Hey guys.

I'm looking for a simple, budget hunt someplace like Texas where my 9 year old can legally shoot some kind of big game animal and bring it home for the wall. It doesn't have to be big, it just has to be *his*. Does anyone know of who I can call? I don't want him to just walk up to a fecned deer and shoot it, but a blind or treestand where he has a reasonable chance of shooting something decent in size would be cool. Even a hog would be cool. Oh yeah, and I have to be able to take him sometime before Christmas. I'll likely yank him out of school to make it even more rewarding for him.

Thanks everyone.

Brings a tear to my eye...... ok nostalgia over. Great x-mas present for him huh? I dont nkow where you could go but texas gets kinda expensive. Some alabama hunts are pretty good though. But thats just what ive read on internet and heard from friends.

Yeah. When I was 9, I was already hunting birds and carrying my own .22LR or 410 with my Dad. I was loading shotgun shells at 10 or 11 and it used to drive me nuts when my Dad would leave for deer hunting and I had to stay behind. Now kids can't even hunt birds here until 12. The government says they are trying to get kids back into hunting but if you wait until 12 nowadays, you've already lost them IMO. Sure I take my kids out a lot, but they are losing interest because they can't bring their guns out hunting and shoot stuff their own game. They have their own gunsand shoot targets often, but that is no longer exciting enough for them. I trained a hunting dog this year, and for a few outings they liked coming out just to sit in the blind with the dog for ducks, but the novelty has worn off. Now they ask, "Can I bring my gun?" I say, "No. Sorry." They say, "Uh, I don't want to go." I could just *tell* them they are going, knowing that they would probably have a good time once out there anyway, but that would risk making it into a bad thing. PLUS, I have an ex-wife to deal with and share custody. I don't want to push them away. I mentioned the idea of bring my 9 year old out to kill his own critter, and he got REAL excited. It would also be his first time on a plane.

We had an 8 year old girl take the first bear of the season here in MD last Monday!
They said,I've got my 8 year old squirell hunting first.Most folks always started small game hunting, then worked their way into deer/big game.Nowadays it seems hardly anyone fools with small stuff.Of course,we had much fewer deer and short seasons back then.Still,I'll wait till mine are probably 11 or 12 before big game.
Good luck to you and your son.I'm sure it's something you'll both always treasure.Dave

I think taking him on a Pronghorn hunt would be about perfect....even if it was a doe. I vote Wyoming. I don't know what the regs are there for minumum age but pronghorn is a good low-pressure hunt for kids and doe tags are uvailable over the counter and there is a load of public land available.

JMHO,

JohnTheGreek

John, great suggestion, but I doubt you're gonna find an antelope hunt between now and Christmas.

Sheldon, I think you're on the right track with Texas. Like was said earlier, it might be a little pricey. Hogs are your best bet. Places like the Nail Ranch offer some fine boars for decent prices (less than US$500 that is). You may also get a shot at some exotic (axis, blackbuck, etc.) does for a couple hundred each. For about a thousand bucks you could probably get him set up on a nice boar hog and a couple does of some flavor. Do some internet searches for "Texas Hog Hunting" or "Texas Exotic Hunting" and see what you come up with. If you still have my email address at work (we corresponded about Vaughan), shoot me an email and on Monday I'll forward all my bookmarks. I have quite a selection on my work PC that I can send along.

Oh yeah, Florida has some nice hunting options for hogs and exotics, but I don't know their age restrictions. The hurricane may have caused some trouble too.

A doe hunt in the 4th season near Craig, Colorado. Lots of animals, lots of public land, no guide needed. Send me a PM if you are interested and I'll provide more specific information. My grandson will be in the area on his first hunt!

Try Trey at HP Williams ranch in Texas. He does not have a huge amount of game, but I've seen some huge sheep. He also has Axis and Blackbuck at reasonable prices. Email and I'll give you more info. capt david

quote:

Originally posted by DesertRam:
John, great suggestion, but ....

WOOPS! Sorry, didn't see the "before Christmas" part.

Best,

John

I think a pig hunt in TX well give you the most value.

Google the Alabama River Lodge. It is the best value in real deer hunting in my opinion (atleast for what it is). It will also give you at least decent weather to Holiday in.

Here are a few threads from the Hog Hunting Forum where I and other have made some Texas hog hunting suggestions:

this one and this one and this one

You could also check with Wendell Reich about a management hunt for a whitetail. I also read on another board about a Texas Panhandle rancher looking to take some deer off of his fields at an attractive price. Nilgai in South Texas might be an interesting hunt as well.

Caveat Emptor. Your mileage may vary. I usually hunt on private leases so can just pass along what I have heard or seen, but I have not hunted on these places.

Hey thanks to everyone for the advice. I'll start checking into hogs and exotics today. I might also check into does. Thanks guys!

Desert Ram. I will email you shortly. Thanks!