My 2¢...
Winchester,
I am not sure where you are located, or even if you are in Indiana as I know that we have several (if not many!) out-of-staters on this forum. Therefore, I will try to give you some general info, and highly suggest you check the specifics for your locale! First, you are correct in that being 11 he will need Hunter Education certification prior to hunting. While the age/birthdate for which it is required varies from state to state, ALL of them (that I am aware of!) would require an 11 year old to have it. Indiana requires anyone born after 1986 to be certified prior to even purchasing a license! While the states may differ on the age required, they are all the same when it comes to how much training they must have, which is a minimum of 10 hours. Granted, classes will vary from 10-14 hours divided between different days, but 10 hours is the minimum. Also, he will need to pass a test at the end of the classes in order to receive his card/certification which in Indiana is 100 questions (multiple choice/true or false). In the event that he didn't pass, normally there is a waiver given allowing him to hunt for that year, however he must then retake the entire class the following year.
As far as tips in general, a few things that I have learned…the hard way (I ALSO have an 11 year old who started hunting with me at 5, and also a 15 & 16 year old who go on 'occasion'!)!
#1 rule- Keep it fun! Keep in mind that their attention span is MUCH shorter than ours (well, MOST of ours…myself not necessarily included!:biggrin: ) and therefore sitting still/being quiet is NOT necessarily their idea of fun! A couple of things that I have done is take a book/magazine for them, or even a Gameboy! Play "I Spy" with them, but you can relate it to the outdoors such as identifying different wildlife, etc.
#2- Keep them warm! A child will loose body heat much faster than an adult. Therefore even if they are dressed the same as you, they will get cold quicker! Plus, they do not yet have the "mental toughness" to shrug off being cold and/or wet. I sometimes pack a sleeping bag out with me and if they get cold, let them crawl in it.
#3- Take them food & drinks! I know personally that getting hungry OR thirsty is one of the quickest ways to get me out of my stand if I forget to grab my water/snacks from the truck!! Multiply this ten fold for a child. I usually get up extra early and make my kids hot chocolate (the REAL stuff, with milk & cocoa!) and a sausage/bacon biscuit or something. There is nothing like getting up to the smell of bacon/sausage and a cup of hot chocolate (coffee for me!)…makes getting up MUCH easier for them! Plus, make it to go…eating it on the way makes that drive out there in the dark MUCH shorter for them!
Bottom line when they get tired/cold/bored what ever…leave! Keep it about THEM! The quickest way to turn off a kid from hunting is to make it miserable, especially the first few times!!! Anyway, sorry to be so long winded:dizzy: …hope this helps! Good luck to you AND your son, and I hope that you have a hunting partner for LIFE!!!
BTW- Here are a couple of links for Indiana, just in case you are a Hoosier!!!
http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/huntguide1/hunt.htm#ed
http://www.in.gov/dnr/lawenfor/hunt-edu.htm
Winchester,
I am not sure where you are located, or even if you are in Indiana as I know that we have several (if not many!) out-of-staters on this forum. Therefore, I will try to give you some general info, and highly suggest you check the specifics for your locale! First, you are correct in that being 11 he will need Hunter Education certification prior to hunting. While the age/birthdate for which it is required varies from state to state, ALL of them (that I am aware of!) would require an 11 year old to have it. Indiana requires anyone born after 1986 to be certified prior to even purchasing a license! While the states may differ on the age required, they are all the same when it comes to how much training they must have, which is a minimum of 10 hours. Granted, classes will vary from 10-14 hours divided between different days, but 10 hours is the minimum. Also, he will need to pass a test at the end of the classes in order to receive his card/certification which in Indiana is 100 questions (multiple choice/true or false). In the event that he didn't pass, normally there is a waiver given allowing him to hunt for that year, however he must then retake the entire class the following year.
As far as tips in general, a few things that I have learned…the hard way (I ALSO have an 11 year old who started hunting with me at 5, and also a 15 & 16 year old who go on 'occasion'!)!
#1 rule- Keep it fun! Keep in mind that their attention span is MUCH shorter than ours (well, MOST of ours…myself not necessarily included!:biggrin: ) and therefore sitting still/being quiet is NOT necessarily their idea of fun! A couple of things that I have done is take a book/magazine for them, or even a Gameboy! Play "I Spy" with them, but you can relate it to the outdoors such as identifying different wildlife, etc.
#2- Keep them warm! A child will loose body heat much faster than an adult. Therefore even if they are dressed the same as you, they will get cold quicker! Plus, they do not yet have the "mental toughness" to shrug off being cold and/or wet. I sometimes pack a sleeping bag out with me and if they get cold, let them crawl in it.
#3- Take them food & drinks! I know personally that getting hungry OR thirsty is one of the quickest ways to get me out of my stand if I forget to grab my water/snacks from the truck!! Multiply this ten fold for a child. I usually get up extra early and make my kids hot chocolate (the REAL stuff, with milk & cocoa!) and a sausage/bacon biscuit or something. There is nothing like getting up to the smell of bacon/sausage and a cup of hot chocolate (coffee for me!)…makes getting up MUCH easier for them! Plus, make it to go…eating it on the way makes that drive out there in the dark MUCH shorter for them!
Bottom line when they get tired/cold/bored what ever…leave! Keep it about THEM! The quickest way to turn off a kid from hunting is to make it miserable, especially the first few times!!! Anyway, sorry to be so long winded:dizzy: …hope this helps! Good luck to you AND your son, and I hope that you have a hunting partner for LIFE!!!
BTW- Here are a couple of links for Indiana, just in case you are a Hoosier!!!
http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/huntguide1/hunt.htm#ed
http://www.in.gov/dnr/lawenfor/hunt-edu.htm