Tips For Taking Toddlers Hunting

A bird dog with a toddler while out hunting.

Based in central Wisconsin, Bram Downs has a career in…

Taking toddlers hunting requires adjusting your expectations, involving them in the experience, and savoring shared moments in the field.

The ring of the alarm clock, the drip of brewing coffee, the eager yips of bird dogs watching you put on your brush pants—we have all been through these steps time and time again as we gather our gear before hopping in the truck to head to our favorite coverts. But amid the pre-hunt craziness, I have grown accustomed to another sound: my oldest daughter’s distinct “Dada?!” as she stands in her flannel and overalls.

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She is now two years old, and taking her into the grouse woods with me has become something I look forward to most during the fall here in Wisconsin.

When you tell all of your friends and family that you are going to have a child, the normal reaction to those of us who hunt sounds like, “Looks like you won’t be hunting this year,” or, “Good luck getting into the woods after you have a kid.”

When I first started receiving comments like this, I made it a priority to spend as much time outdoors with my daughters and raise them outdoors as much as possible. At around three months old, my oldest daughter scouted for turkeys and looked for trapping locations with me. By ten months old, she was on my back with her little orange hat and hearing protection, watching her dad miss shots at grouse. My youngest daughter is six months old now, and we are looking forward to her first hunt this fall.

I am lucky to have a wonderful wife who supports our adventures, but that doesn’t go without controversy from other parents of young children regarding their safety and age. I am not interested in discussing whether anyone is right or wrong regarding their thoughts; my goal is to share the way I take my children into the outdoors so others who are interested in doing so can, too.

A father carries a toddler on his back while hunting.

Taking Toddlers into the Uplands

One of the most important things I have found while navigating the wilderness with a toddler in tow is involving them in the activity. No, this doesn’t mean having your toddler go and retrieve birds for you. Instead, it means something as simple as listening to different songbirds while hunting and asking, “Did you hear that?” or identifying different trees, mushrooms, or animals.

I often find myself narrating a large majority of a hunt when my daughter is on my back. How much of this she can actually hear is debatable, given that she’s wearing hearing protection. Still, I believe it helps my daughter’s understanding of certain situations, like a dog working scent or training their ears to hear the twittering wings of a woodcock and the thunderous flush of a ruffed grouse.

The late season usually correlates with colder temperatures, so layering is key with young children. You won’t get very far with a one-year-old with cold hands or feet. Having two or three layers for them is best, as you can add or subtract as the temperature fluctuates.

The other important thing to remember while taking your toddlers with you on your upland adventures is snacks—they can make or break certain outings. We’ve enjoyed many a PBJ on the back of my tailgate.

Managing Expectations When Hunting With A Toddler

If you think you are going into a grouse cover with a toddler on your back or walking beside you and walking out with a limit of birds, sorry, but here is where you are wrong. When hunting with your toddler, limits aren’t what you are there for. Temper your hunting expectations.

Plan short hunts because you won’t be out there all day. I have found between one and two hours of hunting to be the sweet spot. Remember, there will be meltdowns. Just because you aren’t at a supermarket won’t stop the emotions and feelings that young children have, especially when they want to pick up every acorn or stick they walk by.

Even after your dogs lock down a point on a bird and that bird presents a shot, there can be other challenges with the shot itself, such as babbling toddler language in your ears and weight shifting on your back that you can’t control. Once you do manage to knock down a bird, it is of much value and will be remembered because of these added elements.

Make sure to stop and soak it all in. The first time your child sees a grouse or a woodcock take flight and lets out an excited “Ooo!” in celebration of your first harvested bird together needs to be savored. These are the moments that could be the spark that lights their fire in the passion for all things upland hunting.

As parents, it is our job to expose our kids to these outdoor experiences even though they might not remember them. If they are very young, they may only be able to look at these memories via the photos that you take with them. There is a possibility that when they get older, they may never want to touch a shotgun or have any interest in owning a bird dog. This is just something you have to be prepared for.

A toddler picks flowers while out hunting.

When Hunting With A Young Child, Slow Things Down

One of the biggest takeaways that I have learned from taking my daughter upland hunting with me is to slow everything down. As upland hunters, sometimes we get stuck in that go-go-go mindset, thinking of our next move or trying to stay one step ahead of the game. With a toddler on your back or at your side, this mindset needs to be altered. Take a step back and enjoy some of the things that you may be missing.

Having a young child in the woods makes a drastic difference in changing your mindset because they aren’t thinking like us. They simply haven’t learned to think like an upland hunter yet. Instead of planning their next move, toddlers are infatuated by the new sounds and sights they are experiencing. Enjoy those things with them. This might mean simply stopping the hunt altogether, sitting with your child, and pointing out and explaining some things that might be new to them.

This is an aspect of the hunt I had almost completely forgotten about until I took my daughter hunting the first few times. It brought me back to when I was a child, and my father took me grouse hunting. Everything was so exciting, even the simplest things, like the crimson flash of a cardinal through the trees or a golden leaf slowly fluttering to the ground.

Upland Hunting with Toddlers is Worth It

The first ruffed grouse that my oldest daughter and I harvested together was when she was just ten months old. It was early November, and we were out for a late afternoon hunt. On the walk in, my oldest dog, a five-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer, caught my attention to the left of the trail. He went on point while facing directly at us just 40 yards away.

As we turned to close the distance, the bird got up and presented a perfect left-to-right crossing shot. I was able to connect with it on my second barrel. Upon retrieving the bird, I felt myself become overrun with emotion, a tear in my eye, and celebrating with my daughter on my back. It was so special that I decided to turn around and head back toward the truck with the biggest grin; I decided this bird was a great note to end on, even though it was such a short hunt.

That moment will be etched in my memory for the rest of my life. I am currently waiting to get the call to pick this bird up from the taxidermist.

Hopefully, all of these experiences in the uplands will help grow enough interest for my daughters to put energy into upland hunting and conservation in the future, as our children are the future of our uplands.

Diapers will be changed on the forest floor, bottles will be given between aspen cuts, and there will be an inconvenient interest in spent shotgun shells. There will be the incorrect recall of the dogs as little voices learn to speak, and missed birds, missed socks, and missed points.

All you can do is soak it all in.