Some fear that Gen Z is raised by their phones more than by their parents, and that their social-media heavy lifestyles might give them feelings of insecurity, anxiety, and depression, an easily observable trend in today’s young people. Those who are introduced to youth hunting, however, are more likely to grow up with a set of values they learned bonding with mom and dad in the great outdoors.
The cardinal sin of sloth is ever-present in American society across all ages. For kids and teenagers, its effects are far more pronounced. As people who don’t need jobs, kids are content to sit around on their video game consoles and veg out.
A hunt, however, is an exercise of both mind and body. “Youth hunting” was a rite of passage for our ancestors. The hunters of the Masai – to this day – are considered to be true men only when they are able to kill a lion with a spear, and in ancient Greece, boys would go on two-month-long hunting trips, which was considered a rite of passage into adulthood for all men in the aristocracy.
Modern American society has no rites of adulthood per se, but to a kid that’s raised on venison and game meat, it’s when they’re the ones bringing the meat from the field to the table. A good hunter should know how to field dress their kills just as much as they should know how to field strip their rifles. If this skill is picked up while young and honed as a person grows into adulthood, it could be a viable, even healthier alternative to picking up meat for the family at the grocery store.
Besides, if SHTF and the United States suffers from a societal breakdown, someone who’s been hunting from childhood is definitely a valuable member to have. Not only would this person be an accomplished marksman, but he or she would also be familiar with the wilderness, and depending on how accomplished of a hunter he or she is, would be able to track, skin, and prepare game.
Youth hunting also teaches the values of patience and respect at a young age. It’s hard for some kids to stay off their phones for more than fifteen minutes, but if you let them simply sit still and absorb the beauty of nature around them, some of them might think it’d be pretty cool to get a break from all the mental stimulation.
Putting a rifle in the hand of a little girl may help her develop a toughness that many city boys don’t even have. Children of either gender will also get to experience a bond with their parents with the excitement that only a hunt can offer.
Weapons, especially firearms, come with the territory of hunting. Most youth hunting begins with the tiny crack of the gentle .22LR, which gives way to larger calibers later on in life. From the time they’re knee high, young hunters are taught how to safely handle firearms and how to respect their weapons. This opens the gateway to using weapons for self-defense, which might in turn lead to fostering the value of personal courage, something sorely lacking in today’s generation.
When a child upgrades from a .22LR to a big boy rifle as large as a .270 Winchester, that might be more kick than a kid can handle. However, with a Kopfjager tripod and reaper grip, children will have no problems shooting calibers as high as .308 to take down game as big as an elk.
Kopfjäger grips and tripods help absorb recoil of even the highest calibers, making shooting easier and more enjoyable for even small children. With a Kopfjäger system, a youth hunter can focus on the fundamentals like proper grip, breathing, cheek position and trigger control without having to worry about fearing the recoil, ensuring a fun and safe hunting experience that will hopefully remain a fond memory forever.
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