When is the right age to start hunting...

[Kevin]

I will preface this with saying I didn’t start hunting deer until I was 15. We mostly fished and hunting was expensive even then so it really wasn’t a realistic option for my Dad until I was a bit older.

With that said, I clearly remember my first deer and I had a deep understanding of what it meant to take an animals life for food. It was more about tradition, passion and time with my Dad in the woods than it was about killing. On that trip we walked into Richland WMA on a youth draw hunt and passed does the first 30 minutes into the hunt because we didn’t want it to end so quickly. Ended up shooting my first deer (a doe) with my Dads 30-30 on the last day of the hunt. Walking up to that deer was a very introspective moment and I started my own tradition of thanking God for the opportunity after every kill since then.

I now have a 2 year old boy so I am trying to decide when I want his first big game hunt to take place. Gun safety and maturity will have a large impact, but I really feel that pulling the trigger should require an understanding of what it means to stop an animals life on this earth so we can eat and grow. I guess time will tell, but I don’t see that happening with a 4 or 5 year old.

With that ramble posted... I would be curious how other fathers have handled this and the reasons you chose for deciding it was “go time.”

[Kevin]

A story that comes to mind is someone I know let his 4 year old son shoot a deer on a lease some years back. The kid did great and drilled anything he shot at (his Dad is one of the best bow hunters I’ve hunted with). But I remember the same boy letting my Dog lick him in the mouth for 30 seconds straight and laughing the entire time and I thought to myself - is this little dude REALLY ready to hunt!?!

[Chad C]

When is the right age to start hunting...

I shot my first deer at six, my son killed his first deer this year at 8. To me, it was about maturity and an understanding of what we were doing. Hagen went on several hunts this year (not all successful and losing a 140 class buck he shot) and learned a ton, but I’ll never forget this one and neither will he.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[panhandlehunter]

My daughter is 4 and is already shooting and accurately at close distances(30 yards or so). I killed my first deer at 5. I will let her hunt when I feel she is ready, I’m not real sure how to determine that though. I think it has more to do with handling it from the mental aspect. But she’s been in deer camp and seen animals killed and skinned, since she was born. I’ll give her at least another year before we try on a deer. We have tons of pigs here at the house so I’ll let her hone her skill there.

[JTeLarkin08]

I have 5 year old twins and have been contemplating this lately.. I took the kids to the lease this year and they just hung out at the house with my wife.. They were able to look out and see deer in the evenings and during the day they ran around the cotton field and picked cotton and looked at deer and pig poop.. I shot a pig one morning at the house and we went and looked at it.. My little boy thought it was kinda gross.. My little girl wanted to poke its eye. lol.. I have decided next year I will take at least one of them every trip and let them sit in the blind.. I also will probably get them a crossbow so they can start shooting.. However.. I think I will wait a little before I let them kill something.. I want them to help me clean deer and to see me shoot a deer.. They need to understand death before taking a life.. And I think this can be different for each child.. I think I will know when it is the right time for each kid.. I also Know one of them will have to be first and that will **** the other one off real bad ha

[MadHatter]

The right age has nothing to do with a number.

[Kevin]

The right age has nothing to do with a number.

Exactly. Which means you didn’t read anything I posted. How did you decide it was time to take your kids hunting? Did your wife agree?

[Kevin]

I have 5 year old twins and have been contemplating this lately.. I took the kids to the lease this year and they just hung out at the house with my wife.. They were able to look out and see deer in the evenings and during the day they ran around the cotton field and picked cotton and looked at deer and pig poop.. I shot a pig one morning at the house and we went and looked at it.. My little boy thought it was kinda gross.. My little girl wanted to poke its eye. lol.. I have decided next year I will take at least one of them every trip and let them sit in the blind.. I also will probably get them a crossbow so they can start shooting.. However.. I think I will wait a little before I let them kill something.. I want them to help me clean deer and to see me shoot a deer.. They need to understand death before taking a life.. And I think this can be different for each child.. I think I will know when it is the right time for each kid.. I also Know one of them will have to be first and that will **** the other one off real bad ha

Hah! Twins is my worst nightmare. I have a daughter OTW in April. I do think I will start them off on small game first.

[Kevin]

I shot my first deer at six, my son killed his first deer this year at 8. To me, it was about maturity and an understanding of what we were doing. Hagen went on several hunts this year (not all successful and losing a 140 class buck he shot) and learned a ton, but I’ll never forget this one and neither will he.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I bet you guys both will remember that for a lifetime. Congrats and thanks for the input.

[JTeLarkin08]

Hah! Twins is my worst nightmare. I have a daughter OTW in April. I do think I will start them off on small game first.

My only hesitation with starting on small game is we dont really eat much of it.. I mean I guess that really doesnt matter tho.. I killed truck loads of song birds growing up and im pretty sure thats one reason I am a hunter today.. It was fun lol

[Anteloper]

Took my son on a ton of hunts and made sure he really really really wanted it and worked for it first

[merlin]

I will say 6 or 7

[MadHatter]

Exactly. Which means you didn’t read anything I posted. How did you decide it was time to take your kids hunting? Did your wife agree?

Taking them hunting is a thing that happens in diapers. Killing is a different matter.
Whether the wife agrees, doesn't matter.
If I have the kid, he's doing what I'm doing period.
No woman is ever going to tell me what I can or can't do with my child in that regard.
It's how I was raised, and I will do the same.
Not sure how that has any bearing on the subject though.

And yes, I did misread your post, my apologies.

[ChickenWilly]

My daughter has been going to the lease with me since she was walking. She has always loved going and always asking when we could go back. My plan was to wait till she asked when she could shoot one. Last year she told me she wanted to try and shoot her first deer when she was 6 lol. So I told her if she practiced her shooting a lot and I felt she was ready I would let her try. Well she wanted to shoot all the time and put in the practice and is scary good to be honest! She was able to get a spike a few days before thanksgiving and made a perfect shot and hasn't stopped talking about it and thanking me for helping her get her first deer. I do definitely think it is gonna be different for every kid though. I would say just let them be involved and let them show you when they are ready

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[Wayspr]

My son started getting in the blind with me at 4. He helped carry his gear, he helped drag out deer, he ate a ton of powdered donuts. He desperately wanted to shoot one at age 5 but I wouldn’t let him until age 6. He shot 1000’s of rounds with a .22, shooting paper, balloons, metal spinners, soda cans and his favorite, eggs. When he was good enough to consistently hit what he was aiming at, he was ready. He just turned 11, has killed about a dozen, all but 2 were DRT, the other 2 ran less than a 100 yards.
As to your question, I say 5-7 is about right but only you can decide when your son is ready.