"If you want to know why it is hard to recruit youth to hunting, take a look at how it is advertised," said author Ted Kerasote. "Commercials for cars, Mountain Dew and clothing show young people doing exciting things from rock climbing to white water rafting. It is challenging, adventuresome and exciting. What do we show about hunting? Look at the front of leading outdoor magazines and you see a bunch of middle-aged men standing around a campfire. How exciting is that to young people?"

Point well taken. Many young people don't see the exciting and challenging side to hunting or fishing. Kids are looking for something that is thrilling and challenging. Hunting and fishing can provide that zest but do we market it well?

Part of our job as parents is to help our youngsters find challenges we believe in. Hunting and fishing is part of a heritage many of us truly love. But have we made it challenging and exciting?

Kerasote spoke to conservation groups and fish and game organizations around the states and Canada. He was trying to get them to think outside the traditional box. Make it exciting and alluring. Not Boring.

The hunting challenge

So, how do we make hunting exciting and challenging to young people?

- Learn about wildlife and hunting: Start with the video store. There are hunting games and videos that are intellectually challenging and good learning tools. Bighorn Archery and Sportsman's Warehouse in our area offer a good selection to choose from. Check out the Outdoor Channel and ESPN TV. Go to the Internet. Look up the Idaho Fish and Game Web site. Once kids are comfortable with the subject get them outdoors. Visit a national or state wildlife refuge. Study live elk, deer and mountain goats at the Pocatello Zoo. Sign up for an adventure with the Yellowstone Institute and learn about bison and grizzly bears in Yellowstone Park. Get them involved.

- Hunter safety course: Young people have to take a hunter safety course to get a hunting license. Help them get set up for a class. Attend and discuss the class with them. Make it an event. Celebrate with several young people in the class. Shoot some targets, make a fake blood trail to follow or try the latest craze and go on a geocache trip. Ask your kids - they probably know what a geocache is.

- Select a firearm: Guns fascinate most young hunters. Buying one's first rifle or shotgun has a special meaning. Go to a gun show. Talk with a gunsmith. Make the buying process a learning one. Ask at gun dealers if the youth can shoot the models they want to buy. There are some excellent rifles and shotguns on the market at varying prices.

- Hone shooting skills: Not enough time is spent on developing excellence in this area. Tune into the Outdoor Channel and watch the segments on shooting in the American Rifleman. Find other young people involved in shooting. Most young people don't know shooting courses are available from the 4-H and National Rifle Association. Get them with people their age learning basic or advanced shooting skills.

- Finding a good hunting spot: This is a challenge. Learn how to use a Global Positioning System and a compass. Make a game of finding an area with game in it. A good map site on the Internet is www.topozone.com . The Idaho digital atlas is found at http://imnhiisu.edu/digitalatlas/.

Try geocaching - this is an activity that merges computer and Internet skills into the search for a good hunting spot. With a GPS, scouting trips can go high-tech and really get young people involved. Go into the field prepared as if you were hunting. Once they find the perfect spot, geocache something and challenge a hunting buddy to find it. Make it fun.

- Vehicles to go hunting: Young people are drawn to vehicles. A rusty old jeep can be one of the greatest things about going hunting. Kids dream of driving vehicles like the All Terrain Vehicle Kawasaki Prairie 650 or the Mule. The ATV industry has figured out how to make climbing a mountain an adventure and not a chore with their products. Help young hunters learn the ethic of using an ATV, how to follow the laws and have fun.

- Hunting companions: Help them find someone or a group to connect the outdoors with. Hiking, skateboarding and rock climbing have clubs and associations. Why not young hunters? Ducks Unlimited, Turkey Federation and many other groups have special youth activities. Fish and Game has a volunteer program. Get them connected. Find a family member or friend that shares the same interest. It can make the difference between them going hunting or doing something else.

- Physical challenge: Skateboarders work on body control, rock climbers on upper body strength and hunters need to be able to walk, climb and carry. Make a game of it. Get in shape. Go carefully into the competition end. Most kids are in better shape than adults and will whip our fannies. Carrying a deer out or walking miles behind a hunting dog can be the worst or best experience in a young hunters life. Out of shape and ill prepared they will probably never hunt again.