From Fox News' website:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,77474,00.html

All the more reason to get those kids involved. That is a bad trend that we don't want to continue. Kids and young adults are the future of the outdoors with hunting and fishing taking the biggest hits.

The Gulf Coast Chapter of SCI had a booth at this past weekends hunting and fishing show and we, like always, try to zero in on the kids. We offer hands on learning opportunites just for that reason. It's amazing and rewarding to see their reactions and interest spark when your showing them the difference between a carnivore skull and a omnivore skull. They just don't get exposed to these things in todays world.

I'm giving my son one more shot then I'm giving up on him. I'm going to invite him to go with me on a Dall Sheep hunt in 2004. He turned down the elk hunt in 2000, and the RSA in 2002.

I figure at 31 he's probably made up his mind, but I haven't given up hope.

I know alot of guys that dont hunt any more for one reason or another. Now thier children dont get expossed to the outdoors like we did as kids and I realy think its a shame.I have some great memories of learning to hunt and hunting camps when I was a kid.I take my daghter deer hunting with me in our home state. She is only 12 but if she stays interested when she gets a little older
I will start takeing her on some of my bigger hunts.I grew up in a smaller town and hunting and
fishing was and still is popular.Now I live in Olympia and most of the people here have diffrent
priorities. They dont leave the city and becus of the bad press guns get in the news most of them wouldnt let thier kids go hunting with anyone.

Kensko, I'm closer to 50 than 30 but still available for adoption. Already housebroken and have plenty of firearms that come with the adoption. I''m sure my wife would make you a very good deal.

Dear Kensco;

I also wish to apply to become an adopted son.With my resume you will find 80 acres in the bow zone near edmonton.I have 9 does that supply buck fawns.Now, 1 buck in particular is really good.There is 4 others that make p&y but not big, yet. well heck, Dad, nice ring to it i think.

Kensco

DADDY!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm 35, and in a way, I have had to struggle to become a shooter/hunter.

I have always been fascinated with guns and hunting, and so was my dad, when I was quite young.

For dad, work and other interests got in the way. Not to mention he moved across Canada about when I was born ,and didn't have any traditional "buddies" to go huntng with.

Growing up in West Van, we had alot of acess to the outdoors, but tended to go on hiking and camping excursions, rahter than hunting and fishing. Since my dad was an eastern bass and pike fisherman, I had to teach myself to salmon fish. (Charlie Whites Salmon books really helped)

I've taught myself to shoot, fish and hunt, and I'm still not great at any of it. I don't blame my dad of course, he's more into sailing. He still likes guns and shoots with me when he comes to visit, but I wish I had had a mentor.

the point is, if you can influence a young person to get into the shooting sports, do so. They are going to make the laws and vote soon enough.

Actually, now that I think about it, I'm going to ask my dad if he wants to come bear hunting with me this spring. There might be a chance for the old boy (71- but most think he's 55) yet...

[ 02-06-2003, 09:33: Message edited by: Gatehouse ]

And Kensco, I'm not up for adoption, but if you want me to go with your son, and convince him, I'm in his age group

I was an Assistant Soutmaster while my son was in the Scouts. I tried like heck to get the boys interested in the outdoors but I'm afraid that competition from videos and games was too much. I don't think any of them ended up as outdoorsmen.

I did have one sucess. At a Scout meeting I put a large bore deer rifle, a Hawkin, an M1 Garand (with 1942 bayonet), a big pump shotgun, and double barrel out on a table. I had thier attention then! and organized a campout at a local Wildlife Management Area which had a range. All the boys earned rifle and shotgun merit badges.

We as individuals can probably do more to get people into the shooting sports than we realize.A few years ago I offhandidly asked a guy if he wanted to go shooting never dreaming that he would and he accepted was immediately caught up in it and has since gotten friends of his involved, who like him were just never exposed to it.I have three daugters they all fish but the oldest 2 dont have any interest in guns.The youngest is 20 and I always thought a bit of a tree hugger but a few years ago I got her shooting gophers with me and it was the turning point now she loves to kill gophers and this year bought her own shotgun and began hunting upland birds and waterfowl and plans on deer hunting next year.w/regards

It is happening all over the world

I must be a kid magnet.

I do refuse to adopt anyone older than me though. The rest of you guys are my fall-back position. Now I have leverage against my son.

He kind of boxed himself in. He told me last year that he wasn't interested in going to Africa, but if I was hunting somewhere like Canada he'd go. So I've got him in a put-up or shut-up position.

I bought him a Remington Apache .22 when he was about five. I was ready to make a hunter out of him. We went to the Davy Crockett National Forest and camped out, shot pine cones, a number of times. He liked it.

I think I blew it at about nine. I took him on a hard dove hunt near Pecos, Texas. Sunflower plants twice as tall as he was, hottest day of the year. We were probably thrashing those fields for four or five hours. He was really wasted by the end of the day. He never showed much interest after that. (I made hunting seem the farthest thing from fun, I'm afraid.)

He'll go to the range with me sometimes, and enjoy shooting targets, but shows no interest in hunting.

He had two bad fishing experiences too. A friend of mine buried two treble hooks right between his shoulder blades at Lake Amistad one day. Then years later I took him Peacock Bass fishing the day after he got about 3rd degree sunburn at the beach.

Think twice about letting me adopt you.

Actually my son and I have a great relationship. He's just not going to be a hunter, unless I can get him on this Dall Sheep hunt. I can't believe it won't be the event he talks about the rest of his life.

He jumps out of airplanes, so it's not like he doesn't have a adventurous streak. I've just got to expose him to hunting one more time.

We start em out young 'round these parts.



Griz Albert, being somewhat involved in a local scout group I can tell you that if you don't have the other parents help, it makes your efforts next to impossible. Video games and cable TV are two things that also make the job tougher and will never see the inside of my home.

Ken,

Is your son single? Hook him up with a gal who hunts. He'll go then.

Muleshoe,
I think you're on to the problem. I gave the boys a good one-time experiance but since thier fathers (mostly useless Yuppies) never took them out, thier experiance ended after one day.

Kenseco,

Here's hope. I started shooting later in life (age 25) I had been shooting a little (read very little) before hand but in 1996 I bought my first gun. In 2001 I bought my first rifle and last year went on my first hunt at age 31. I had a great time even though we came up empty. I love the outdoors and have been a avid backpacker in the recent past as well, when my schedule allows. the invitation is a great idea, but you may try asking him what kind of hunt would interest him. Best wishes.

Dave in LB

You sound pretty normal (and not too eager to be adopted) so I'm going to move you up to the 1st runner-up position in the adoption line if my son doesn't come around.

Ann is still on the top of my list even though she hasn't mentioned needing a new parent. I'm prejudiced towards women, plus I have more experience raising women; three daughters, only one son. (I'll draft her if she doesn't volunteer.)

My son is single, although his new girlfriend comes with a nine year old son. I don't know if either one of them hunt. I'll put that on my list.

The e-mail response I got from my son sounded like he was going to think about it, but wasn't sure he could get enough vacation time off to make the hunt. If I can't convince him by the end of this year I'm going to check his DNA and make sure I'm related him. I seem to remember a plumber hanging around the house a lot about 31 years ago now that I think about it.

Kenseco
Thank you for the offer. I totally understand adopting Ann over any one of us, and if she hasn't been caught already I'm shocked! I truly hope your son turns out to enjoy hunting and gets the additional time off. That sounds more like and excuse to me but what do I know.You mentioned 3 duaghters, any of them intereseted in hunting with dad? I can hardly wait to take my son afield. He's a little young now but we're getting close. I may have to take him fishing soon though as he seems to prefer playing with fishing rods.