Can someone take my son hog hunting??

[CoastieHunter]

I'm sure this has been posted by others. But I figured I'd give it a shot.

My step-son is 9 yrs old and was raised by his mom and 2 sisters his whole life pretty much. He's just began to get very interested in hunting with me but he just does not have any luck with seeing anything when we go out. (He's got that 9yr old boy fidgit... "dad we haven't seen anything yet"... that's only 20 min into hunting).

Anyways, I remember the best and most fun way that I got into hunting at a very young age was to go somewhere that had pigs. They are loud, usually very very abundant, and taste good. It's also not the end of the universe if he misses one -vs- a huge 8pt.

Is there anyone on the forum that knows someone or that would extend an invitation for my son to come hunt a pig off of your property? I'd NOT be hunting unless you don't care... but really just wanna see him get his first animal. I'm active duty military and our current lease has NO rabbits, pigs, dove, quail or anything other than deer. He does not have the patience for deer yet.

We do enjoy walking through the woods, but I really don't want him to fall "out of love" with hunting because he hasn't gotten to harvest an animal yet.

For most of us it only took that 1 time to be hooked for life and we all remember it. I want that for him before it's too late.

Over this last hunting season I noticed him want to go out less and less and that's sad to me because that's the only connection we really have.

Being in the military makes it difficult to have my own land or keep forking over $$$.

Again, I just wanna watch or film the hunt and let him take a pig with his .243.

Thanks in advance.

Dave, SK2 USCG

 

[wskp11]

Just got some new land that suppose to have hogs, I'll be checking it soon and let you know. I would love to have the two of ya come out. I know it's got plenty of squirls to, I also have a 9 yr old, so I know how they are.

 

[CoastieHunter]

Cool, PM replied to.

Anyone else?

 

[44fanatic]

Hopefully it all works out. Closest I have to pig is bacon in the freezer...no lease, live in neighborhood.

Sounds like you have Coastie hooked wskp, awfully nice of ya.

 

[4onaside]

Fortunately, I have no pigs on my land, nor anywhere else close. From what I understand about their destructiveness, you and your son would be more than welcome if I had them. I can't believe that it is going to be "too late", if he doesn't get to kill something before he is 10, or whatever. I know that times are different, and everybody's philosophy is different, but I was not allowed to go until I was 15, and I have never stopped since(many, many years). Take him on a good dove hunt. Lots of action, which would hold a young kid's interest. And maybe, just maybe, he will never be interested in hunting but will be a fine golfer, or guitar player or whatever he wants to be. However, your's was a well stated post, and I hope that you find something that will please both you and him. Good Luck.

 

[CoastieHunter]

However, your's was a well stated post, and I hope that you find something that will please both you and him. Good Luck.

Thanks, I appreciate that. As far as him being too "young" to really loose interest, it probably does not help that he know's and hears about regularly that I was 10 yrs old when I got my first deer hunting rifle (30-30) and my father used to be on business trips in South Texas where he had a lease. My mother would pick me up from school and I'd be on my way to the airport to meet him and go hunting. It was great. I really appreciate the time I spent with my father and my step-son never really had that bond. His real father was always deployed and he was forced to live with his sisters and mother which as MOST people would guess makes him a little soft.
I love him to death, but the only real connection that we have is hunting because he wants to be like me SOOO much, but I can't give him the experiences like I had when I was a kid because like most very experienced hunters... after a few days of cold, waking up early, walking through the woods if you haven't seen even a squirrel moving you get a little discouraged.
As adults we all have a little more patience and fortitude, as well as most of us experienced hunters know what it feels like to squeeze the trigger on something that you've worked hard at tracking/finding/etc.
The closest he's ever come to killing anything was a swallow that got caught in my garage fly trap! And even then I had to show him how to do it.... but as morbid as it sounds when I snapped the little birds neck he was smiling ear to ear, not because we just killed one of the worlds creatures, but because he new that I was experienced and seasoned enough to put the animal out of it's misery and move on. I don't think he even watched the bird, he watched what I did. He loved learing that lesson about life.
On our lease it's primarily only whitetail hunting and we have a property that's late season successful hunting. So factor in the cold, the early mornings, the not seeing anything, the fact that he can only really sit still for about 30 minutes.... it's hard for him to see anything.

The bird hunting is for SURE an option that we've discussed and plan on doing in March with my father at a "canned" chucker/quail/pheasant hunt. He shoudl have a good time, but compare bird hunting to deer hunting and they are not even in the same ballpark as far as skill. But it's for sure more excitement for the most part.

WOW, very long winded, got a little carried away. Just really want him to follow in my footsteps. If not for him then at least for my newborn son that will SURELY follow in his big brothers footsteps. And with that said I don't want him to even HOLD a video game controler until he has shot his first rifle.

 

[redblood]

I bet your lease has squirrels. No better game in the world to hunt and it can teach more woodmanship skills that deer plus hogs combined.

 

[Kirk]

My son was 9 or 10 when he killed his first Wildboar. It was a very exciting hunt for him. I am sure your step son will have a ball.

Here he is with his trophy.

 

[Football Hunter]

No hogs on me either,there has got to be a close place to squirrel hunt

 

[wskp11]

Tried to PM ya but it said your full. Hadn't forgot just a couple weeks into theraphy on my shoulder after surgery. But the land owner said they were there. Also headed to Fl in April and we picked more land ther loaded with them. If thats possible for you all maybe we can hit there for a weekend. He'd probably like to see the dogs work.

 

[CoastieHunter]

PM's cleared... I responded to you wskp11.


Had a couple leads but no luck so far.