ORIGINAL: huntingirl89

I agree. There should be no minimum age for hunting. However, unsupervised is another thing. I think 16 is a good age to let the kiddies go out on their own for the first time. Gives them lots of years of practice with whoever they hunt with most, and get the basics down. That way, when they come across a problem in the field, they can solve it themselves because they spent a few years learning how. Otherwise, calculating windage, downhill, range, ect. can be difficult if you just cut a new hunter loose with a firearm or bow.

I think it doesn't have as much to do with just maturity as it does with a combination of maturity and experience. No matter how a person matures at a different age or whatnot, there's got to be a certain level of experience behind the gun, not just a good hunter.