4 year olds first deer hunt

My little one isn't old enough to accompany me yet, but the guys that I know bringing out their kids say pack snacks, toys, and an ipad.

Solid advice above. Hand warmer are a hit with the little ones also. Welcome to the board and happy hunting!!

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but the guys that I know bringing out their kids say pack snacks, toys, and an ipad.

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That, plus the good hearing protection. I also took my son out and shot with him wearing the hearing protection so he got an understanding that it wouldn't be loud but also use to the feel of being around a gun being fired.

iPad

I didn't take my kids on their first hunt until they were 7-8 yrs old. In addtion to good points already mentioned:
-WARMTH!! It's not possible to keep a kid warm, but try your best. Their feet ALWAYS get cold. The best thing I ever did for their feet was to buy a pair of "Arctic Shield" insulated overboots Keep their feet dry walking in then put on the overboots when you get in the stand. Don't try buying nice insulated boots for a child. You can't find well insulated boots and if you do they'll cost $$$$; then 2 mos later your child's foot will have grown 2 sizes!!
-PM hunts>>>>>>>>AM hunts. For my kids, AM hunts were a tribulation.
-Do NOT expect to kill anything. You minght, but don't count on it. If you can't accept this YOU'RE not ready to take your child hunting.
-Keep the hunt SHORT. Once they get bored and fidgety, the hunt's over.

You're doing a good thing by taking your child hunting. The main thing is you need to do everything you can to ensure an enjoyable experience for you child. A bad experience can be ruinous for your child and maybe cost you your future hunter.

I have 3 girls I take.

I usually bring a duffel bag of blankets and stuff to bundle mine up with and to make a soft place for them to lay down.

Take the kids shoes off as soon as he gets in the stand. If you don't, he'll kick the walls and floor repeatedly for some reason.

Bring enough snacks for 4 grown men.

Don't plan on sitting for long. The longer you sit, the more they get bored. I started out with 30 minute hunts for mine. My oldest daughter (6) can sit for about 1.5 hrs now before she starts to complain.

Shoot an armadillo with your rifle. Kids love that

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, but the guys that I know bringing out their kids say pack snacks, toys, and an ipad.

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What is the point of bringing a kid into a deer stand if he doesnt have a long enough attention span to stay out there and you need an Ipad to keep him occupied. You may as well hunt by yourself. If your kid is not generally excited to be outdoors and is not generally excited about seeing/killing deer then he/she has no business being there. I dont understand why you bring a kid to a hunt for him to play on an Ipad

Good luck. Hopefully the little man learns something and loves it as much as us.

Another thing I do with mine is make it somewhat of a ritual.

We always stop at the same store and get the same thing on the way to the lease (chocolate milk and a honeybun). I also put the same song on in the truck every time when I get about 5 minutes from where we are hunting (Jerry Reed's "Amos Moses"). I try to get them to wear the same "lucky" hat. It's not that any of this really matters in the hunt, but it's something for them to look forward to. I make a big deal about it so they think it's special.

Good luck

Be flexible - if he gets bored then thats it, be ready to walk around and teach him some stuff or go get breakfast. Bring plenty to keep him warm and comfortable. Sounds like most here are on the same page and you have some solid advice - but number one priority - Enjoy Yalls Time Together!

Here is my first hunt with my daughter many many years ago - early am cold and squirrel hunting. walk to bottom and get situated and turn off light - silence and she whispers "Dad, its really dark out here, can I turn on my light as long as I keep it pointed down?"...."Sure". 10 min later she is shining in the trees saying the squirrels need some light too and maybe this will wake them up. First light comes and we see some and she proceeds to "tell" me each time she sees something using her outside voice. 30 min later the sun is up and she says "you know what would be great - donuts" so we ended up sitting in a local donut shop in full camo eating donuts and drinking milk with no squirrels to show for our efforts. About 20 years later and still one of the best hunts we had together.