

[GooseCommander]

We definitely do need to recruit new hunters. 7 to 8 years from now i plan on being a full time taxidermist for my retirement so ill need the work.. If crossbows are the answer then ill probably be all for it.

We need to get the youth intrested! But as usual NY wont let a twelve or 13 year old  use a crossbow, they can bow hunt but NOT the crossbow till 14. The problem is that a lot of 12 and 13 year old kids can't draw the minimum draw weight required for bow hunting,  My 12 year old daughter is itching to go deer hunting,  but cant draw the minimum draw weight,  a crossbow would be nice for the  kids,and also the older folks.  Hopefully NY will get it changed,  we gotta get the kids hooked young,  otherwise they won't be interested!

I agree DXT. Starting out with a bow is a tough road for a kid at 12 for big game. I would prefer them able to use a gun or crossbow. My son worked diligently over the summer he was 12 to bowhunt deer that fall. He was able to draw 37 pounds and proficient to 15 yards. My father in law and I set him up (along with me) in a spot we called the killing tree - deer would filter by it like clock work every morning heading from the feed to bedding. On time, a group of does showed up. As we talked about and practiced, he waited until one was broad side and all looking away from him, drew his bow, aimed at the one 10 yards from him and squeezed the trigger. To say it was exciting moment was an understatement. However, I knew almost instantly it wasn't a mortally wounded deer as I saw the arrow sticking out high in the area people like to refer to as no man's zone as it ran away. My son was giving me fists pumps and I was hopefully we'd find the deer. Three hours later I was in hell with my son after tracking the deer and not finding it as the blood petered out. He was an emotional wreck knowing there was a wounded deer wandering around caused by his doing. I assured him the deer would survive and told him I was proud of him for the respect he was showing the deer with his emotions. It was an invaluable life lesson for both he and I. However, the incident seems to have scarred him as he hasn't shown the same interest to pursue deer. I didn't push him this fall to bowhunt and he went out a hand full of times during gun season with me. He has been following around me since he was 5 years old watching me harvest many animals and enjoys upland and waterfowl hunting. He is showing interest in gun hunting deer next fall when he is 14 and still enjoys shooting the bow. I wonder, though, if things would have been different if he had harvested the deer. Time will tell, but the smell of gas and perfume are on the horizon not to mention the current grind of sports.

[jdbbowhunter]

True we need to get the youth interested in hunting, fishing and trapping. But they  implemented early gun season for youth hunters. How many more hunters did it bring in? My guess would be very few. Youth that were going to hunt were going to hunt anyway. But we cant disappoint anyone anymore. So why couldn't youth wait to 14 to bow hunt and 16 to gun hunt? It worked in the past. Because truth is very few youth have interest in outdoor sports.

[GooseCommander]

We definitely do need to recruit new hunters. 7 to 8 years from now i plan on being a full time taxidermist for my retirement so ill need the work.. If crossbows are the answer then ill probably be all for it.

Extremely few kids want to hunt these days, including mine. My son is 18, and he has no interest. I asked him if any of his friends hunt, and he said 1 kid, out of probably 100 that he knows of. When I was 18 probably 25% of the boys I knew hunted. Gonna be some big bucks running around as hunters dwindle.

Agree with you ruck. My son is the only kid on his travel hockey team that hunts or fishes. Its not that anyone is against it - they are constantly talking to me about my moose hunting trips, the bear I harvested this year or how I was able to train my chocolate lab to retrieve game when they can't even get their dog to sit. Most have stories about their grandfather or uncle fishing or hunting, but never pursued it themselves - not knowing how to do it and or where to go seem to be the common reasons. My son's best friend never caught a bass until we invited him on vacation to the St. Lawrence last summer. He went from unable to cast a spinning rod to cleaning and cooking his fish in a week's time. The kid is hooked and wants me to take him turkey hunting this spring. With sportsmen numbers declining, one of my goals is to actively recruit and mentor a kid/adult each season now. I'm not getting any younger and I'll need help dragging out those big bucks/bears soon enough 

[GooseCommander]

True we need to get the youth interested in hunting, fishing and trapping. But they  implemented early gun season for youth hunters. How many more hunters did it bring in? My guess would be very few. Youth that were going to hunt were going to hunt anyway. But we cant disappoint anyone anymore. So why couldn't youth wait to 14 to bow hunt and 16 to gun hunt? It worked in the past. Because truth is very few youth have interest in outdoor sports.

I tend to disagree with your last statement based on my current experiences. They have an interest in it if shown it properly. What many lack are someone to mentor them on how to hunt/fish. Youth that were going to hunt have someone who could be an immediate mentor to them - don't disagree with you one bit. Most kids now a days don't have a close family member who can properly show them how to hunt or fish. As youngster, I could walk out my back door and rove thousands of acres and had a world class trout stream across the road from me all coupled with a father who gave up his hunting/fishing time to mentor me. Very few kids have that luxury now a days. I bet if each of us looked for a kid (or even an adult) to mentor, we could find one. As I tell my son from what my father told me, we can focus on the obstacles/excuses and fail or we can focus on goals and succeed.

[cbyzerman]

Tired of hearing all the BS about getting the youth interested by all these ridiculous methods........  Moving opening from Mon to Sat did not work....  A special youth hunt did not work... crossbow, wont work....   Only thing that works is getting your kids involved at an early age ( 4,5,6) years old.  I see people trying to start getting kids involved as teenagers and the boat has already sailed. I know alot of people that will not bring there kids in woods at young age because of ticks and I do not blame them...   Lets face it, this is a dying sport....   

[GooseCommander]

Tired of hearing all the BS about getting the youth interested by all these ridiculous methods........  Moving opening from Mon to Sat did not work....  A special youth hunt did not work... crossbow, wont work....   Only thing that works is getting your kids involved at an early age ( 4,5,6) years old.  I see people trying to start getting kids involved as teenagers and the boat has already sailed. I know alot of people that will not bring there kids in woods at young age because of ticks and I do not blame them...   Lets face it, this is a dying sport....

Have any positives?

[ruck]

I took both my kids scouting and fishing when they were little, and neither hunted, but both fished for a short while before discovering social media. The fact is social media is worse than a drug, it's all these kids want to do anymore, they barely even sleep! The only time I see my kids is at feeding time, or if I unplug the router!
 Goose, my kid plays hockey too, and not one kid he's ever played with hunts. Hockey kids when I grew up and played were very outdoorsy types, we all fished and hunted.

[jdbbowhunter]

Truth is ive tried to get kids to hunt and fish. Most don't want to put in the effort in my expierances. Don't want to get up early, its too cold, how long are we gona stay out. Just some of what I hear from youth and adults. Truth is kids who want to hunt and fish will do so, ones who don't won't. Different times than when most of us grew up unfortunately.

[DXT]

Yep, social media and smartphones are changing society. Its very unfortunate, but it's TRUE. Kids these days are different, it's a different time from when I started hunting in 1984. So yes we do need to do things differently in order to get kids intrested. At first I was thinking why do we need all these special youth seasons....then I took a 15 year old girl out, she got her first buck...she was HOOKED! Then I took a  15 year old boy out, he got his first buck, a 7 point, surprisingly he didn't get hooked,  but he certainly learned that it's not all about killing a animal,  he had a great hunt but never really got into it.  Then there's my older daughter, I've been taking her since she was 5, she got her first deer at 14 during the youth hunt,  second deer ( a spike) at 15 during the youth hunt,  and now shes 16 and shot a nice 6 pointer on opening morning together with me, needless to say shes HOOKED! And I plan on getting many many more kids hooked on hunting,  nothing better than seeing a young kid get their first deer!!! I love it!!!

[cbyzerman]

Tired of hearing all the BS about getting the youth interested by all these ridiculous methods........  Moving opening from Mon to Sat did not work....  A special youth hunt did not work... crossbow, wont work....   Only thing that works is getting your kids involved at an early age ( 4,5,6) years old.  I see people trying to start getting kids involved as teenagers and the boat has already sailed. I know alot of people that will not bring there kids in woods at young age because of ticks and I do not blame them...   Lets face it, this is a dying sport....

Have any positives?

No positives....  Different world dying sport.....  When we were kids in 80s even if kids did not hunt they loved to fish.... We were outside all day long from dawn till dusk. Making treehouses, fishing playing bb gun wars or pond hockey. Every local pond had at least one hockey game going on. How many pond hockey games you guys see these days? It is all relative. I remember when weather was bad we were all depressed cause we couldn't do the above mentioned . Now kids love bad weather cause we do not make them go outside.

[GooseCommander]

@ruck
My son plays for CP Dynamo north of Albany - we live south of Kingston. Between practices and games he is up there 5/6 days a week while being an honor student. For him, hockey is life now just as the outdoors is mine. He loves buzzing with the boys as he tells me. I wouldn't want anyone to take what I enjoy away so that is why I support the craziness especially since you never know how long of runway you have with competitive sports. I suspect hunting and fishing will be an adult onset endeavor once his playing plateaus. I agree, planting the seed early helps root more success in participation and retention in anything. However, I was really shocked at the demographics of his hunter and bow hunter education classes. When I took mine, it was mostly tweenagers and a few adults. My son's classes were mostly adults and a few tweenagers. My point is I think there are future hunters/fisherman out there, but as jdbbowhunter indirectly pointed out we may have to recruit them differently with different expectations. I don't wake my son up to hunt on weekends - he is to tired from sports and schoolwork or needs to prep for game days. Free afternoons though, he'll join me on his own accord. And the social media can be a poison or a cure - after all we are using it here and have to adjust accordingly. Just this morning I texted my son a pic (popped up on my phone as a memory) of when he was young holding a drake mallard standing next to my Dad who had shot it and our chocolate lab. His reply back to me was what I hoped - look how small I was and when can we do that again.

@DXT
I agree we don't need special youth seasons either. We need more of us willing to give up or make time to ensure a youth's time afield special and not expect that each one will enjoy it the same as us or continue with it.

[cbyzerman]

Another good point just mentioned... Sports... When I was a kid you played baseball....  Maybe 2-3 x a week during late spring early summer. Maybe you played football in fall, once per week. Now kids are playing 3 sports at once.  Thats every friggin day.  How you gonna hunt or fish? I have several friends whose kids are playing lacrosse, and basketball right now.  7 days a week and 2x a day on sat and sun....   That did not go on back in the day.......

[walkabout]

i think the early deer and turkey season had a big impact on my daughter getting into hunting.. i think her getting a cross bow next year will get her out in the woods more also.. Anyone of our members here have a young kid that wants to turkey hunt in the spring or do a drift boat trip just let me know..

[DXT]

i think the early deer and turkey season had a big impact on my daughter getting into hunting.. i think her getting a cross bow next year will get her out in the woods more also.. Anyone of our members here have a young kid that wants to turkey hunt in the spring or do a drift boat trip just let me know..

I agree Ron, I think goose miss understood that I think that WE DO NEED the special early seasons, as well as the mentors will to get kids out there. Theres no doubt in my mind that the youth hunts th as t I've been involved in have made a huge difference in getting the kids intrested.

Now as far as a youth Turkey hunt, yes please plan on bringing my 12 year old daughter this coming spring, shes really excited for it. And also, hopefully they will have a youth pheasant hunt, we want you and Jack for that! Thanks!