Written By - Art Wedge - 05/26/2007
Link to Original Article here

Taking kids hunting can be one of the best ways there is to enjoy time in the field. You know they just love to tag along with you each and every time out. They want to be there with you but they want to shoot too. I have often wondered if sitting in a blind or tree stand for hours seeing sometimes nothing, is fun for them. I love hunting and yet, I can find myself getting bored when there is nothing to do but sit.

Now, my kids love to deer hunt but I came to the conclusion, it can get old sitting for hours with nothing to show for it at the end of the day. One way I found to get around this, \"Small Game\". It

dawned on me one day a few years ago while sighting our guns in for the up coming deer season, just how much they like to shoot. They like to hunt too, so why not try something that will accomplish both for them. Squirrel hunting seemed to be something that fit the bill. It gets us out in the woods together, they can actually move around, the gear list is pretty small and they get some shooting in.

Ok, I had to talk myself into missing a day of deer hunting at first but we have a blast. We get to talk because we are not afraid of spooking deer, we are not sitting looking at the same piece of real estate for hours and I think they really feel like they are hunting. I get a big kick out of watching them trying to put a stalk on a squirrel. The best thing is, you can tell they are not bored. They are having fun.


They are always smiling while we are hunting small game. I even noticed the excitement in their voice when they tell the stories after arriving home. You can not shut them up. This is not always the case after a day of deer hunting. Just listening to them tell their stories puts a smile on my face. I know it was good for them, they had fun and they got to shoot.