I'm lucky to have lived in the west all my life, raising a daughter & 4 son's they all got an early start in loving the outdoors. With horses & mules it was easy getting them into the back country, if they wanted to fish we walked out the backdoor. There were grouse & pheasants right across the road.
All of them had camped in the high country at a very early age. Many kids would love to spend more time in the outdoors but just don't get the chance.
All the kids were shooting bows & their 22 rifles as early as 5 yrs old & forntunately they've never stopped.
This is Shane at 8 yrs old with a big rock chuck taken with a 7/57 on a pre-64 action. My wife had gone to town one day & I took the screen off the kitchen window, slid it open & loaded up the table with sand bags.
The shot was 321 yds using a 140 gr Sierra slug, I told him where to hold for elevation & wind & he smoked that old chuck with the first shot.
I did forget to put the screen back in & my wife knew what we had been doing, no more shooting from the kitchen table. You can see our log home in the background.



Shane's 5 1/2 foot sturgeon, Snake River.



Nice bear taken in the middle fork country on horseback, Shane was 13 yrs old when he shot this 6' 4" black bear with his Sako 243, shot was about 230-240 yds.



Like I said, start them out young, here's by up & coming bow hunters! Shane, Marty, Travis & Brett.



When they get older you need to let them burn a lot of gun powder! These are empty's my wife told me to get rid of!



Four of the grandkids with a pile of ground squirrels.



Grandson, Ridge with a nice rainbow trout.





Dick

very nice! thanks for sharing. post more.

Took my 4 year old crabbing/shrimping/fishing all morning. We just got back, and I'll post some pics later. I'd say we have between 6 and 8 dozen small-med blue points.

Nice post. What a blessed up bringing for your kids!

Perry

Good work sir.

Congratulations on a fine family with wonderful memories to continue sharing!

Whats the old saying: Take your kid hunting & you won't have to go hunting for your kid.
Just a way of life around our house, we gather all the kids & grandkids & make a big hunting camp, lots of fun.
This is Travis when he was 15 yrs old, the youngest kid in Idaho to take a bull moose with the bow. He was 15.



Five young bull moose in the water at the same time. When I handgunned my bull I spotted 37 moose in 27 days.



Two of the grandson's with a very large rock chuck, taken with a 17 HMR, look at those smiles.



Another grandson, Mason, with a nice rainbow trout.



This is Ridge Thompson with a forest grouse, taken with my 10 shot 22 revolver.



They love the weekends when they can hunt deer & elk with their dads.



Two of the little guys are real buddies.



My wife & me with our 4 son's on a spring bear hunt, 2009.



Dick

Dick, post your kids as adults and then as kids so we can tell who's who. Nice family.

I confess, I've had a great life and it continues to be so, but I am insanely jealous of those who live and grew up out west.

Is Mason fishing with a Mitchell 300 and Eagle Claw rod. That is old school. That was always my dad's go to.

Perry

Nice! I enjoyed this post.

Very nice. Love to see families enjoying the outdoors hunting and fishing.

Actually that is an Eagle Claw ultra light rod (back packer) & a Mitchell 301 reel (lefty) bougth that rod in Sherman, Texas in 1966 when I worked part time for one of the Gibsons Discount Centers while starving as an air craft mechanic. These little 5 piece rods came inside of a metal case for packing. Actually landed one steelhead with it years ago.

Dick