Appropriate Hunting age - The Firearms Forum

Double Deuce · 06-09-2009, 04:16 PM

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,525573,00.html

Read this article and was wondering what peoples opinions are, in my state 12 is the age limit for Big Game, and there is no restriction on smaller game as long as they have passed their hunter safety course. IMO I think 10 is too young for big game but I don't have a problem with it, I find it intersting that all the bad examples they gave had nothing to do with a hunting situation.

fmacsin1 · 06-09-2009, 04:33 PM

I believe in my state (Maine), you can hunt at the age of 10 after you've taken and passed the hunter safety course, and I'm not sure, but I think the 10 yrs olds have to hunt with an adult. My dad started me around the age of 8 to learn to shoot. I think the first 10 times I could only practice with the .22 (no live bullets). By age 10, I was shooting and that fall, my dad took me hunting for deer.

kutaho · 06-09-2009, 05:21 PM

I think thats what the law is now here in oregon.
Late 50's and 60's it was diffrent.

OBrien · 06-09-2009, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fmacsin1

I believe in my state (Maine), you can hunt at the age of 10 after you've taken and passed the hunter safety course, and I'm not sure, but I think the 10 yrs olds have to hunt with an adult. My dad started me around the age of 8 to learn to shoot. I think the first 10 times I could only practice with the .22 (no live bullets). By age 10, I was shooting and that fall, my dad took me hunting for deer.

Yes here in Maine it is 10 and you don't need a hunter safety course but have to be with an adult. At 16 your on your own but need a hunter safety course. I don't know of very many hunting accidents here that involve children that young on either end of it.

From the article

Quote:

Greg Lawson, spokesman for the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, said 30 states have no minimum hunting age, and 28 states — most recently Nevada — have created apprentice hunting licenses similar to Wisconsin's proposal.

Am I the only who read it to under stand that 30 have no minimum age and another 28 have created apprentice licenses. Wouldn't that make 58 states. Maybe that is something I missed in the second or third grade.

catfish83861 · 06-09-2009, 06:03 PM

I started hunting squirrels and rabbits with my dad at about four and shot my first squirrel at five. Dad was standing right with me when I shot it. He didn't let me hunt by myself until I was about eleven. I also believe it depends on the youngster. I wouldn't want to pressure a youngster into hunting but if he/she really wants to go,then by all means take him/her. Two of my three daughters are excellent shots and the third is better than most cops I shot with during qualifications. Good luck and stay safe. catfish

WildBill69 · 06-09-2009, 07:39 PM

I feel it should be up to the parents (as long as they use good judgment). Some kids are ready before others.

Bill

whip · 06-11-2009, 10:14 PM

I teach hunter safety each year to kids beginning as young as 8 years old. Not all are ready for the responsiblility of hunting whether supervised or not. It just depends on the individual child and their parents. I started my own children hunting with me as dog handlers or just tag alongs when they were able to walk along. My daugher shot her first rabbit at age 8. My son at age 5. Both with me right there with them helping them make the stalk and set up for the shot. My daugher killed her first and only deer at age 14 which was the legal minimum age here in Wyoming at that time. My son shot his first deer at age 12 after they changed the law to 12. Both sat through several hunter safety classes with me and I wouldn't have let them hunt if I didn't feel they were ready. My son tried to get an elk but we couldn't get the right set up at age 12. He was ready but my daughter would have needed more time regardless of what the legal age was.

My biggest concern are some of the adults that take my hunter safety graduates hunting. They have the kids do some unsafe and unethical actions while hunting because thats the way the parents hunt.

armabill · 06-11-2009, 11:37 PM

It all depends on the child.

Maximilian II · 06-12-2009, 12:10 AM

Dad says I was age 3 or 4, but maybe 5 that I started to shoot. I couldn't hold the weight of the .22 bolt action myself, but did aim and pull the trigger. That's younger than most I bet, but the results were pretty good. At 8 I had my own .410 single shot and routinely went shooting with minimal supervision. At 12 or so I got my first rifle, the same 10/22 I still have. First day I had it (Christmas) I shot at (and missed, 3 times) a doe that happened to bolt through the yard. Same year, I started shooting our 12 gauge.
As to my safety record, I've had exactly ONE accidental discharge. Ever. I'm 40.
Teach them young, they'll never forget. Watch them close, you'll never regret.

Pistolenschutze · 06-12-2009, 09:44 AM

I believe it depends a great deal on the personality and ability of the child involved. On average, I would say 10 or 12 is a reasonable age range for a beginning hunter under supervision by a competent adult. My own rule is that two factors need to be present before a youngster should be allowed to actually hunt big game:

1. Proper training by a competent adult in firearms safety and use.

2. The ability to shoot a rifle accurately that is of sufficient caliber to obtain clean kills on the game hunted. One should not be out hunting mulies or moose with a .243 in my humble opinion.

Yes, i know, kills can be obtained with rifles that small, but there is not sufficient margin for error for a kid.

For small game, like rabbits and squirrels, that may be hunted with small caliber weapons like a .22, an younger age may be appropriate, depending on the kid involved.

swanshot · 06-14-2009, 12:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pistolenschutze

I believe it depends a great deal on the personality and ability of the child involved. On average, I would say 10 or 12 is a reasonable age range for a beginning hunter under supervision by a competent adult. My own rule is that two factors need to be present before a youngster should be allowed to actually hunt big game:

1. Proper training by a competent adult in firearms safety and use.

2. The ability to shoot a rifle accurately that is of sufficient caliber to obtain clean kills on the game hunted. One should not be out hunting mulies or moose with a .243 in my humble opinion.

Yes, i know, kills can be obtained with rifles that small, but there is not sufficient margin for error for a kid.

For small game, like rabbits and squirrels, that may be hunted with small caliber weapons like a .22, an younger age may be appropriate, depending on the kid involved.

I find myself in accord with these comments Pistol.
I was once heard farmer tell his son "If you're big and strong enough to shoot the rifle accuratly offhand, then you're big enough to shoot what needs it". I interpreted this to mean something like, "if you can't handle a 308 comfortably, then you are not ready to shoot anything that needs a 308".
Sees like a reasonable criteria to me.
All this assuming of course that the youngsters attitude is good.

Sandman · 06-19-2009, 09:36 AM

At age 5 my Dad was taking me squirrel hunting and duck hunting with a .410. I killed squirrels at that age. At 7 I graduated to a crackbarrel 20 ga. and killed my first ducks. Sometime around 8 or 9 he took me deer hunting with a shotgun. Graduated to a .243 at 10 and killed my first deer then (that is still my deer rifle 26 years later). I was probably 12 or 14 before I was allowed to hunt by myself, but by then I had many years of training.

I took my oldest daughter to the duck blind without a gun at age five. Started teaching both to shoot last year at 5 and 6 with a .410 and a .22. Took both of them in the duck blind last year and brought the .410 hoping they could shoot a duck on the water, but no opportunities. They are still very small so I am not ready to let them shoot on their own at moving targets, but hopefully that is not far away.

Southern Boy · 06-19-2009, 10:31 AM

I started shooting very early in life with dady, i was also taken on all the hunts with him to either sit in the tree stand of walk with the hog-dogs ect.. I was not allowed to carry a gun untill about 10-11, when dad figured i knew how to handle the gun and make a clean kill. Head shots were all i was allowed to take. Otherwise meat was wasted. With my kids, a gun was like a chainsaw, when you can handle it and use it properly, you are old enough to get to work.

fyimo · 07-29-2009, 08:22 AM

I got started late in life at about 25 but I started my two sons at 13 in trainig with a center fire rifle ( they shot pellet guns at 12) and they started to hunt when they were 14. My Grandson shot his first deer at 12 years old and this year He is doing a youth Elk hunt in Kentucky and we think he will get a trophy because it's a special hunt and they are providing a guide.

It varies by the kid also as a few friends of mine started their kid hunting really early for Elk in Colorado and the kids just hated it as they weren't physically ready for the toughness of the hunt. Those two boys don't hunt anymore and it was because of their first experiences.

When my Garndson did his first Elk hunt in Colorado when he was 13 my Son had to cut back on where he hunted so that he would not beat the kid up on the mountains by hunting where we usually hunt. It would have been to physically demanding on him because at the time he weighed around a 100 pounds.

He uses a Savage Model 99 in 300 Savage that I gave him as it was my first gun and I had it completly redone and gave it him before his first Deer hunt. He took a Doe with his youth Deer tag on opening morning with it.

45nut · 07-29-2009, 08:33 AM

First check the laws in your state. In Texas there is no law concerning what age a child may hunt.

It depends on the kid and if they want to and are able to handle the responsibility of handling a gun. I got a BB gun when I was around 8. I was shooting friends before then. I got my Ithaca #51 Featherweight 12ga when I was 11 and my Marlin #60 .22 the next year I think.

Appliancedude · 07-30-2009, 01:14 AM

To actually hunt, I gotta go with state law. To go hunting, I gotta say as soon as they are interested. Even if that means you know your not gonna get anything. My daughter turns 3 next month. She will get her first BB gun when she turns 4 and if she's interested when she turns 5 she'll get that cute little pink cricket 22.

06-09-2009, 04:16 PM	#1
Double Deuce V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Utah Posts: 313	Appropriate Hunting age http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,525573,00.html Read this article and was wondering what peoples opinions are, in my state 12 is the age limit for Big Game, and there is no restriction on smaller game as long as they have passed their hunter safety course. IMO I think 10 is too young for big game but I don't have a problem with it, I find it intersting that all the bad examples they gave had nothing to do with a hunting situation. -->

06-09-2009, 04:33 PM	#2
fmacsin1 V.I.P. Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Moosehead Lake, Maine Posts: 433	Re: Appropriate Hunting age I believe in my state (Maine), you can hunt at the age of 10 after you've taken and passed the hunter safety course, and I'm not sure, but I think the 10 yrs olds have to hunt with an adult. My dad started me around the age of 8 to learn to shoot. I think the first 10 times I could only practice with the .22 (no live bullets). By age 10, I was shooting and that fall, my dad took me hunting for deer.

06-09-2009, 05:21 PM	#3
kutaho Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Peoples Republic of the Pacific Northwest Posts: 1,852	Re: Appropriate Hunting age I think thats what the law is now here in oregon. Late 50's and 60's it was diffrent. __________________ No man stands in the same river twice If all else fails grab a rock Mi Taku oyasin

06-11-2009, 10:14 PM	#7
whip V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Wyoming Posts: 238	Re: Appropriate Hunting age I teach hunter safety each year to kids beginning as young as 8 years old. Not all are ready for the responsiblility of hunting whether supervised or not. It just depends on the individual child and their parents. I started my own children hunting with me as dog handlers or just tag alongs when they were able to walk along. My daugher shot her first rabbit at age 8. My son at age 5. Both with me right there with them helping them make the stalk and set up for the shot. My daugher killed her first and only deer at age 14 which was the legal minimum age here in Wyoming at that time. My son shot his first deer at age 12 after they changed the law to 12. Both sat through several hunter safety classes with me and I wouldn't have let them hunt if I didn't feel they were ready. My son tried to get an elk but we couldn't get the right set up at age 12. He was ready but my daughter would have needed more time regardless of what the legal age was. My biggest concern are some of the adults that take my hunter safety graduates hunting. They have the kids do some unsafe and unethical actions while hunting because thats the way the parents hunt.

06-11-2009, 11:37 PM	#8
armabill V.I.P. Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Glenolden, Pa. Posts: 166	Re: Appropriate Hunting age It all depends on the child.

06-09-2009, 06:03 PM	#5
catfish83861 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: North Idaho Posts: 2,019	Re: Appropriate Hunting age I started hunting squirrels and rabbits with my dad at about four and shot my first squirrel at five. Dad was standing right with me when I shot it. He didn't let me hunt by myself until I was about eleven. I also believe it depends on the youngster. I wouldn't want to pressure a youngster into hunting but if he/she really wants to go,then by all means take him/her. Two of my three daughters are excellent shots and the third is better than most cops I shot with during qualifications. Good luck and stay safe. catfish __________________ 'Bravery is being the only one who knows you're afraid.' - David Hackworth

06-09-2009, 07:39 PM	#6
WildBill69 Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Minnesota Posts: 48	Re: Appropriate Hunting age I feel it should be up to the parents (as long as they use good judgment). Some kids are ready before others. Bill __________________ "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

06-12-2009, 12:10 AM	#9
Maximilian II Advanced Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Northwest GA Posts: 1,381	Re: Appropriate Hunting age Dad says I was age 3 or 4, but maybe 5 that I started to shoot. I couldn't hold the weight of the .22 bolt action myself, but did aim and pull the trigger. That's younger than most I bet, but the results were pretty good. At 8 I had my own .410 single shot and routinely went shooting with minimal supervision. At 12 or so I got my first rifle, the same 10/22 I still have. First day I had it (Christmas) I shot at (and missed, 3 times) a doe that happened to bolt through the yard. Same year, I started shooting our 12 gauge. As to my safety record, I've had exactly ONE accidental discharge. Ever. I'm 40. Teach them young, they'll never forget. Watch them close, you'll never regret. __________________ Karma is just justice, without the satisfaction. And I don't believe in justice. -Joe Sarno, bagman. Last edited by Maximilian II; 06-12-2009 at 12:12 AM..

06-12-2009, 09:44 AM	#10
Pistolenschutze Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Colorado Posts: 13,094	Re: Appropriate Hunting age I believe it depends a great deal on the personality and ability of the child involved. On average, I would say 10 or 12 is a reasonable age range for a beginning hunter under supervision by a competent adult. My own rule is that two factors need to be present before a youngster should be allowed to actually hunt big game: 1. Proper training by a competent adult in firearms safety and use. 2. The ability to shoot a rifle accurately that is of sufficient caliber to obtain clean kills on the game hunted. One should not be out hunting mulies or moose with a .243 in my humble opinion. Yes, i know, kills can be obtained with rifles that small, but there is not sufficient margin for error for a kid. For small game, like rabbits and squirrels, that may be hunted with small caliber weapons like a .22, an younger age may be appropriate, depending on the kid involved. __________________ --Pistolenschutze (Pistol Shooter) Last edited by Pistolenschutze; 06-12-2009 at 09:45 AM..

06-19-2009, 09:36 AM	#12
Sandman Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Louisiana Posts: 552	Re: Appropriate Hunting age At age 5 my Dad was taking me squirrel hunting and duck hunting with a .410. I killed squirrels at that age. At 7 I graduated to a crackbarrel 20 ga. and killed my first ducks. Sometime around 8 or 9 he took me deer hunting with a shotgun. Graduated to a .243 at 10 and killed my first deer then (that is still my deer rifle 26 years later). I was probably 12 or 14 before I was allowed to hunt by myself, but by then I had many years of training. I took my oldest daughter to the duck blind without a gun at age five. Started teaching both to shoot last year at 5 and 6 with a .410 and a .22. Took both of them in the duck blind last year and brought the .410 hoping they could shoot a duck on the water, but no opportunities. They are still very small so I am not ready to let them shoot on their own at moving targets, but hopefully that is not far away.

06-19-2009, 10:31 AM	#13
Southern Boy V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 110	Re: Appropriate Hunting age I started shooting very early in life with dady, i was also taken on all the hunts with him to either sit in the tree stand of walk with the hog-dogs ect.. I was not allowed to carry a gun untill about 10-11, when dad figured i knew how to handle the gun and make a clean kill. Head shots were all i was allowed to take. Otherwise meat was wasted. With my kids, a gun was like a chainsaw, when you can handle it and use it properly, you are old enough to get to work. __________________ "The 2nd Amendment is my "concealed carry permit"" Ted Nugent

07-29-2009, 08:22 AM	#14
fyimo V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Arkansas Posts: 187	Re: Appropriate Hunting age I got started late in life at about 25 but I started my two sons at 13 in trainig with a center fire rifle ( they shot pellet guns at 12) and they started to hunt when they were 14. My Grandson shot his first deer at 12 years old and this year He is doing a youth Elk hunt in Kentucky and we think he will get a trophy because it's a special hunt and they are providing a guide. It varies by the kid also as a few friends of mine started their kid hunting really early for Elk in Colorado and the kids just hated it as they weren't physically ready for the toughness of the hunt. Those two boys don't hunt anymore and it was because of their first experiences. When my Garndson did his first Elk hunt in Colorado when he was 13 my Son had to cut back on where he hunted so that he would not beat the kid up on the mountains by hunting where we usually hunt. It would have been to physically demanding on him because at the time he weighed around a 100 pounds. He uses a Savage Model 99 in 300 Savage that I gave him as it was my first gun and I had it completly redone and gave it him before his first Deer hunt. He took a Doe with his youth Deer tag on opening morning with it.

07-29-2009, 08:33 AM	#15
45nut Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 3,428	Re: Appropriate Hunting age First check the laws in your state. In Texas there is no law concerning what age a child may hunt. It depends on the kid and if they want to and are able to handle the responsibility of handling a gun. I got a BB gun when I was around 8. I was shooting friends before then. I got my Ithaca #51 Featherweight 12ga when I was 11 and my Marlin #60 .22 the next year I think. __________________ A gun is a tool, Marian; no better or no worse than any other tool: an axe, a shovel or anything. A gun is as good or as bad as the man using it. Remember that. Shane Nemo me impune lacesset We recall the case of the Shoshone war band which showed up complete with one 30-30 rifle per man the week after Pearl Harbor, and simply wanted to have the enemy pointed out to them. "We hear there's a war going on and we want to go fight it." Jeff Cooper *KCCO*

07-30-2009, 01:14 AM	#16
Appliancedude Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: The true northern Cal Posts: 1,562	Re: Appropriate Hunting age To actually hunt, I gotta go with state law. To go hunting, I gotta say as soon as they are interested. Even if that means you know your not gonna get anything. My daughter turns 3 next month. She will get her first BB gun when she turns 4 and if she's interested when she turns 5 she'll get that cute little pink cricket 22. __________________ It ain't broke it just lacks duct tape. The nice thing about opinions is everybody has one.