Shawn,

Couldn't agree with you more, and it makes no sense why some landowners do what they do.  Not only does getting a lease introduce your children to hunting and builds future hunters but its also (and I think more importantly) provides a special time to spend one-on-one time with your children.  We've found that memories like that in the field will probably last a lifetime.  And, while getting a big one is great, hunting is about way more than the size of the horns.

Thankfully not all landowners are in it for the money.  About 12 years ago, by the grace of God, I bumped into one that has let me hunt on his ranches by more-or-less invitation.  They are getting less common...but they are still there. 

Hey guys,

I had been hunting on a ranch near Ft. McKavett for 6 years with 4 other guys. Three of us had boys that started their hunting careers on the ranch and all three are on the way to becoming great outdoorsmen. The owner of the ranch passed away and his wife decided to move back to Houston so she sold the ranch. The new owners not only raised the cost by 600 per gun but would not allow children on the lease! We managed the deer for 6 years and were started to get results from our patience and letting nice 3 1/2 year old deer pass to have this happen. Needless to say, if my son was not welcome on the ranch then I felt that the new owners didn't have a clue of what hunting and traditions were about. The trust was gone and the "money" issue was more important. Fortunately for us the new owner informed us of this in mid-December so we were able to take some good bucks off the lease before we told him to pound sand in January. I am currently looking for a lease that welcomes children and Shawn your right, there are a lot of leases out there that don't allow children. Good luck guys and our kids are our heritage, there is nothing more important than our kids!

Michael

Shawn I totally agree with you also, I take my son out fishing and hunting as much as possible, my dad is part of a lease where he can not only take me but my son also and only pays $350 a year to hunt.  THe problem is we have seen other hunters take kids and not be responsible for their actions and have made some bad choices while intoducing kids to the outdoors.  They shoot, yearling deer and fawns just to provide a sporting opportunity for the kids.  Money is definitely an issue here in Texas and hunting has become big business, but it aint gonna last long if we dont PROPERLY get our youth involved in the outdoors.  There are alot of great TPWD programs for youth hunting that take place on private lands and introduce the youth into hunting the way it should be done