deernut Report post Posted April 16, 2007 Jackrabbits and kids were made for each other. These things are the least appreciated critter in the state. Take your kids out October-March and have some fun. We cook them up in stew with dumplings, shredded as green chili, carnitas with tomatos/onions/cilantro, etc. SMALL GAME FOR SMALL HUNTERS "Babes do not tremble when they are shown a golf ball, but I should not like to own the boy whose hair does not lift his hat when he sees his first deer." - Aldo Leopold Written in the 1930s, this timeless statement embodies the natural wonder youngsters have for wildlife and all things natural. To nurture this interest and encourage active participation in Arizona's outdoors, Game and Fish established "juniors-only" deer and javelina hunts in 1992. These hunts are open only to 10-14 year olds who have completed a Department hunter education course and are accompanied by an adult in the field. This encourages the adult to devote undivided attention to teaching these young people about the habits of the wild critters they pursue as well as hunter ethics, safe and responsible firearms handling, and respect for private property. These juniors-only hunts have been a huge success since their inception and seem to become more popular each year. In 1994, a juniors-only elk hunt was added to give kids an opportunity to take part in that unique type of hunt. A wise person once said "parents who take their children hunting, seldom have to hunt for their children in later life." It has been our observation over the years of working with wildlife and the public that this statement is true. Juniors-only big game hunts provide a fantastic opportunity for the state's youths and their parents; however, they take place during only 1 or 2 weeks in the fall; and then only if the young hunter is lucky enough to be issued a permit-tag in the lottery-style drawing. With our recent emphasis on big game hunts for young hunters, many parents forget about the extensive opportunity that small game hunting provides. Starting young hunters out on small game offers many advantages over diving directly into chasing larger animals. Regardless of where in the state you live, you can probably be small game hunting within 30 minutes of your house. Whether it's cottontail rabbits, tree squirrels, or quail; you generally won't have to drive 2-3 hours to get to a good area. Cottontail rabbit season is open year round in most areas and they're very tasty. Since no permit-tag is needed for small game, you do not have to go to a particular Game Management Unit to hunt. A trip to the nearest sporting goods or department store for a hunting license, a box of .22 shells, and a copy of the hunting laws, and you're off to the nearest patch of public or state trust lands. In most areas of Arizona, this will easily be accomplished in an afternoon hunt, allowing youngsters to sleep late in the morning or to attend to other activities. Small game seasons are relatively long, giving ample opportunity to arrange for multiple hunting trips. These long seasons also allow for much more interaction between young adults and parents or older mentors while afield. This results in greater communication from the mentor to the student: safe firearms handling, wildlife management, wildlife food habits, care of game meat, and more. Spending hours in the field together gives parents and kids a chance to talk about a lot of things; some related to wildlife and some not, but certainly an opportunity for communication, which is in short supply these days for most folks. Not only are small game seasons longer but with small mammals naturally more plentiful than deer, there is more action. Rather than spending a week trying to get within range of a single big game animal, the young hunters will be encountering many small game animals in a outing. This keeps the interest level up for kids who sometimes get stuck in an infinite loop, continually surfing through 99 channels of cable. Kids have shorter attention spans than when you actually had to get up and walk across the room to change the TV channel. Today kids need action that gets their attention and keeps their interest level high. If your son or daughter has not been able to stalk within range of a deer after 4 days of exhaustive hunting, they'll be looking for the remote control. They've had about all of that channel they can stand. At least don't look so surprised when the GAMEBOY comes out of the backpack while you're glassing a distant hillside. The firearms generally used for small game are better suited for smaller hunters. Squirrel and rabbit hunting is best accomplished with a .22 rimfire rifle. A single-shot .22 rifle makes an inexpensive, lightweight, and small gun ideal for any youth. Also, a single-shot firearm teaches young hunters the value of marksmanship, ethics, and making each shot count. Such a firearm will not damage excessive tasty small game meat as well. The recoil from a firearm of this caliber also will not punish the budding sportsman or woman with each shot. A sure-fire way to make your child never want to go hunting again is to give them a .300 Winchester Magnum with a muzzlebreak and no ear plugs. Small game is also easier for small hunters to physically handle. You won't find yourself packing your daughter's elk quarters out of Nasty Canyon while she sits in the truck and eats sunflower seeds with the heater on. Taking an active part in field dressing game also helps young people learn about organs necessary to keep animals (humans too) alive and assures that not all members of the next generation will think meat is manufactured in factories and prior to being packed under cellophane. Last winter was characterized by abundant and well-timed rainfall. This equates to an abundance and diversity of weeds and grasses which make for fat and happy rabbits and quail. Animals with abundant fat stores reproduce at a much higher rate than animals in poor condition. In good years such as this, small game populations have the capacity to increase tremendously. This will be the year to dust off that .22 rimfire and tune in your youngsters to the excitement of small game hunting. Many people grew up hunting small game. Once older and with busy jobs (and the ability to afford to pay someone else to raise food) these folks forgot about how much fun rabbit, squirrel, and quail hunting was. Let's not allow this fun to slip by the next generation without letting them try their hand at it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bowsniper Report post Posted April 16, 2007 I've been meaning to take my 7 year old out for some of this fun, but I've been too occupied with my 11 year old's hunts (Doe, pig and now turkey) In fact, the only small game hunting I've ever done is to whack the bunnies with blunts in my yard. The 7 year old has been incredibly patient, and I'm feeling really guilty. Does anyone have some suggestions where would be some decent small game hunting this Summer North of Phoenix for a 7 year old?? Thanks, Mark Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted April 16, 2007 Great idea Jim! Bowsniper, if you need some jackrabbit spots out my way I can get you into a bunch. Amanda Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
firstcoueswas80 Report post Posted April 16, 2007 i think Jacks are about the best fun to spot and stalk with a bow! also a blast to lob some lead at from long ranges with the rifles! my longest is 415 with my 22-250 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stanley Report post Posted April 16, 2007 Great topic Jim! My boys and I have been out a few times over the past couple of months. They're using the same single shot .22 that I used 30 years ago (YIKES! ). Always a good time! S. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azryan Report post Posted April 17, 2007 hunting jacks is load of fun....and like casey said dropping them at long ranges is a blast....im still trying to kill one with my bow....im finding it surprisingly difficult Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Huntn coues Report post Posted April 17, 2007 hunting jacks is load of fun....and like casey said dropping them at long ranges is a blast....im still trying to kill one with my bow....im finding it surprisingly difficult Your'e not shooting a matthews are you? That might explain the misses! Just kidding. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ajohunter Report post Posted April 17, 2007 When i was scouting for my elk hunt in unit 8 in 2003 I chased jackrabbits with my bow. I was only able to kill 1. Those things are hard to hit! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
out2hunt Report post Posted April 18, 2007 Got my first with a bow in unit 5a in 05 scouting for archery elk season.31yards and the hoyt scores!!!!!!!!only took 3 years of archery hunting to hit somthin.LOL!!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azryan Report post Posted April 18, 2007 hunting jacks is load of fun....and like casey said dropping them at long ranges is a blast....im still trying to kill one with my bow....im finding it surprisingly difficult Your'e not shooting a matthews are you? That might explain the misses! Just kidding. haha no i actually have a worse bow then that......im embarrassed to even say Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
COOSEFAN Report post Posted April 18, 2007 hunting jacks is load of fun....and like casey said dropping them at long ranges is a blast....im still trying to kill one with my bow....im finding it surprisingly difficult Your'e not shooting a matthews are you? That might explain the misses! Just kidding. haha no i actually have a worse bow then that......im embarrassed to even say Dang.......if you have a worse bow than a Matthews......then you must own a PSE or .....dare I say.....HOYT Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coues 'n' Sheep Report post Posted April 18, 2007 hunting jacks is load of fun....and like casey said dropping them at long ranges is a blast....im still trying to kill one with my bow....im finding it surprisingly difficult Your'e not shooting a matthews are you? That might explain the misses! Just kidding. haha no i actually have a worse bow then that......im embarrassed to even say Dang.......if you have a worse bow than a Matthews......then you must own a PSE or .....dare I say.....HOYT That is EXACTLY what I was thinkun'!!! Here we go.....again..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Huntn coues Report post Posted April 19, 2007 The TRUTH baby!!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azryan Report post Posted April 19, 2007 hunting jacks is load of fun....and like casey said dropping them at long ranges is a blast....im still trying to kill one with my bow....im finding it surprisingly difficult Your'e not shooting a matthews are you? That might explain the misses! Just kidding. haha no i actually have a worse bow then that......im embarrassed to even say Dang.......if you have a worse bow than a Matthews......then you must own a PSE or .....dare I say.....HOYT golden eagle by north american archery........one of the best bows ever Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mulie hunter Report post Posted April 19, 2007 I get a sense the MattPhew bow owners are a bit jealous about the tried and true Pse Bows! Yeah thats right MattPhew and boy do they Stink. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
