I think what you’re doing is absolutely great and I don’t believe there any rules against it. If you wanted to be absolutely sure it was legal you could get him the mentored license. It only cost three dollars and he doesn’t need a hunter safety course to have it.

 

Awesome! I thought he had to take the hunter safety course to get that! Going to get him one now.... thanks!

 

Just getting a mentored youth license will probably be a big deal for an 8 year old. Be worth the $3.00 even if he's not actually hunting and not required to have it.

 

Took my son out on Friday, and had a great time. We were checking out some spots I haven’t been to in a while and he was fascinated by everything we found... mushrooms, slugs, snails. I figured if he liked them, why stop him from checking them out?!?!

Once we found a rub line though, I almost couldn’t stop him from charging into the woods trying to find the buck! Also found a dead deer curled up under a bush with some vultures picking on the carcass. Didn’t see any live deer, but I could tell his heart was thumping with excitement and he was chomping at the bit for more! Walking back to the truck, he couldn’t stop telling me that he had an awesome time and was asking when we could go out again! Probably one of my all time favorite days of hunting, and never even saw a live deer!

 

There is nothing illegal with taking your 8 year old out with you.
If you do get him a mentored hunting license then he would be able to participate in any of the mentored hunts which usually occur before the regular season.
This link will bring you to the PGC mentored regulations. https://read.nxtbook.com/pgc/huntingtrapping/20182019/index.html#mentored_youth_hunting_program
Good luck and have fun.

 

blindtiger,
Great to hear about your success !!! Some of the best days spent in the field dont require harvesting game.

 

That is why you take them with you blindtiger, to start the fire burning. Sounds like you succeeded.:thumbs::thumbs:

 

"Can I take my son in the woods with me? "


I had the same Q some years ago, when laddy-boy was too wee for a firearm. Answer is yes.

 

Get that boy a youth sized .22 and get him after squirrels ASAP. I started my boy on them when he was 7. It took a year before we got one but he was so thrilled. Now there isn't a squirrel safe inside 50 yards. I let him tag along with me prior to that. He was 4 the first time he went out with me behind camp to go "grouse hunting", which was supposed to just be basically taking the dog for a short walk along the trails behind camp. Low and behold the dog pointed, a grouse went up and I got it. He insisted on carrying the rest of the day. He's 13 now and my hunting buddy. We usually get out every weekend and now football is over, some evenings. he's even gotten to the point where he shares my passion for wild mushroom hunting and has learned quite a few wild edibles. He's to the point now he looks for them on his own if I'm at work. He has a knack for finding them. My mushroom hunting buddy and I call him the truffle pig.