Help with Daughter

[Landrover]

Non issue honestly! My daughter will not kill a mammal but will stick the heck outta fish bowfishing. Just the idea she is out there is HUUUUUUGE in todays environmnet. My daughter is now 24 and still have not killed a mammal...........i have know doubt that she will come around as she loves cleaning them and doing autopsies on parts.

[3DW5]

Maybe she just wants to be with her dad and has no interest in hunting…

[BigL]

Don't push her. My daughter had no desire to shoot one but liked to go with me. Last year we were in the stand and a buck came out and I told her I was going to pass on him but she could shoot him if she wanted him. She told me to move over. At that moment it flipped a switch. It was done on her terms and time.

Enjoy the time with her.

[Jtrage]

As others have said, take your time. Hunting with my kids isn’t about the kill. It’s about being out there with them. Listening to the woods wake up. Seeing the animals you don’t normally see.

My wife went with her grandfather when she was young. At that time she was a meat eater. After she saw him shoot a deer she is barely a meat eater.

When I first took my daughter she was maybe 5 or 6. She freaked out when I woke her up. She didn’t want to get up and go. I talked with her a little while. Ended up taking off my hunting clothes and being ok going back to bed. Then she looked at me and said we could go but I could only take pictures. I was happy with that.

We were on a meat hunt. She had fallen asleep in my arms when I saw a decent doe come out. I shook her and said look. Just to watch. We watched for a long while. I was wanting her to jump and run away. My daughter said “what are you waiting for daddy, shot it.” I put my little girl behind me hoping that the doe would run off. My girl said shoot. I did. Not wanting to ruin it for her. After it hit the ground, she said let’s eat it.

She’s excited every time now. I let her do it her way. Both my kids are awesome with the experience and not just the kill.


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[pigsticker64]

don't push her, let her come around on her own. If she does, great. If she doesn't, well that will be ok too. I have 2 girls and nether got on the hunting path with me. they both love the outdoors camping, hiking fishing and such.

[Txsurveyor2014]

Thanks everyone for the advise/help! I guess I will have to figure out a few things and find a lease to get on, so that she can go more often without the expectations/pressure to shoot something where she currently gets to go.

[ColinR]

I too like the dry fire idea. Also maybe plan a trip where neither of you even take a gun. Just go to the lease and have fun. Smores around the camp fire, sit in the stand with lots of snacks and a camera and take pictures of the deer, ride around and look at stuff, dig for arrow heads.........

It could be that over the years she has heard you mention that you can't wait for her to shoot her first deer and even though you aren't putting pressure on her now she still feels pressure from overheard conversations in the past.

Edit... I just read that you don't have a lease. But maybe you can still go to a buddies place and just hang out. I'm sure they would understand.

[lovemylegacy]

Let her do it on her own time frame. If you have a lady friend that hunts, let her take your daughter, that might be the ticket.

My daughter wanted her mother to go with her, smoked a hog first time up.

[Richard M.]

Show her videos of girls her age shooting deer. Seeing that may give her the confidence she needs. Seeing another girl her age dropping one may affirm that she can do it too.

[RutnBuk]

Have her start on other animals first like coons or hogs. Let her get use to them and then move on to the deer.

[wellingtontx]

“Shoot” with a camera.

This was going to be my advice

[RiverRat1]

Let it be on her terms. I help guide in several ranches and I'm the one that get all the kids or older hunters. Coco washing is very important . Sometimes it helps to have someone else be the blind and that person be in charge and guide her. It's also very very important that as soon as she shoots that you take the focus away from the deer no matter what, especially if she drops it right there (High fives, hugs, you telling her what a great shot while she is looking at you. Don't let her to look at the deer until it is completely dead and I would wait at least 20 minutes when/if you see it drop. You don't want any movement at all.

Be ready to say something if you don't recover or was a bad shot.

You got to be ready for everything and if you recover.... nobody in camp says anything negative like gut shot or you should waited for this or that... It happens to everybody. the problem is anything will either help her be more into hunting or make her get out of it, so be careful. Sometimes us dads are guilty of putting to much pressure and m
them trying to make their daddy happy.

you want to say how important the meat is for the family
How grandma and grandpa will enjoy the meat.

Good Luck and be safe

I guided 4-5 years ago and this is true. Sometimes kids are scared they will mess up and the pressure of Dad sitting and intensely watching is too much.
I know Dads want to be there watching but kids hide this very well. Someone they don't know as well takes the pressure off.

My oldest granddaughter (oldest grandchild) wanted to shoot a deer really bad, me and her hunted together for a couple years and just had bad luck trying to get a shooter buck.
We finally got it done, she made a good shot on a mature 9 pt.
The next year she took an 8, then she just lost interest, she still hunts every once in a while but nothing like she use to.
Maybe it will be the opposite for you, once she starts she might stay hooked?
Good luck, just keep taking her if she wants to go.

Maybe if OPs daughter has too many chances every sit it's just too easy? I know the tougher or longer it takes to get a shot the more exciting it is. Wait long enough while seeing nothing and we all can't wait to blast.

Fry her some backstrap...kidding.

My daughter passed on her first few deer because she was shaking too bad to get steady. I always told her good job for not taking a shot in those cases. Get her as much time behind a gun as she can and try to get her confidence up in her shooting ability. She will get there but it will be when she's ready.

This was my daughter when she was little. She wanted to kill everything so she could eat it. She saw animals as food, almost too much LOL

[Spearchunker]

Never push your own desires and hobbies on your children. Not everyone is a hunter.

[lovemylegacy]

Never push your own desires and hobbies on your children. Not everyone is a hunter.

….or baseball player, football player, cowboy, etc

[Txsurveyor2014]

Never push your own desires and hobbies on your children. Not everyone is a hunter.

That isnt the case here, at all.