I don't consider a 6 or 7 year old to be a deer hunter. To me hunting is more than pulling a trigger. I think the parents and or friends probably hung the stands, the blinds, worked the food plots, scouted, etc. I think alot of 6 or 7 year olds could be great shots with a rifle and with no problem kill a deer. I think if the parents supervised and it is legal then go for it. Getting the children involved at a young age is not a bad thing and if done correctly will help them and the future of deer hunting.
me to but....can i come to usa? but we can hunt all year, allways something...you must wait almost year to hunt, hunt in here is totally diferent....
I know after my boy took his first he had a great sense of pride and accomplishment. I also think it was instrumental in him eating venison. He's always been a picky eater , but he had no problem devouring his tenderloin and eggs for breakfast. He harvested it, helped in cleaning(not much but he was there) and preparing it. He was really happy to give a backstrap to his Grandma.
I think it's completely dependant on the individual kid. I had to wait until I was 12, but my dad would have trusted me to hunt unsupervised, I could have easily started at 8. My brother on the other hand was 14 and under full supervision at all times. I had input on where I was going to sit and made a lot of my own hunting decisions at a very young age.
I started when I was 9 with a rossi 410 slug gun now 7 years later at the age of my addiction and passion for the outdoors has grown since that first sit that started it all.
Many places you can hunt year round. Especially for hogs in the south Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
I wouldn't necessarily allow my kids to do this but I was hunting by myself at 8 years old. I just happened to ask my mom and dad the other day because I knew I was young when I started and they said I was about 8.
I've "hunted" (been in the stand since I was 4 or 5 I didn't shoot a deer till is was 7 or 8. I think it's very important to introduce kids to the outdoors. We do hunt on our own land though and that plays a big part I think! Didn't have to worry about missing my target and hitting someone walking through the woods.
Here I'm Texas I don't think you could imagine a way that wouldn't be legal to hunt hogs! They are a nuisance!
The child should be mature enough to understand and respect what it is they're doing. Seen many a vid of 8 year olds hopping around yelling "Yippee, I smoked em' ". Always makes me uncomfortable. For mine, they'll probably be 12 or 13.
^^^This is me. My son was 8 when he killed his first with a .243, and everything else listed here is spot on for us. I've seen adults that I trust less than when my son was 8-10. Morons. Its all up to the individual. My daughter wasn't ready until last year at age 12, her first year hunting and she got her first. They had both been going hunting with me (no weapon) for many years before they were allowed to do the actual shooting.
I've taken my 12 yr old and 7 yr old girls to a blind with me numerous times... I believe my 12 year old is mature enough to take an animal now. That being said, by law she must do the Hunter Safety Course, and cannot hunt alone for a number of years. I have no problem with being a "guide, or mentor" until they are old enough to go on their own. If you have to be 16 to drive a car, then I think to handle a high powered weapon (totally alone) they should have restrictions. IMO
I have 5 kids that range from 40 to 21 years old. Based on their level of maturity, understanding of hunting, and level of respect for the game they are harvesting, I would not want to take 3 of them into the woods, or let them handle a firearm. However my 21 year old daughter, and 30 year old son can and will hunt with me on occasion. My grandson at 16 would be a welcome companion in the woods, and trustworthy, my grand daughter at 13 also. The point most of the posts here miss is the age that you can appreciate the gravity, enjoyment, and respect for the outdoors, and the game you are pursuing. Sometimes I think there are quite a few avid hunters that miss these essentials in their hunting, which gives all hunters a bad name, and amunition to our critics. Teach them the love of the outdoors, respect for all life, and nature, the value of game management, and when they can grasp these things... then teach them to kill and fulfill their roles as predators. In rural environments (being farm raised) kids can comprehend and learn these values at the ages of 5 or 6 (possibly earlier) as they see farm animals raised for meat, and learn the value of herd management, etc. In urban or sheltered environments people can reach the age of 60 and never understand, appreciate, or value these concepts. Just the thoughts of an old redneck.
My son can begin bowhunting when he is 12 if it's something he's interested in. I do not gun hunt so he probably won't be introduced to it by me, but if he's interested in gun hunting I'll gladly take him gun hunting as well. A 6 year old deer hunting seems too young, in my opinion. At that age, they really do not have an understanding of deer or deer hunting, and I'm not sure they really understand what it means to take an animal's life, and the responsibilities that go along with it.
Some people we hang out with through other friends are anti gun and hunting but their 10 year old is allowed to play all the xbox games with guns and violence and Grand theft auto 5 which is the worst game ever not sure how many of you have seen this game but you take hostages go to strip clubs pick up hookers etc. I would much rather have my kids in the woods learning then being in fornt of that.
It all depends on the individual child. I went hunting with my dad at 4 years old. He took me and we sat in the woods and didn't really hunt but I didn't know that. I was just happy to be there. I went on my first bow hunt when I was 6. My dad shot at a doe but missed and I have always said that is where my addiction began. I killed my first deer at 9 years old. I missed my first deer with a .243 at age 7 hunting with my grandfather. I learned many lessons from being in the woods at an early age from my father and grandfather. They taught me to be respectful of the outdoors and the game I was chasing. To me the earlier the better. I feel the parents should be the one to make the decision. If a child is mature enough to go hunting at age 6 then they should be able to. If they need to wait till they are 12+ years of age then the parents should be the ones to keep them from going.
I'm wondering how many here scoff at the idea of a 6 or 8 year old hunting but don't bat an eye at a 5 yr old fishing? All safety aspects being equal of course.
My 2 boys are 19 & 12 and my daughter is 7. I started taking them all when they were probably about 5. I feel like the 12 and 7 are progressing well, they can shoot and safely handle firearms. The 19 year old can too but right now isn't too interested in going, got a lot of other things going on at that age. One of the things I worry about is this, I mean my kids like to go hunting with me and shoot and do outdoorsy stuff but I think there is a big difference between wanting to spend time with dad and actually wanting to be a hunter. My dad and grandpa got me into hunting which at that point in time consisted of hunting with them and a few others over Thanksgiving break, rarely were we successful or even see anything for that matter. Around age 13 I started reading about bow hunting and bow seasons and realized there was lot more to actually hunting than what I knew. I got my own gear and learned from lots of folks along the way and my excitement and enthusiasm rubbed off on my dad and brother who eventually got into bows, 3d's, and bowhunting. My point being it was my own desire to spend more time in the woods to learn how to bowhunt so I could hunt deer in a more undisturbed enviornment. I loved going to gun hunt with my pops and family and learned a lot about the woods, guns, saftey,etc. but it took me getting a little older and a little more mature to realize I really wanted to hunt and see game and be successful. I doubt this is reading very well but I hope you get the point which in a nutshell is I hope my kids want to hunt some day not just hang out with me when I'm hunting. As far as this thread and kids hunting, to me it comes down to each kid individually (their maturity level, skills, etc). My 12 year old hunted with me since 5 but didn't start carrying his real gun along until 9, my daughter is 7 she carries a bb gun sometimes other times she brings her Princess Diary...go figure
Man I always think the same thing. I mean you see it on a ton of hunting videos some kid(sometimes not kids) that clearly doesn't hunt or know too much about hunting but they can shoot. They shoot some monster and the interview is always uncomfortable because they have no idea what they've actually accomplished and it shows then the parent or guide tries to make it seem like something it isn't and project excitement . Awkward! The opposite side of that coin I saw a season or 2 ago and I can't remember if it was BHOD or Heartland Bowhunter or WKP some young man was bowhunting with his dad and this kid is young but a full on bowhunter and he shoots a really good buck he and his dad some history with and his dad gets it all on tape. The after the shot footage and the boys response is awesome, very emotional and was refreshing to see. Wish I had saved a link, I'll try and find it.
