The greatest recuitment tools yet

The Mentored youth program, the antlerless transfer legislation and crossbows.  Those three things have been the greatest tools in a very long time to increase participation among our youth and possibily keep them in the game.  The pictures and associated smiles that are cropping up all over the place are awesome.  I have never seen as many as I have this year.
 
There will be those that think these three things all bad for hunting.  I will never be convinced of it. Mentored permits are up over 3,000 this year alone. 
 
Congrats to all of the youth participating and escpecially the mentors taking the time to introduce them to the outdoors.
 
 

The statistic that will tell is will they have enough success to keep the interest once they try it. So far the short answer is no since the junior numbers have dropped as fast as the increase in mentored. Time well tell but success in any sport is what keeps the interest and the juniors haven't had enough success to keep them coming back as juniors not to mention them not coming back as adult hunters. Starting them as 8-10yo with supervision is a good thing but staring at a blank computer screen is not what made the internet a success and staring at a empty woods has the same effect on a young hunter.

Whether one sees a deer. If all they experience is "staring into emopty woods", then the mentor has done a **** poor job, and with the wrong objective. Just my opinion.

ORIGINAL: Dr. Trout

we'll see how it goes in another 5-6 years...

 
Yep.  Kinda scary to think where we would have been without these new intitiatives?

ORIGINAL: S-10

The statistic that will tell is will they have enough success to keep the interest once they try it. So far the short answer is no since the junior numbers have dropped as fast as the increase in mentored. Time well tell but success in any sport is what keeps the interest and the juniors haven't had enough success to keep them coming back as juniors not to mention them not coming back as adult hunters. Starting them as 8-10yo with supervision is a good thing but staring at a blank computer screen is not what made the internet a success and staring at a empty woods has the same effect on a young hunter.

Agreed, Many youth have quite hunting in our area do to the lack of game. If one has plenty of game to hunt then the youth programs are great for keeping most interested. Not all areas are the same with amount of game and not all hunters have the option of hunting private ground where the game numbers might not be as low. Time will tell as the numbers kept will show the big picture here. I'm hoping for, but thinking not unless we have a change in game management.

Lack of which game?

Really. You think kids today want to kill a big nutted squirrel and maybe have it mounted like what they watch on the OUTDOOR CHANNEL ? Todays outdoor tv has a big influence as to what they want to hunt. Squirrels is not the #1 animal for youths today although some do enjoy hunting them.

I agree Gene..

I still enjoy squirrel hunting very much.. Today's big game TV shows and adults telling kids it's all about the kill to be successful or even a good hunter .. that is what is causing many to lose interest if they do not kill a deer... and not many take time out of their "busy" schedules anymore for squirrel hunting.. the same goes for almost all small game.. it's pretty hard to get a kid started when small game numbers are the lowest ever... now it's all deer or turkeys and both of those are really hard for a kid to learn on.. movement will bust a hunter in those two sports more than anything and most kids today can't sit still for more than about 4 minutes...

I helped locate a mentored hunter and his adult hunter yesterday to where I knew deer were coming to the apple trees, They were about 250 yards from my blind... No deer showed up for either of us though...

The kid came and knocked on the door after dark just to thank me for the advice... and to tell me they saw no deer, but did see chipmunks and squirrels and he enjoyed the evening hunt...
Now was it the kid or the adult who had him knock on the door.. answer.. doesn't matter the kid enjoyed his hunt... and I respect him for the thank you ... just to bad he did not get to see the deer that come to that neighbor's apples tree ... but did say he and his Dad saw all the tracks under the apple tree... he seemed really happy and I told him I hope to see him in rifle season...

ORIGINAL: S-10

How many of those photos of smiling mentored kils were holding squirrels.

 
A few squirrels, some pheasants, but deer surely are a focus these days. Lots of reasons for that, but I feel the deer is the scapegoat for the lack of will by many hunters to get kids into the outdoors.

ORIGINAL: Outdoor Adventures

KIDS want deer plain and simple.

Do they, or is it that all they know?  Or is it all their parents want to hunt? 

Things have changed since you were a kid. How many years ago was that and how many deer were in the area around Allegheny County ?

Things have changed.  Folks are hunting less whether there are deer there or not.  I deer hunt in argueably the best deer hunting area of the state.  It is basically a 5 hour hunt these days.  7:00am till noon of the first day.  10 years ago, same woods and area tons of hunters. 
 
To answer your question.  My uncle took me hunting when I was a kid.  We hunted, Butler, Venango, Greene and Washington Counties for small game.  For deer we hunted Butler.  Most of my hunting was for squirrel. 

I totally agree with what you've been saying dpms.  Getting those kids out there shooting some squirrels and rabbits is the best way to introducing them to the sport.  Not only that, but it teaches them the basic hunting skills and will keep their interest because squirrels are plentiful to hunt for the most part.

Years ago I started out hunting rabbits in the pastures of Westmoreland Co..  The action was fast and nonstop.  I was hooked and eventually moved on to deer hunting a few years later.

Why would anyone want to take a young kid deer hunting without taking him/her small game hunting first?  That's like taking a young kid fishing for big musky when in fact he/she would have more fun catching bluegill or sunfish because they are more plentiful and the action is much greater.

I agree with dpms. I have been hunting for 40 years started out on small game with a single shot shot gun because my dad said that was a good gun to start with, sure I wanted a big pump gun and a big rifle but dad said I had to learn the basics first and how to make the first shot count. I hunted deer with that gun for 3 years before I got my rifle, and 6 years before I got a pump gun. The point is hunting small game kept my interest and taught me alot about the woods, deer hunting was the iceing on the cake. I see the same thing on opening day dad & kid out of the woods by noon. So 5hrs aday for 3 days ( first day, sat.&sat. ) + no deer = little johny would rather play videos.

I might add that some more deer in certain areas would also help. I think that is also happening to some extent.

Yeah. Killing more deer, yet the numbers are increasing? I don't think so bud. I think the numbers have definately flattened off, but a drop is on the way with all this added opportunity. I would be shocked if the harvest numbers werent up this year, judging by all the crossbows being sold, the new youth opportunities, and changes to ar. What will that mean to deer herd size? I think it safe to say it doesnt = "that happening to some extent".

"As I said, my areas of 2A don't see near the pressure compared to just 10 years ago

."

SOME areas here its the same for me. But thats only to be expected when there are now half the deer. Still plenty of hunters. And in OTHER areas that I tend to try to avoid, there are as many hunters as ever, if not more.

I was getting worried. Thought you left town, Wayne. 

Anyway, participation is way down around both of the areas I hunt in 2A.  Deer numbers are down but still plenty to go around.  Something other than deer has to be contributing to the decreasing participation in areas with still healthy deer populations.

ORIGINAL: S-10

Ask Dardys about the long waiting line of kids wanting to go on a free guided ringneck hunt with champion pointers? I would have killed for the chance at that age as would have most of my classmates. 96% of hunters are deer hunters and bemoaning that fact won't change it.

 
S-10 makes a good point.
 
Guided at a youth hunt on Saturday morning.  The hunt was held at a preserve and is the cooperative effort of the preserve, some local bird dog kennels, local outdoor gear merchants, SCI, and many more.  The hunt is advertised at a few outdoor shows that probably draw in the high 1,000's if not over 10,000.  Interested parents/youth sign up at the sport shows.  Space is limited to 16 youths, so a drawing is held to determine who can participate.
 
The morning includes a safety seminar, shotgun shooting, archery shooting, hands-on dog training seminar, lunch for the youth and parent, doorprizes (every youth received at least two -- ranging from hats to $100 gift cards), and a guided hunt.  The guided hunt consisted of two youths per hunt and for each hunt, 10 pheasants were stocked.  The retail value of the total hunt for two, plus the use of a guide, would normally be in the $375 range (a cost that was not revealed), not including the guide gratuity (tipping was not permitted and all of the guides volunteered their time and dogs -- on the opening day of pheasant season).  The cost per youth was $50.  The reason for the fee is that in the past when no fee was charged, over 50% of those signed up for the hunt never showed.  The fee gives them a little skin in the game.
 
From all the "interest" sign-ups at the sports shows, which numbered in the hundreds, the first 16 were chosen and called.  Some couldn't make it and others were drawn and called.  In the end, all that had signed-up were called and told there was a spot open for them becuase the field never became full.  At the actual event, only 15 youths participated.  That means that of the thousands, perhaps over 10,000, sports show goers, several hundred showed enough interest to sign-up, but only 15 took advantage of the event.
 
I guided two groups of two.  The first trip produced all 10 birds and one bird was bagged by each youth.  Both youths were pretty happy as were the parents.
 
The second trip produced seven birds and one bird was bagged as a "community" kill (harvest, whatever) when both youths shot it at the same time.  Neither youth was happy because they couldn't claim the bird as "theirs."  One refused to have his photo taken.
 
At the lunch after the hunts, there were some excited youths, there were some good stories being told, and there were some young hunters that now had an interest.  But there were just as many that were talking about it not being worth the effort, that there should have been more birds, that it was too hard, that the door prizes weren't great, etc. and not all of that was coming from the youths.  This year, the preserve did not clean the birds (the person that volunteered last year had a prior committment) and there were birds left because they were not cleaned fro them.
 
I was slated to guide a trip in the afternoon, but it was cancelled because the mother of one of the youths (he and his father were going to hunt) called and said they had to be home for some other activity.  So I had the afternoon to head out for some PGC birds.  I took a friend, and one of the father/son groups from the youth hunt that I guided with me.  We didn't do too well, it was late afternoon by the time we got there, the dogs were tired from the morning, the birds were worked over pretty hard by the morning hunters, etc. and we only ended up with two downed birds.  The youth, as hard as we tried, didn't get a shot in the three hours we put in.
 
I told the father, "I guess your son now knows the difference between going on a hunt (preserve) and going hunting (PGC birds)."
 
What will be interesting is whether he goes on either again and, if so, which will it be?

ORIGINAL: DarDys

ORIGINAL: S-10

Ask Dardys about the long waiting line of kids wanting to go on a free guided ringneck hunt with champion pointers? I would have killed for the chance at that age as would have most of my classmates. 96% of hunters are deer hunters and bemoaning that fact won't change it.

The morning includes archery shooting,

Did you tell them archers have too long to hunt ?