Canadian adventurer Jim Baird shares 9 expert tips for taking a young family on hunting and fishing trips

#8  IGNORE THE NEGATIVE

Since I’m active on social media, I regularly upload videos of my family adventures. Unfortunately, my posts often garner discouraging comments from people who think I’m being irresponsible and endangering my children. Safety is always my top priority, however (see tip #2). Indeed, if you use common sense and have solid outdoor skills, your kids are in more danger as passengers in a car and more likely to get sick from going to school than they are when camping.

So many people have been detached from nature in today’s world that most outdoor actives fall well beyond their comfort zone. They’re often well-meaning people who simply didn’t have the privilege of being raised in the outdoors, and they can be frightened by things they don’t understand. If you’re considering taking your kids into the backcountry and have someone in your life who is openly concerned for their safety, it’s likely coming from a good place. Take their thoughts into consideration, but ultimately rely on advice instead from child psychologists, pediatricians, early childhood educators and other parents with experience in the outdoors.