Huntress View: July 2014

Nothing makes me happier than to hear my two year old son, River, say “Mama, I want to hunt with you.” Or my nine year old daughter, Brooklyn, ask to go sit with me and watch as I hunt. The fact that my children show interest, and are eager to learn is gratifying to both my husband and myself. I dream of the day that both of my children harvest their first deer, or taking their picture with their first turkey. I often question, how young is too young?

As I scroll through my Facebook news feed I see such small children posing with their trophy deer. Some with once in a lifetime deer. I think to myself, how could this child have a full grasp of what it is that they are doing at such a young age? Even, how will that child feel when they aren’t successful at harvesting a deer of that size in the future?

In my opinion, it takes years of preparation to physically, mentally, and emotionally obtain the level of maturity necessary to harvest an animal. I want my children to understand that we hunt for food, and we don’t just kill for the sheer joy. I want them to have respect for the animal as it is God’s creature, and have the skill to make ethical shots. I also want it to be their decision to engage in the sport, and not just to satisfy my husband and myself.

Every time I kill an animal I feel a multitude of emotions that comes all at once; sadness, respect, joy, gratefulness, and admiration. I hope for my children to feel all of these things when they hunt.

I think it’s wonderful to start teaching children at a young age, and target practicing with a suitable gun or bow in a controlled environment. As each child matures at different rates, the “perfect” age can vary. However, at nine years old I don’t feel that my own daughter is ready to hunt for herself.

To conclude, I hope that more parents will take these thoughts in consideration and apply them to their own family hunts.

-Allison O'Nan

Monday, July 14, 2014

Early Season Deer Hunting Tips

· Try to pattern the deer on your property by using game cameras. Good places to hang a game camera are near known deer trails, food & water sources and mineral stations. If you can catch a buck coming to a food source in the daylight, pay attention to the time of day and his travel corridor so you know where to hang your stand or set up your ground blind.

Another thing to keep in mind when choosing a spot for your tree stand is acorns. If it’s a year where there are a lot of acorns it’s a good idea to set up your stands in the woods. Deer love acorns and once they start dropping, deer almost always choose acorns over any other type of food source you may have available on your property.

· Scent control is always a major factor but especially in early season since the temperature is still pretty warm. I use scent control body care products and field spray by Deaux Girl. Also the Deaux Girl lotion and mineral foundation do a great job at controlling odors caused by sweat.

· Another thing to keep in mind with the warmer temperatures is mosquitos. I always bring a ThermaCELL along with me on my early season hunts and they work wonders to keep the mosquitos away!

· If you are looking to shoot a mature buck, make sure you are sitting in your stand as long as possible. Especially in the early season, the older deer usually hit the food sources later than the younger deer and usually come out at last light.

· Bucks are still in their bachelor groups at beginning of season. You may have a certain group of bucks identified from your game cameras and have a buck picked out that you want to shoot. If you see the bachelor group but don’t see the buck you are after, hold tight. He is usually there with them and may come in later.

· Make sure you have an exit plan when it’s time to leave. When you walk to your stand in the afternoon you may walk through a field, but the deer may be feeding there when you want to leave. If that happens I either sit tight until I know the deer are gone from that area or exit in a different direction that I know will not spook the deer.

· Andrea Haas

Blog Home

Sunday, July 27, 2014

Early Season Gear Checklist for Women Hunters

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Introducing Children to Hunting

Monday, July 14, 2014

Early Season Deer Hunting Tips

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