re: Daughters First Deer Hunt - How early is too early?

I have the worst luck ever. Took mine at 6 and he would stay busy and quiet. One morning a mature 10 point walks out and I tell the kid don’t move. He kicks the front of the stand with his boot. I knocked the hell out of that kid for that, never saw the deer ever again.

I just had a baby girl in February (first child), and getting her to the camp and into the woods is already on my mind so I've enjoyed following this thread.

My favorite "daughter in the stand story" comes from a friend. He had taken his daughter to the stand a few times, but last year (6yo) she was sitting on the floor of the box stand and playing / watching something on the ipad. A spike walked out, so my buddy pointed it out to her to try to break the boredom. She sees it, then proceeds to grab her gun to put it out the window to take shot. Of course my buddy stops her and tells her they can't shoot it b/c it's too small. Her response was hilarious:

"You wouldn't let me shoot a squirrel. You wouldn't let me shoot that raccoon. Now you won't let me shoot a deer. What are we even doing here?!?!?!"

This!!! Take her whenever she wants to go. You're not hunting for deer, you're hanging out with her. Don't burn a good stand, you probably wont kill. Bring snacks, a couple drinks, a coloring book. Get to the stand no more than 2 hours before dark. I try to park the truck about 2 hours before dark. Put a joke app on your phone, read them together and try to laugh quietly. Got a new app, Merlin. It tells you what birds you're hearing by the song. I love being in the stand or blind with my boys, but there's nothing like having your little girl with you. Some of the funnest hunts I've ever had and she hasn't even seen her first deer yet!!

My 1 year old shot her limit last year …