Why do I worry so much?

[wisconsinteacher]

Our Learn to Hunt is Friday/Saturday and I am sitting here all worried about where to start in the morning with my mentee.  We have 2800 acres to hunt between my self and buddy who is taking a kid out also.  We know the land well and know of 4 different flocks of birds right now.  Why do I focus so much on that first hour when we have all day to hunt and statistically, I have better success in the afternoons.

Taking kids is way harder than hunting for myself.  If it was my hunt, I would just start at a spot and if nothing happened, I would start moving from farm to farm, but when I take a kid, I over think everything. 

[Bowguy]

Hey brother its pressure you put on yourself. I do it all night before I take a kid be it turkey hunting, fishing, deer hunting, etc. Want em so bad to succeed it drives you crazy. The fact they may not want to stay more than a couple hours adds even more stress.
But when they do succeed it's better than taking one ourselves and it's much harder. There'd be many more birds driving home in trucks if I was shooting., being a mentor is fun, challenging and super rewarding. Good luck

[Timmer]

Hey brother its pressure you put on yourself. I do it all night before I take a kid be it turkey hunting, fishing, deer hunting, etc. Want em so bad to succeed it drives you crazy. The fact they may not want to stay more than a couple hours adds even more stress.
But when they do succeed it's better than taking one ourselves and it's much harder. There'd be many more birds driving home in trucks if I was shooting., being a mentor is fun, challenging and super rewarding. Good luck

What he said!   

[Ishi]

The kid will have a blast no matter what happens. Relax and have fun knowing you are influencing a kid for life.

[born2hunt]

Your not over thinking a thing. If you don't focus on the little things when taking kids, to me your not doing your part. When taking my kids I spend 10 min grabbing my gear and half the night going over things in my head for them. I worry about where to sit and for how long, how far back to drag them, I want them SAFE, comfortable when sitting, dressed right, steady shooting set up, and the list goes on and on. Kids are positively influenced by FUN hunts and just the opposite by miserable ones. I want them itching to go back instead of dreading a boring uncomfortable day in the woods, and most times its those little things that make that difference, not the success.
Best of luck to yall, hope you have a blast.

[mgm1955]

The kid will have a blast no matter what happens. Relax and have fun knowing you are influencing a kid for life.

[wisconsinteacher]

Thanks for the comments.  I want all 9 of my students in the program to get a bird so bad it hurts.  All week they have been talking about it and are excited to go.  I told one mentor to check out a farm I will not be hunting and as they pulled in, they saw 40-45 birds fly up for the night.  I guess the boy, who is a student of mine was very excited. 

I hope he gets one and then we can get another kid in there the following day.

[zelmo1]

  It shows you care. The only pressure here is what you put on yourself. The kids will have a fun time no matter what happens. Do your best and enjoy it. I am looking forward to the youth opener even though my daughter has 2 more years till she can hunt.  We are taking my buddy Joe's daughter again, she got here 1st gobbler last year and it was the biggest one our gang got all year. The look on her dad's face and her reaction were a memory I will never forget. Good luck and God Bless. Al Baker