Anybody used Pathfinder 2 on cut stumps or hack n squirt

[volsfan1976]

What I find interesting about today's kids that become hunters is that each has a different motivation. One of my brother's daughters didn't become a hunter until she was an adult, and her motivation was simply to become a part of the "fraternity" of hunters. Whenever the family is together, invariably hunting stories will begin to be told, usually poking fun at something stupid one one of the family did while hunting. My brother's daughter kept hearing these stories and realized she wanted to be a part of that. She wanted to be able to join in the story telling. She gave deer hunting a shot in her late 20s and fell in love with it. And despite the fact she lives with her husband in Sydney, Australia, she will travel half-way around the world each year to spend 4 or 5 days muzzleloader hunting in TN.

For my own daughter, she's been hanging around deer camp since she was a baby. Even at a very young age she was fascinated with cleaning and butchering deer. I think she was 5 or 6 the first time I took her out hunting with me, in a food plot shooting house where she could sit on the floor and read books or color, and then climb in my lap if deer came out. She was 7 or 8 the first time she sat on my lap while I shot a doe in the plot. I let her blood trail the deer. I think being a part of the hunt like that really peaked her interest. I took the hunter education course with her when she was 13, and we truly hunted for the first time when she was 14, in 2-person "buddy" ladder stands. She killed a few deer during the Juvenile hunts. But I didn't really understand her motivation until I told her at 16 that I thought she was experienced enough to begin hunting on her own. Instead of being thrilled, she was disappointed. She didn't want to hunt on her own. She wanted to hunt with me. Unbeknownst to me, for her, hunting was the ultimate bonding experience between us; a time to sit and talk quietly in the stand and share a powerful common experience. She's 19 now and we've never hunted apart. I love every time she wants to go.

My poor attempt at a selfie while in a 2-person ladder stand:

Awesome that you all still hunt together. And it's so cool that that's how she wants it. When I was little my dad and uncles would all meet at granny's house and go hunting. I would go with dad and wait on them at granny's till they all came back. I could not wait till I was old enough to go. Dad started taking me at 10. I always wanted to hunt by myself for whatever reason. For years now we still go but not together. Mainly because he wants to be home by 9 and I like to stay all day. But even though he is retired and could go any day he wants, he only goes on days that I am off work and go.

 

[volsfan1976]

Wow. My kids are the same age. Boy and a girl. I started taking my son hunting with me at 3. Just for about an hour at a time. More or less just playing in the woods.
This year we was hunting and had been hunting hard for days. He asked "can we have fun today" so I said sure. We broke sticks and whittled, walked around, played hide and seak. You name it. He said it was the best hunt of his life. We even seen deer that day. The important thing is. Remember they are kids. What enjoys us may not them. Let them have fun and learn at their own pace. Each kid is different.

how cool. We go camping on muzzleloader weekend every year. I have been taking him since he was 5. We usually just let him squirrel hunt and don't really deer hunt unless he wants to. He enjoys just hanging out at the camp. Although his first squirrel really got him more excited about hunting. He actually cooked it over the fire and ate it all. Didn't even share any. Lol. His first hunt was the Yuchi juvenile this year. Hurricane was coming through so rained all weekend. Weather sucked but on Saturday we got there at 430 and stayed till 230 that afternoon. He decided he had had enough. Lasted a lot longer than I thought he would. He even wanted to go back on Sunday but we didn't stay as long. He seems to enjoy being out in the woods but I try to do like you said. When he is with me, I'm just following his lead. We do what he wants.

 

[Tn_Va_Hunter]

how cool. We go camping on muzzleloader weekend every year. I have been taking him since he was 5. We usually just let him squirrel hunt and don't really deer hunt unless he wants to. He enjoys just hanging out at the camp. Although his first squirrel really got him more excited about hunting. He actually cooked it over the fire and ate it all. Didn't even share any. Lol. His first hunt was the Yuchi juvenile this year. Hurricane was coming through so rained all weekend. Weather sucked but on Saturday we got there at 430 and stayed till 230 that afternoon. He decided he had had enough. Lasted a lot longer than I thought he would. He even wanted to go back on Sunday but we didn't stay as long. He seems to enjoy being out in the woods but I try to do like you said. When he is with me, I'm just following his lead. We do what he wants.

Awesome. Try planting trees together. It's fun. Like BSK said. I get more out of watching the property grow and develop than anything.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

I was actually looking forward to deer season being over so I could get started. How crazy is that.

Not crazy at all. After about mid-December each year, I can not wait to put boots on the ground and start projects. Like others have mentioned, I have just as much fun making habitat improvements as I do actually hunting. There is something very rewarding about manipulating the property in hopes to shift deer here or there for whatever purpose......and then to actually see deer there! Especially in pockets of the land you never see deer over the years. Good luck with it all!

 

[volsfan1976]

I appreciate all the info from everyone. Over the last month I have spent numerous hours just in this forum reading. I am back to 2010 right now. But have already learned so much. I get nervous because it seems like every time I have ever tried to do anything I ended up messing it up and having to get someone else to fix it for me. But I think this is different. just gonna start small and see how it goes. I mean if I screw it up, well in 50 years you will not even be able to tell. lol. I do appreciate the input and encouragement.

 

[BSK]

I get nervous because it seems like every time I have ever tried to do anything I ended up messing it up and having to get someone else to fix it for me. But I think this is different. just gonna start small and see how it goes. I mean if I screw it up, well in 50 years you will not even be able to tell. lol.

I feel that way every time I have a heavy timber cut done. I look at the nuclear blast zone that used to be a patch of mature oak forest and think, "Oh no, what have I done!" Then in about 3 years when the sapling regrowth is laced with trails and rubs, I wonder why I didn't cut that spot sooner.

 

[volsfan1976]

I'm hoping I feel the same way