U didn't get a shot in the AM, what's the tactic between 10am and 3pm?

[apache12]

Preparing for my son's cow hunt and have some spots scouted and ready to hunt, but would like to hear tactics for what to do if we miss on the morning? We are planning to sit an area right below a ridge where we can see a meadow and the opposite ridge has a very nice bedding area on it. It's about a mile from any road so we think if they get pushed by road hunters we'll be in a good spot. Thanks for any thoughts on mid day tactics

[maloney2121]

That was actually one thing my dad had brought up on his hunt. Normally I would agree as far as just hanging out in camping till later afternoon but He noticed he had a lot of elk on his trail cams coming in as early as 2 and 3 pm. Personally I am at least getting set up in the area I want to hunt by that time. To me there is nothing wrong with just sitting out in a meadow relaxing and waiting for the action. Thats when Me and the old man had some of our best talks and lots of good stories and knowledge of the outdoors passed down during these times. Can never go wrong with just sitting out and enjoying a beautiful open meadow plus you never know if you may catch the early guy pushing his herd out.

[Redman]

chase the afternoon bugles....

[donniedent]

If your kid is anything like mine he won't sit that long without going crazy. I would wait till 16 or 17 to do the hang out in the meadow thing. In all likelyhood your gonna have him up at the buttcrack anyway and by 10 he'll be ready to eat and catch a few z's. You want him to be fresh come 3 o'clock. Take him back for a bite and a nap.

[archeryhuntingnut]

Like so many things in life it a mater of finding the right balance. Yes you want you kids to enjoy the experience. If they are very young, having them sit quiet all day may turn them off to hunting because it is too boring.

 

I think it depends on the age of the child. The older they are, the more patience they will have, and hopefully the more disipline they will have to doing whatever it takes to make the harvest. So I guess it just depends on the situation, but make sure they enjoy the experience. I know you will, nothing better than hunting with your kids.

[PRDATR]

My son started hunting with me when he was 5. As a junior he shot two Cows, one at 7am the other at 5pm. When he got older we would stay out all day and by 10am we would pull up some shade and take a snooze. If it is hot expect them to be up and moving, looking for water between 11 and 1, as most animals will do.

 

Sitting for hours can be boring, or you can gain a lot of knowledge about animal activity. I have found that a kids excitement for the hunt is very high the first day and diminishes a bit each day as the hunt progresses so I would try to stay out all day for the first few days. There is always something to do and see like challenging him to hike one more ridge and the look on his face when he gets up there because he did not think he could do it.

 

Last year on a hunt he and I were sitting up on a ridge just before noon when he saw a small heard but was not able to get off a shot before they disappeared below us about 150 yds away. He went down after them but did not find them. 15 minutes later they came up the hill and passed within 5 feet of me on their way to a tank.

[apache12]

good info. I never even really thought about pusing him to hard and making sure he has fun. He's pretty tough and driven I think he might out hike me on some hills, but the idea o sitting on a spot and having a coupel good conversations sounds great. Thanks for the wisdom

[stanley]

good info. I never even really thought about pusing him to hard and making sure he has fun. He's pretty tough and driven I think he might out hike me on some hills, but the idea o sitting on a spot and having a coupel good conversations sounds great. Thanks for the wisdom

 

 

Good luck and have fun! I absolutely LOVE hunting with my kids!

 

Lots of good info/advice here! Also, if you know (or have a pretty good idea of a bedding area...) sometimes it can be fun to put your nose to the wind and VERY slowly still hunt through it. Challenging to glass way ahead and try to pick them out in their beds. My kids always get a kick out of it when you can smell the elk prior to seeing them!

 

 

Again, good luck!

 

S.