Do you see any reason to be concerned?

[tlbwriter]

Yes, but she is kind of obsessed 365 days a year.... whenever I see her, that is what she wants to chat about even though she knows that I am not a hunter.... We also took her younger sister with us on the trip, and she said "Samantha kinda creeps me out with all these guns she has." The younger sister is 12 or 13.

In that case, it does sound like it's closer to an obsession than an interest.

 

[mdsoccermom]

Would you be as concerned if this was a boy interested in hunting?

 

[C.Ann]

It sounds to me like she needed something to fill her life since the loss of her mom. She took up hunting because it was a way to be close to her dad and she immersed herself in it fully. Personally, I would never go hunting and don't get the appeal of it. But if the girl enjoys it and is being supervised by a responsible adult, I see no problem with it. She should still be given opportunities to do other things and hang out with other family members and people her age. Perhaps it's just a phase she's going through while she deals with her loss. It's really no different than people who base their lives (how they dress, who they hang out with, what they do for fun) on the type of music they listen to. She probably sees hunting as giving her an identity right now, because it's too painful to be who she really is (a girl who lost her mom and doesn't know where she fits in).

I feel like Lucy from the Peanuts. That'll be 5 cents please!

I tend to agree with the above..

However, if she shows signs of depression - or starts talking about shooting/killing in more general terms (not just the animals hunted for sport), then I would definitely be concerned..

It's nice that she can have such a close relationship with her dad.. I'm sure it brings them both a lot of comfort..

(And it's nice that you're a "concerned" uncle as well.. She's a lucky girl..)

 

[Magic Mom]

OK, before I start, let me say, that I am JUST ASKING, and not sure what I think. And I need to give you a brief introduction.

My niece's mother died a few years back. At that time she seemed very connected with her mom ( to me, anyway ), and not as much with her dad. Her Dad is an avid outdoorsman. He loves to hunt and fish, but he keeps it in relative moderation. Since her mom died, my niece has taken up hunting in order to hang out more with her dad. She has been hunting almost since the same time her mom died.

Personally, I think that that is pretty normal, and nothing to be concerned about. It makes sense to me that she would do that, as long as she enjoyed hunting too.

OK, so my family just took her to NC for a whole week to visit relatives. When I picked her up from her home, she was wearing camo gear, like hunters wear. She was wearing a T Shirt that said " I don't kill innocent animals. I only kill the guilty ones." Then later in the week she wore another shirt that said " I would have killed Bambi's Mom, if I could have."

While driving to and from NC, I noticed that she was reading magazines about guns. And she had a notebook where she kept notes on her favorite hunting spots, and it had an NRA decal on it.

Approximately a dozen times over the week I heard her talking about hunting, and specifically about when she will kill her first deer, and how she wants to butcher it herself.

Her aunt asked her what she would like for Christmas, and she replied " Two boxes of 20 gauge shotgun shells would be cool."

There were probably a few more things she said / wore / did that was along those lines.

Is there a reason for concern, in your opinion? If it matters, she is a 14 or 15 year old girl.

EDIT: She has been hunting for 3 years, but is getting much more into it, almost on a daily basis, it seems.

OH NO! Not an NRA sticker!

Seriously, I don't see anything wrong at all. She likes hunting and all the stuff that goes with it. A good friend of mine loves hunting with her husband. You would never know it by looking at her. She is a girly girl and an art teacher.

Another friend of mine hunts with her daughters when her husband can't go. It's a hobby that I am not that interested in, but lots of people are.

 

[Magic Mom]

Yes, but she is kind of obsessed 365 days a year.... whenever I see her, that is what she wants to chat about even though she knows that I am not a hunter.... which is kind of funny, because my last name means "The Hunter".
I guess my concern is that the hunting obsession involves guns, and I have concerns about a child being so focused on guns. I am not anti gun, as I used to go to the shooting range with my own dad, before he died.

We also took her younger sister with us on the trip, and she said "Samantha kinda creeps me out with all these guns she has." The younger sister is 12 or 13.

Maybe I am more concerned than most, since I knew a 15 year old boy who killed 6 people with a rifle, when I was also 15.

My dd is obsessed 365 with horses. She talks non stop about them even to people that would never be caught dead in a barn much less on a horse. That doesn't mean she's going to run over people with the horse.

Does she talk or joke about wanting to kill people? Is she happy when she tells you about hunting, or sad and bitter? Does she cut or hurt herself? Does she abuse family pets? Those are things that would be red flags to me in relation to an interest in guns, not just an enjoyment of hunting as a hobby.

 

[goofy!]

My niece is an avid hunter.

She had guns as a teen and we gave her a rifle at one time.

She is such an avid outdoorsman (or woman) that she went to college and earned her degree in wildlife management.

She is now married, 2 kids, both she and her husband are very successful park rangers. We are always getting "family pictures" of the latest hunt. The kids (both boy and girl) are safer with any gun than many people as they are hunters and abide by safety rules.

So, nope, I wouldn't be worried. My other niece, now a teen, is obsessed about her cheerleading. She talks about it non-stop, whether we are interested or not in hearing about the latest stunt or tumbling skill she accomplished. She has asked for cheer related stuff for birthdays and Christmas. She wears t-shirts with the gym logo and her national champion jacket.

I don't see anything different than another teenager obsessed with her sport.

Unless she starts talking about hunting mammals other than what you can legally get licenses for, I wouldn't worry a bit.

And this is coming from somebody that has an unreasonable dislike of guns.

 

[gina2000]

Yes, it bothers me. But I don't live in an area where hunting is a big sport and I don't know any avid hunters.

 

[LuvCuteBoys]

I can't believe I'm about to defend hunting, because it kind of repulses me. BUT... you said that she was always closer to her mom. Maybe now that her mom is gone, she realizes that she loves her dad just as much and wants to spend time with him. And she's able to spend time with him, doing something she already liked in the first place.

Very Weird


Reminds me of a teen boy I know who was SOOOO into guns that was all he talked about-as a Senior in HS-signed up for the Marines-but did Reserves instead. Just so he can shoot guns. Now his part time job is a guard (like in a library)-and he cant wait until he can be an armed guard
He is obsessed-like your neice is

I find those shirts to be like something a red necked hillbilly would wear-does she have girlfriends?

Unbelievably rude.

Has she obsessed before about anything? Has she ditched her friends from prior to her mom's death? As a woman, I think I'd get her aside and tell her to broaden her activity a little to include some of her old activities. One can add things that are fun; the idea is to enrich not obsess in life. She needs some adult guidance and her dad isn't giving it to her. I'd keep an eye on her if it were me. Do I think she's in danger? Not really but kids at that age are really sensitive and bear some watching.

Maybe I am more concerned than most, since I knew a 15 year old boy who killed 6 people with a rifle, when I was also 15.

I think you may have answered your own question.

 

[MinnieMe87]

My dd is obsessed 365 with horses. She talks non stop about them even to people that would never be caught dead in a barn much less on a horse. That doesn't mean she's going to run over people with the horse.

Does she talk or joke about wanting to kill people? Is she happy when she tells you about hunting, or sad and bitter? Does she cut or hurt herself? Does she abuse family pets? Those are things that would be red flags to me in relation to an interest in guns, not just an enjoyment of hunting as a hobby.

This! In my opinion as long as she seems like she's happy and enjoying herself while talking about hunting/guns and not making it sound like she's going to terrorize the world or harm others, then I see nothing wrong with it.

 

[browneyes106]

This! In my opinion as long as she seems like she's happy and enjoying herself while talking about hunting/guns and not making it sound like she's going to terrorize the world or harm others, then I see nothing wrong with it.

I agree as long doesn't talk about harming others I think she is ok.

 

[smb6]

Her behavior sounds normal for someone super into hunging ... no worries..

 

[Shmily1]

It sounds to me like she wanted to be close to her dad after her mom died so she decided the best way to do that would be to hunt with him. Then, after she got into it, she realized she enjoyed it and wants to read up on it to learn everything she can.

 

[Rora]

It sounds like she's trying to have something in common with her only parent left.

It sounds normal but, it also sounds like she's having emotional issues from her mother's death (normal) and is throwing herself into an activity to try to not deal with it.

Clearly, I'm not professional. Just a thought..