How old should a person be before they start hunting deer?

Question

I'm having huge arguments with my in-laws about this topic. I was 6 years-old when my father bought me a cross-bow, but I didn't get my first deer until I was 8. They think I'm full of it and told me that it's way too young to be shooting a firearm. Where I came from (Ohio), most kids were out hunting with their fathers/brothers.

Answer 1

It's not really a matter of age, but maturity. A person should be old enough to know the importance of his/her actions, how important it is to make one shot count, and have enough practice to be able to do just that, before picking up a weapon. It would also be good to have a hunter safety course education, and in some states mandatory. Know also that after the animal is killed, is when the work really begins: field dressing, skinning, butchering...
On the other hand, the family that hunts together tends to develop bonds that are not apparent to those that do not hunt. So take your children with you, teach them good ethics, and they will grow up to be responsible adults...passing it on to their own children in turn.

Answer 2

I think 12 should be the minimum age to hunt deer with. A lot of states follow that guideline, although many have strayed away from that to create extra revenue and hype.
Missouri ran a picture on their monthly publication a few years on how a 4 year killed a turkey.
I find this wreckless and shamefull.

In general 12 is a good standard minimum age.
The mental capacity of a 12 year old is enough to where they can understand more of what is going on. The age of 12 is also to the point where the child will be doing the shooting and not the father actually using the youth tag to extend his own season like many do.

I think something around the age of 7-9 is great to get a bb gun, 10-11 going to a single shot 22 or a break open shotgun.

Most on the internet forums think the parents should make the decision on whether or not their children have the credentials to hunt. Well I tell you what, most adults have no business out there hunting, much less one of their children.

Certainly all children mature at different stages and ages. But I think it's important that the states set a minimum age, an average of when that maturity happens - and I think that should be 12.

Answer 3

I believe that most states mark 12 as the minimum hunting age, and even that is as a supervised hunter (meaning that the hunter has to be within normal voice and sight of another, generally adult, hunter). I got my first bb-gun at 6, and I started hunting lizards and snakes with my bb-gun at 8. I got to go deer hunting at 10 with no rifle, and started carrying a rifle at 12 after completing my hunter safety course (waaay back in the 70s). I think most people would adopt 12 as a good age, as that is when people believe kids really start to take responsibility, and when they are mature enough to focus on the hunt, instead of throwing rocks, picking bark off trees, chasing chipmunks, etc. I think a lot varies from person to person. My daughter was a good hunter as a Daisy Girl Scout, quiet in the woods, listening, looking, observing. My son, and most of my Boy Scouts for that matter, were more like a human frieght train crashing through the brush. So, perhaps you were good at 8, but I think you were more the exception than the rule.

Answer 4

I say kids should be allowed to go out as soon as they decide they want to go, but that time needs to be spent teaching them to respect the traditions of hunting and the proper way to conduct your self in the woods. Before any child can take a firearm into the woods they should spend plenty of time learning the proper use, care, and respect for it. Along that line they should also be a good shot.
I also believe first hunts should be short, not all day sits. I took my youngest daughter (age 7) out just last month for some small game hunting. We had a great time and she learned how to identify different animal tracks and how to move silently. I was very happy to see some game that we decided not to shoot because it was too small, and in that she got to start learning discretion. I would have loved to have taken her out at a younger age but a lot of the land I hunt is state hunting area and "mommy" has safety issues with that.
All this being said kids should be allowed to start as soon as they are ready, we have to start teaching them some time and better sooner then later. With all the violence in our world with kids and guns perhaps teaching all kids to respect firearms and how much damage they can truly do at a very young age might just be the best thing we can do.

Answer 5

Well legally here in Montana you have to be 12 and have a certificate that says you completed a hunters safety course.
But I don't think most of us follow that to closely.
My youngest daughter is 8 and killed her first deer with a rifle this year.
She has been shooting since she was 5 and last year for Xmas we bought her a kids .22.
I think children that are going to grow up around hunting and guns should learn how to handle them and use them properly as young as possible. Keep in mind we live in Montana. I do not think children that grow up in the city somewhere and is never going to hunt should even need to know what a gun is.

Answer 6

The way I was brought up and the way I raised my kids was that the younger kids could tag along on any hunt at any age providing they were able to keep up and handle the weather. At 9 years old was when we were given a .22 at 11 a .410 and at 12 they get to start practicing on the 30/30. At 13 they get their first deer tag and could go on a hunt with one of the adults nearby. At 16 they were on their own.

Answer 7

I started marching into the woods, wide eyed, with my father when I was 9. He bought my first gun, Remington 1100 12 gage at age 13. 13 to 16 I hunted within eyesight of my father. I was hunting alone by 16.

It's too early to put a child in control of a deadly weapon when they don't understand the seriousness of what they're holding. Some kids get that earlier than others. Make sure you're comfortable with your childs maturity before trusting them not to kill themselves or someone else.

Answer 8

it really depends. what kind of respect you show for your firearms will say alot for your kid. Also, you need to consider the child as an individual. How mature are they? Are they reckless or spontaneous to the point of a possible danger to anyone? do they really understand the possible consequences of not following ALL of the rules outlined for them? also, will you or any other adults ever be drinking liquor when your child has access to the firearm? Does your child have bad vision? Can the child focus on the task at hand? (The last thing you need is for your son to shoot the gun in the wrong direction because he was distracted while shooting. At the least you should consider all of these questions.

Answer 9

I went hunting with my mother and father as an infant. My mom would place me in a blanket and a make-shift crib and hunt with me. She just wanted to go out there. I don't think she wanted to kill anything. Later my Dad started taking me and when I was about 7 he started letting me handle the gun while he was in the stand. When I demonstrated the responsibility and respect necessary for firearms handling my grandfather gave me a rifle for my ninth birthday. My dad would walk me to the stand drop me off and tell me to wait for him to pick me up. What I didn't know at the time was that he had a blind within sight of me. At age 10 I shot my first deer, however I could have shot one as early as 7 if we had seen a "shooter".

I think it is up to the parent to judge their own children's level of trust and responsibility and then make the necessary decision. I was trained and basically "groomed" for hunting and I have enjoyed it for the last 43 years.

Answer 10

i was shooting bows and rifles around 8 or 9,but they didn't take me hunting until i was twelve or 13.now that i think about it ,it probably would have been a pain in the a s s for my brother,father and uncles dragging an 8yo around,i think it's a little young. but not to young to start teaching them about firearms