A father has been branded ‘disgusting’ over footage of him teaching his six-year-old son to trophy hunt by dressing up as a deer so he can shoot him with a toy crossbow.
Chad Brower, 44, from Asheboro, North Carolina, has been a trophy hunter for 15 years and said his son Eli is ‘learning that hunter’s instinct’ after accompanying him in the wilderness.
Footage shows camouflage-clad Eli stood on step ladders fire the crossbow into his father before marching over to the fallen ‘deer’ and posing for the ‘trophy’ shot.
Chad Brower, 44, from Asheboro, North Carolina, has been a trophy hunter for 15 years and said his son Eli is ‘learning that hunter’s instinct’ after accompanying him in the wilderness
The video sees the father-of-four step out into the hallway with an antler headband before pretending to eat bait off the wooden floor.
Suddenly Eli fires the crossbow which sends his father crashing onto the floor.
The six-year-old exclaims ‘yes’ before resting the toy crossbow on the ‘deer’ before lifting the antlers to pose for the camera.
Footage sees Mr Brower step out wearing an antler headband. Eli stands on step ladders and aims at his father dressed as a deer
The six-year-old exclaims ‘yes’ as he walks over to his father dressed as a deer lying on the floor
Eli watched his father shoot a white-tailed deer when he was four years old and Mr Brower gave him a ‘small rifle’ to ‘finish it off’ but his son refused to participate.
The mini-rifle is capable of killing small game such as rabbits but his father insists he only uses it for target practice for now.
Mr Brower said: ‘He got that toy bow for his birthday in September and he couldn’t pull it back, so I’ve been trying to teach him.
Eli rests his toy crossbow on the back of his father who appears to play dead by lying on the floor with his eyes closed
‘On that particular day he actually started shooting and he was aiming at targets, so I thought: “Hold on, let me go and get these antlers and put them on my head”‘.
He continued: ‘He can’t actually hunt yet but he’s already interested in it and I love to laugh, so I made a little skit out of it. You can tell he’s got good aim.
‘I watch a lot of hunting TV shows and if you take a deer and it’s a trophy, you lay your gun on it, get down in a kneel and take a picture, so he’s seen that and copied it.’
The boy lifts the antlers on his father to mimic the trophy hunter pose as he looks at the camera
The factory worker said his son has picked up his game hunting etiquette from watching hunting TV shows along with venturing out into the wilderness with him.
And he told how he has only been hunting ‘a handful of times’ this year but claims Eli keeps asking to go with him.
Mr Brower said: ‘I’ve been working 12 hours every day, so I’ll get a quick hunt in myself, but it’s hard to have the time to take him very often. He’s only been once this year with me.
The video, which was posted to Facebook on November 1 by Mr Brower, garnered 26,000 reactions, was captioned: ‘We like to play!!! Lol. probably the fattest deer he will ever take down’
However the footage received criticism online while others described it as ‘too adorable’
The factory worker said his son (pictured with his small rifle) has picked up his game hunting etiquette from watching hunting TV shows along with venturing out into the wilderness with him
‘Last week I saw a buck but I didn’t shoot it, and when I came home he asked me right away “daddy, did you get a deer” and he was asking why I didn’t shoot it.
Speaking about the first time Eli accompanied him, he said: ‘The first time I ever went with him I shot a white-tailed deer, and I expected him to be loud and scare it off because he was only four, but he was whispering and it was perfect.
‘He’s got a small rifle that I took with him and I tried to get him to finish it off so to speak but he wouldn’t do it that time. I think he would now, but that’s to be proven, I guess.
Chad, who also lives with 36-year-old wife Robin Brower and 13-year-old step daughter Giannie Small, admitted that the rest of the family are not as excited about hunting as he and Eli are
‘I take his tablet with us and when he’s been waiting there for a while he gets bored, but I think he’s learning that hunter’s instinct. I hope so.’
Chad, who also lives with 36-year-old wife Robin Brower and 13-year-old step daughter Giannie Small, admitted that the rest of the family are not as excited about hunting as he and Eli are.
On the rare occasion Chad has shot and killed a deer, he either sends the meat off to be turned into burgers and sausages or he makes them himself.
Chad said he plans to take Eli on a hunt later this week while he has the week off and explained how hunting is something humans have done for generation
Mr Brower said: ‘I had great parents, but they didn’t take me hunting, and I want [Eli] to be introduced to all of this stuff when he’s young and hopefully he’ll be somewhat of a woodsman when he’s older.
‘If he enjoys it and goes with it then it’s fine and if he decides he doesn’t want to do it then that’s his deal, but outdoors is a great place to be.
‘When I get old, maybe he’ll like to do the same things I like to do and we can get together and keep doing them.’
Mr Brower pictured holding the antlers of a deer that he shot in 2018 when Eli was four years old
The video, which was posted to Facebook on November 1 by Mr Brower, garnered 26,000 reactions, was captioned: ‘We like to play!!! Lol. probably the fattest deer he will ever take down.’
However the footage received criticism online while others described it as ‘too adorable’.
Ben Jackson said: ‘[This] kid will kill some studs with that arrow placement.’
Eli is seen holding a fish during a trop with his father. Mr Brower said: ‘I had great parents, but they didn’t take me hunting, and I want [Eli] to be introduced to all of this stuff’
Renee Lacefield said: ‘Omg too adorable. Dad of year award.’
However, John Darnell said: ‘And just like that, a child who naturally would show affection to all animals… is encouraged to kill them.
‘But definitely pet the dogs and cats! They are the chosen ones to be loved!’
Eli watched his father shoot a white-tailed deer when he was four years old and Mr Brower gave him a ‘small rifle’ to ‘finish it off’ but his son refused to participate. Pictured: The father and son out hunting together
Debbie Locker added: ‘Absolutely disgusting teaching a child it’s OK to kill animals.’
Chad said he plans to take Eli on a hunt later this week while he has the week off and explained how hunting is something humans have done for generations.
Chad added: ‘I saw some of the comments were negative. I guess it was some people who don’t like hunting or think it’s cruelty to animals, but I don’t let them suffer either.
‘We’ve been eating animals ever since people were here. And it’s not like I shoot them and let them lie there.’
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