Parenthood and Having Fun
Parenthood is no easy feat. You have to provide for your child’s needs. Their clothing, everyday food, a roof over their head, their education. Not to mention the many important things they think they need. But, apart from providing their material necessities, you should also be there to give them support, love, care, and understanding.
There are a million ways we can bond with our kids. For some, it can be going out on camping trips, for others, it can be as simple as making arts and crafts.
The thing about bonding with your kids is that it will help a great deal if you, as their dad, also enjoy these bonding activities. Your child can easily tell if you’re genuinely having fun with them or if you’re merely being a responsible dad. Simply doing what’s expected of you is not enough.
The good thing is that it’s possible to mix being responsible and having fun when spending quality time with your kids.
Take me, for example
Growing up with a step dad can be hard for some and maybe a bit awkward. My step dad Dave was amazing if a bit quiet. At least compared to me, but I was a motormouth little kid. We didn’t do the big hunting trips I recommend in these articles, but I still remember learning how to use the multi-pump we had in our house. I remember going out in the backyard and causing havoc, in a good way. The lessons I learned from him stick with me. It was my first taste of shooting, of firearm safety, and real structure with a purpose.
These memories are vivid, and when I did a poll on a Facebook group recently the overwhelming reason people get into airgunning as adults is their connection to airgunning with a parent when they were young. That’s powerful.
Some people view Airgun hunting as simply a hobby for grownups, or even exclusively for men. That’s outdated thinking. If you can keep an open mind airgun hunting is fun and thrilling for both kids and adults and is definitely suited for both men and women; boys and girls.
Is Airgun Hunting a Fitting Way to Bond with Your Children?
Let’s admit it since airguns have a resemblance to actual guns and rifles, some people perceive air rifles to be directly associated with violence. For some people who have never tried using an airgun, air rifles might seem dangerous to be introduced to kids. Well, yes, this may be true, but only if you’re not careful enough.
Naturally, if you handed an air rifle to your child to shoot within your household without proper training, or if you leave your airgun within your child’s reach there’s a big chance they might hurt someone or destroy something.
To put it simply, airgun hunting can be a fitting way to bond with your children but only if you’re a truly responsible adult who have your kids trained the right way.
Being a parent entails serving as a guiding hand to your kids and you can guide them through the proper use of airguns, too.
With the right amount of guidance and supervision, you can teach your children a surprising amount of useful skills.
More than Just a Hobby
Airgunning can be more than just a hobby, as a matter of fact, you can use it as a means to instill important skills and qualities in your kids which they will remember and can even make use of later in life.
Qualities You Can Learn from Airgunning
Patience
One of the most important things airgun hunting can teach you (and your child) is patience. Airgun hunting can last for a few hours, and depending on the time of the year, you don’t always expect a game to show up immediately after you’ve begun hunting.
Today attaining everything is effortless, and fast. We get food at our doorstep in 30 minutes or less. We shop online and with Amazon Prime we get what we want in two days with no shipping costs.
Remember that patience isn’t simply being able to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting. And with kids, being impatient is fairly common.
Going airgun hunting with your child wouldn’t only help you train them to patiently wait for something during hunting, you are also molding them to be patient adults in the future.
Persistence
Some kids will be naturals or just lucky and will take down their first target. Most won’t be. Regular practice and persistence will get them that kill for sure though. Something wonderful happens when you see your kid connect the mental high of achieving something challenging with the hard work it took to get there.
The key to improving your aim and overall airgunning performance is determination and having a persistent attitude. Airgun hunting will teach your child to try again even after failing, it will teach them to not give up so easily, which will definitely benefit them in school and later in life.
Self-Improvement
Along with persistence is self-improvement. When you fail at airgun hunting, you want to try again because of persistence, and because of the drive to improve yourself, you look for ways to make your shooting technique better.
Airgun hunting can motivate you and your child to seek new ways to self improve, and, airgun equipment, like technology, constantly evolves, so, as the time goes, you can always find something to help you get a more accurate, more powerful shot.
Focus
Today, kids constantly lose their focus during everyday encounters. They let their minds wander while studying, doing chores, or even in the middle of a conversation.
When you take them airgun hunting, you are also teaching them one of the most important things they can use in their everyday life, which is focus. Airgun hunting calls for a complete focus on your surroundings if you don’t want to miss your target.
Airgun hunting won’t only teach them focusing in it’s literal sense of tuning out distractions while more important things are in the horizon; in a much deeper sense, it will teach your child to keep their eye on the prize – on their goal in life – and not let anything else distract them or keep them away from it.
Discipline
Airgun hunting itself will teach your kid discipline. Keeping still and quiet is something not all children are capable of, and is something that you will learn in airgun hunting. In time, your child will also get to learn control and restraint because of hunting. This quality can be quite valuable for them as they grow up to be adults.
Strategic Planning
Probably one of the best things you can teach your child while going airgun hunting is strategic planning.
When you go out hunting, you don’t expect to simply put your air rifle out and walk around aimlessly in the woods hoping to bump into game. You have to think strategically, too.
Developing a strategy will help you teach your child to think carefully and wisely. In my opinion, wise thinking is one of the most important skills you can impart to your child. Compared to all the important things you can teach them during airgun hunting.
What makes strategic planning during hunting even more fun is that it’s a great way to get to know your child more. You get to see the way they think as they strategize, and it’s one of the things that will simply make you more proud as their dad.
Independence
During the first airgun hunting trips you’ll have with your kid, it’s only natural that they need you for the most part. But you’ll be amazed at how independent your child will get as they grow to love airgun hunting, They will learn to think for themselves, device their very own plan, and think on their feet.
With the right choice of air rifle, you can help set your kids up for success.
Quality Time Outdoors
Even we, as adults, realize that we need a break from the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. This is especially true if you are living in a busy city where everything seems to move twice as fast. If you need a break, your child definitely needs one, too.
Parents should never discount the fact that children face their own challenges, too, like the things they have to do in school. Exploring the outdoors with your child will give then their much needed breather.
At present, our kids obsess so much over their digital habits they turn to their computers or their gaming consoles to relieve themselves of stress. However, too much exposure to video gaming might lead to obesity; and while it may be ‘fun’ for your kid, there’s not much bonding in video gaming.
Airgun hunting will help you bond with your kid through teamwork.
Going to the woods is one of the optimum ways you can get the best experience possible for airgun hunting. But, exploring the woodlands is more than just that. Apart from spending quality time with your child, having fun, and honing their hunting skills, the chance to explore nature is another wonderful perk you will get when you go airgun hunting outdoors.
Numerous studies show that getting in touch with nature has several benefits, including strengthened physical health and improved mental condition. Therefore, both you and your kids will be able to relieve yourself of stress and start afresh once you get back from airgun hunting trip.
Backyard Airgun Hunting May Be Good, But It ‘Wood’ Not Be the Best
As busy adults, it can be tempting to just go airgun hunting with your kids at your own backyard. Less travel and little to no preparation.
Of course, nothing’s stopping you from doing that, but woods will still be your best bet for airgun hunting. Being in an open space will be incomparable to your own backyard for hunting. It will give your child a sense of freedom like no other.
Aside from getting freedom, woodlands offer a variety of game you can try to hunt with your air rifle. If you hunt at your own property, if you don’t encounter squirrel or varmints very often, then there’s not much to hunt for.
Additionally, (and perhaps most importantly) in the woods, you can go airgun hunting without having to worry so much about your next door neighbors being disturbed by the noise.
Hunting air rifles are powerful and can injure people.
Keep in mind that your kid is still at the learning stage at the very first time you take them airgun hunting. Therefore, they are likely to commit mistakes and even accidentally shoot at some spots they didn’t intend to.
If you practice at your backyard instead of the woods, you risk your child unintentionally shooting at your neighbor’s property.
And c’mon, let’s face it, practicing hunting in your backyard will never be as cool as airgun hunting in the woods!
Preparation for Airgun Hunting with Your Kids
Now that you made up your mind and you’re ready to go airgun hunting with your kids, there are things you have to prepare. Remember that you will go hunting with someone who will need your guidance every step of the way, someone who’s still unfamiliar with airgun hunting. Therefore, you have to give them everything they need to get started with airgunning.
Well, yes, when we say preparation, we are pertaining to the shooting equipment your child will use during airgun hunting but not only that. Though you have to provide the airgun as well as the safety gear your child will need, you have to prepare them mentally, too.
Mentally preparing your child for airgun hunting involves letting them know what to expect during hunting. This way, you minimize the chances of your child throwing tantrums and looking for things that are not readily available in the woods.
Aside from setting your child’s expectations, it will help a lot if you let your kids know beforehand that while being able to take down game is an undeniable achievement in hunting, being able to hunt together is the whole point of your airgun hunting trip. As the saying goes, it’s the journey, not the destination. All kids miss a shot at some point. Emphasizing enjoyment and improvement can lessen the blow of that first big miss.
Shooting Equipment and Proper Clothing
One of the beauties of airguns is they are safe enough use on your property. Unlike real guns or firearms, which are unsafe, noisy, and sometimes illegal to use in residential spaces. If you are just getting into airgunning you can consider a beginners air rifle sometimes referred to as junior air rifle.
Together with a beginners air rifle is comfortable clothing. Wearing camo is still effective and useful during hunting, just make sure that your child is comfortable with it. You can also let them wear boots for airgun hunting to help them move more comfortably on uneven, dirty terrain.
Things to Consider in Choosing a Beginners Air Rifle
I know you’re excited to buy your kid’s very first junior air rifle, but don’t buy one just yet without finding out what you should be taking into consideration in buying one.
There are certain things you need to decide on before finally picking an airgun that’s right for your kid:
Airgun Weight
The comfort of your child will have a direct impact on their performance. Not to mention their overall enjoyment in airgun hunting. If they are carrying an air rifle that’s too heavy for them for hours, they might tire more quickly, too. In addition, if they miss their mark because of fatigue due to the airgun’s heavyweight, this could dishearten them.
The key is to base your choice of airgun on your child’s weight and age. My boys have skinny little kid arms. I want them to beef up, but I don’t want them giving up on airgunning because they get sore. It’s a balancing act, but my primary concern is that they have more time on the range, so lighter weight is a bit better.
Airgun Type
Choosing between a break barrel and a PCP can be difficult for some, and there are pros and cons to each.
Higher powered springers will be more difficult to cock than a PCP. Additionally, you have to judge your kids’ ability to deal with frustration. A PCP air rifle will be more accurate right out of the box. Break barrels require more patience as you learn the techniques to improve.
Obviously, PCP air rifles and the subsequent setup is far more expensive.
Personally, I like going for the break barrel and trusting in my ability to help walk my child through the frustrations that come with it. In the end, the skill, patience, and dedication my sons learn are what I really want them to get from airgunning. Additionally, that helps make the whole undertaking less expensive, if either of my sometimes fickle children decides to drop airgunning.
Cocking Difficulty
Cocking some airgun types can be difficult even for adult air gunners. Again, it might be wiser to make your child as comfortable as possible if it is their first time to airgun hunt. So choosing an air rifle that’s much easier to cock will help you let your child see what a beautiful sport airgun hunting is.
Youth Shooting Programs
Youth shooting programs are available almost everywhere in the country. In fact, simply typing in “youth shooting programs near me” in your search engine will help you find one that can help your child learn as much about airgunning as they can.
These programs aim specifically to teach youngsters about air rifles. They aren’t just learning about airgun hunting in these programs. Rather, they are preparing for more, and can even join competitions someday. They learn everything about airgun safety in these programs, and those are transferable skills.
Letting your kid into one of these youths shooting programs will equip them with the knowledge they need even before you take them to actual airgun hunting trips.
These specialized programs will also allow your child mingle with others kids their age who are also into air rifles. And, this may just make them even more interested in airgunning. Enrolling your kid into youth shooting programs will help them meet new friends, too.
Things to Keep In Mind
Before you go on your first airgun hunting trip with your child, there are a few (but important) things you keep in mind to ensure that you won’t deal with any trouble when you go airgun hunting.
First, make sure the area you are planning to hunt on really allows hunting, and find out which game you can hunt. There are some hunting areas where hunting is allowable, but only for certain types of game. There are also some hunting areas that will only permit hunting during particular months or seasons. Additionally, some states allow airgun hunting but only with .22 caliber and less.
In Kansas, for example, you cannot hunt for turtles… In the state of North Carolina, on the other hand, they treat airguns as firearms. Therefore the laws regarding rifle use are applicable to air rifles.
Depending on the state, there may also be an age restriction in transporting an air rifle or allowing your child to use it. However, most states allow kids below 14 years old to use air rifles under adult supervision.
Proper knowledge about these matters will help you have a smooth sailing airgun hunting experience and will make sure you don’t break any laws. You don’t want your child to see you getting in trouble with the police on your first airgun hunting trip, do you?
Memories that Last Forever
Growing up with an airgun in the house changed me forever. I love the memories of prowling around and the rewarding feeling of my first kill shot. I remember the gut-wrenching feeling of killing my first rabbit up close after my first shot failed to kill. The lessons were many. I want to be there, as a parent during both the highs and the lows.
Bonding with kids is something you can’t put a price on. Taking my kids airgun hunting is just one of the many things I do to make them feel loved. I can only hope that one day when they grow up and look back on their childhood, they will remember these good old days as I do.