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How young?

8K views 118 replies 37 participants last post by  cspot 
#1 ·
Today my brother in law were talking about my nephew possibly hunting this year. He turned 6 in March. I took him archery hunting twice last season, and his dad took him out on the first Saturday and he got to see him shoot a doe. To all our amazement, he did great on stand, no problem with sitting quietly and not moving around. Normally the boys going 100mph. He loved it can’t wait for this season. He’s been not so subtly hinting that he wants to get his own deer this year. He’s a pretty impressive shot off hand with his .22. Last weekend at the range he insisted he wanted to shoot his moms .243. Shot it five times, good group and not bothered a bit by recoil. It’s been a bit of a debate whether he’s old enough to hunt deer or not in my family. I think he would do just fine, though there would be a good bit of squirrel hunting first. Grandpas are skeptical, great grandpa says he has to be twelve, just how it is. Thoughts?
 
#4 ·
Six seems young to me but every kid is different. Took my son along at seven to see how he sat. He did ok so I told him if he could handle shooting a “deer rifle” he could hunt last year (8 y.o). He shot two deer, put the bullets exactly where we talked about and both dropped within sight.

On the other hand I’ve met 40 year olds who aren’t grown up enough
 
#18 ·
Here's the thing,you need to grab a kid's interest early today and that's not even debatable.Kids are far more capable that most people give them credit.You should have them out shooting and tagging along at a very early age just to grab their interest and teach them that the outdoors is a fun place to be.Every kid is different but there's no reason you can't get a kid ready to hunt,way before 10.Tagging along is fine but when you focus the hunt on them,they take far more interest.
 
#6 ·
If the adult is responsible and the 6 year old can handle the gun then why not. I have seen grown men that cant hit the broad side of a barn and are not responsible when they see that 4 legged brown animal. I think with all the distractions that are out there for this generation you need to start them young and hopefully they stay interested.
 
#7 ·
My opinion, 6 is too young for big game. Squirrels and ground hogs with a 22 would be great. I took my son out when he was 10. That was the 1st year they had the mentored youth hunts for anything. He missed a shot at the biggest buck I've ever seen in the woods. I could have took the 30-30 and shot it easily, but I would never do that. I know plenty of guys who would have. That same year in the mentored spring gobbler season he winged a jake and we didn't get it. So my opinion, 10 years old is about the right age where kids can handle rifles safely on their own.
 
#10 · (Edited)
If the boy is a physically larger child, and emmotionally more mature, then maybe. For the most part, the majority of kids in that age group are a bit too "flighty" to expect them to keep it together for an ethical, well placed shot.

Properly placing an arrow or bullet into a living animal isn't a video game, it's a serious reponsibility. 6 seems a little young to shoot, but not to tag along to learn the right way to do things.
 
#12 ·
I would give the kid more than 5 practice shoots to call him good to go. Take him shooting as much as possible. IMO whether its a 22lr or a .243 I wouldnt want to get shot with either so caliber/size of game has no bearing on his gun handling skills.

I think only you can judge his maturity level if he is able to handle it. I think you could easily take him hunting at 6 and have it be a completely safe, fun outing.

When my dad took me hunting i carried an empty rifle. I was only allowed to have bullets when we got to our spot, and i was only allowed to load and take shots in certain shooting lanes. within those parameters I think you can control him enough that even if he does make a mistake, your're mitigating the potential for a bad outcome.
 
#14 ·
I think it's on a case by case, child by child basis. Coaching multiple sports with kids between 5 and 10 years old, there is a rather wide variation in maturity, physical ability, and "coachability".

My son will be going deer hunting with me this fall - he's 8, turning 9 in February. He has hunted rabbits, squirrels, and spring turkey as part of the MY program.

There is a lot of groundhog, squirrel, and rabbit season opportunity between now and the rifle opener for deer. Get him out in the field as much as possible.....if he does well with those opportunities (attention, gun handling, safety, shot selection, accuracy, etc), I do not see why you would hold him from hunting deer. Good luck.
 
#15 ·
I started going squirrel hunting with my dad when I was around 6 without a gun. At 7 I went with dad and he would give me the gun for a shot at setting squirrels. It was a single shot .410. When I was 8 years old dad was working out of state and I started hunting alone to feed the family.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Whenever the adult that will be taking him feels he is ready. I do not believe in a minimum age requirement. If the kid wants to hunt, is responsible with a gun, and can hit what he is aiming at, then take him hunting.

In many states across the country, parents are taking their kids hunting at very young ages and it seems that it hasn't been an issue. The country would be a lot better off if more kids under 12 were hunting, not being spectators cause of old traditions.
 
#17 ·
My son started tagging along at 5 and he was the primary shooter at 7.He wasn't ready at 6 but that's not to say other kids wouldn't be.I will say this,at 7 he surprised me.I was kinda skeptical to take him at that age but he insisted.He ended up killing a couple of deer,a spring gobbler and a pile of squirrels.We primarily still hunted with him carrying a bi-pod and me carrying whatever gun we were using.He never complained about being bored or cold and never once asked to go home early.By the time he was 12,he was basically self-sufficient and light years ahead of where I was at that age.
 
#19 ·
Here's my son at 7 and 8 about a mile from the truck and in the worst possible weather conditions out there.tHOSE TWO DOE WERE SHOT ON THE FIRST SATURDAY WHEN HE WAS 8.We hiked pretty far back in the predawn and planned on sitting for the first hour or so and then still hunting.After a little while,he started to get cold feet so we tried walking around.He teared up a little because they were starting to hurt so I told him we'd go back to the truck to warm up and I'd take him back out later.Halfway there,he claimed his feet weren't hurting and asked to stay out.About that time,it started snowing like crazy so we headed over to a steep ravine that had a bunch of pines.It was snowing so hard at times that we could barely see.It actually brings a tear to my eye and chokes me up when I think about this.He was sitting in front of me with his rifle on a shooting stick and had the most determined look on his face.Despite the miserable conditions,there was no place that kid wanted to be at that time than right there.About 12 minutes later,I hear him whisper deer and look up to see tow doe coming out from behind a blowdown.He already had the first deer in his scope and Bam,drops it in it's tracks.I quickly grab the rifle and shoot the second deer when it stopped to look back.That day was just an awesome experience and we never would have had that memory had he not been able to hunt.
 

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#20 ·
Every parent needs to make the decision based on the physical, mental and emotional maturity of the youth.

Parents who rush their kids into it before the youth is really ready, and that is ready in all respects, are more likely to turn the youth off to hunting then to turn them on to hunting.

A very few six year old's might be ready, most probably are not.

Dick Bodenhorn
 
#24 ·
I would agree with that but every kid is different and they change a lot from year to year.I bought my son a pellet gun for his 6th birthday in June.He couldn't even hold it so I went and bought him a bb gun that I had to chop a couple inches off the stock.I remember watching him shoot and thinking,no way will this be ready to hunt before he's 10.That christmas,I bought him a youth 22 and a bunch of spinners.I couldn't believe how much better he did with that just 6 mo later.Six months later,he got a compact model 7 in .243 for his birthday.I loaded him up 150,slightly reduced loads and had him shooting at a deer target with shooting sticks several times per week.I'd have him burn through a box of rimfire and then I'd have him load,cycle and shoot 5 or 6 .243 rounds from different positions.It used to drive my wife nuts because we just shoot next to the house.She acted like I was abusing him or something.Within a short period of time,he was hitting the vitals every single time at 100 yards.I never would have believed that a year earlier.
 
#21 ·
You don't have to stick them in a blind either.Let them blow some opportunities so they learn when to move and when not to.Here he is at 7,8 and 9.Kids are capable if you give them a chance.
 

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#22 ·
We were hunting squirrels/turkeys when he was 10.After killing a few squirrels with a 22/mag I got a couple hens to answer my kee kee's and lost yelps.They came in so fast that he didn't even have time to ditch the orange.Right before we set up,I jokingly told him head shots only.The first one stepped into an opening about 40 yards away and bam,right in the noggin.The ting with mentoring a kid is that you have to make it about them,which means your own days of being a predator are put on the back burner.I transferred every one of my fall tags to my son along with my doe tag and one dmap tag every year.It's way more satisfying watching it all unfold in front of an enthusiastic young kid.I really don't get why people think kids that age are too young.What does that even mean?
 

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#25 ·
.I really don't get why people think kids that age are too young.What does that even mean?
I know a lot of the guys telling me my son was too young had no idea what the mentored program was about. They pictured kids goofing off with loaded guns. Most had no idea that I had to carry the gun till we were stopped and I had to stay within reach to take control of the gun if needed.
 
#23 ·
I will say this about dce's son. I have met the lad and though he is not large in stature he is much more mature than most kids his age and even much older. I think that boy was born a hunter, must be part of his DNA. He is a great kid in all respects. He is more than just a great young hunter. He is well on his way to be a great young man.

Doug can be darn proud of that young man and the way he has been raised.

Dick Bodenhorn
 
#26 ·
Thanks but honesty,he's just a regular kid.The only difference is,that he's been given a chance to be a hunter at a young age.There's no better way to spend time with a kid than there is in the outdoors because there's no distractions.You focus completely on them.When you focus the hunt on them at a young age they just turn out to be better people.
 
#28 ·
I started taking my son along with me during archery season when he was three. We didn’t have mentored youth at the time and he wasn’t mature enough until 12 to hunt. This was about getting time in the woods with my son. When my daughter was about three I had both of them along many times. They helped me scout for rifle season. I showed them what buck rubs and scrapes were. They would sometimes point out things I missed. My only regret was being to intense when they were younger. I was expecting to much of an ADHD son.

My son started hunting at 12.

His girlfriend has a six and seven year old. He asked me about them hunting. I haven’t been around them enough to know if they are ready for mentored youth or just tagging along.
 
#29 ·
My coworker took both of his kids out when they were 7. His daughter shot a nice 8 pointer with a crossbow and the following year his son shot a small buck out of the same stand with the same crossbow
 
#30 ·
My son probably wouldn't have done well sitting for long periods of time so I never took him or let him hunt during archery season til he was 9 and had a couple years of patience under him.He hunted squirrels turkeys and deer with a rifle in the beginning and rarely sat for more than 30 minutes at a time.There's so much for kids to see and learn when you have them still hunting that they can't get bored.A bog pod bipod that they can use sitting or standing is your friend.
 
#31 ·
I also have to agree, just by what I've been reading about dce's son, he seems an exceptional example of what a dedicated, knowledgable father can help a youngster achieve whe both of them have an overwhelming desire to reach the same goal. And throwing a little praise in the direction of Mrs. dce is very much in order as well! Both the guys are lucky she's an understanding sort!

I believe the answers to the original thread post lies within the follow up posts of dce in the things not only to look for, but a loose guideline of what to be teaching to move it in a positive direction as well.
 
#33 ·
If he's shooting a .243 fine,I'd have him burn through at least 100 more rounds at a deer target.I'd take him squirrel hunting every chance you could and I'd take him hunting for turkeys in the fall.Since there's two of you mentors,I'd take him hunting for deer.One of you can sit with him and the other can push deer to him.That constant anticipation will keep him wanting more.
 
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