Ted Nugent Interview talking about getting kids involved in the Outdoors

TED NUGENT TALKS ABOUT GETTING KIDS INVOLVED IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS

Long before Ted Nugent was a rock and roll superstar, he was a hunter, fisherman and outdoorsman. As a young child, he remembers riding on his dad’s back in the woods of Michigan. “I was on my dad’s back in the Manistee National Forest in October of 1949 when I was only 10 months old.  Hunting (bowhunting in particular) has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I like to say I haven’t missed a deer camp in 68 years. This will be my 69th year in deer camp,” Nugent exclaimed.

Nugent loves the sport of archery and bowhunting and loves introducing kids to the sport.  His Ted Nugent Kamp for Kids has introduced thousands of kids to the sport of archery over the last several decades. “I love introducing kids to archery.  My Kamp for Kids has been going on long enough, that now I have parents bringing their kids to the camp because they attended the camp when they were a kid. It is a lot of fun and gets kids involved in the outdoors,” Nugent noted.

All of Ted Nugent’s kids love archery and the outdoors so I asked him what he did to spark the interest in his kids at a time when so many youngsters are walking away from outdoor sports. “I started getting my kids involved in the outdoors by going for walks in the woods and identifying berries and other plants. They looked for animals and over time they fell in love with the outdoors. I took the time to make the outdoors a part of their life,” Nugent explained. “From there I introduced my kids to a Daisy BB gun, a slingshot and a youth bow. It is a really slow incremental process that shouldn’t be rushed.  It all starts with getting kids outside in nature. I planted trees with my kids when they were young so they could watch trees grow every year.”

One mistake many parents make is rushing their kids into big game hunting instead of starting them on small game and other outdoor pursuits. “I started my kids fishing with a bobber which was fun for them. When they had that down, they started shooting a bow in the backyard.  Then I started them with a .410 on squirrels. It’s fun for kids if there are lots of squirrels around. Parents need to make outdoor sports fun.  This type of system works.  My kids are good hunters, they love hunting and they are my best hunting buddies,” Nugent said.   

There are very few things we do as kids that we will still participate in as adults.  Archery and hunting are sports that you can enjoy your entire life.  You can have fun doing it and put healthy meat in the freezer.  “I hunt a lot and shoot my bow almost daily.  When I am shooting at my Morrell Targets, the whole world disappears,” Nugent said with a laugh.  “Every parent and every child should get involved in hunting and archery.  The outdoors are a blessing.”