As was posted earlier, Ohio has no age limit but you do have to pass a hunter safety course and you are supposed to be able to read at a 5th grade level to take the test. My middle son started hunting deer at age 11 but he was always at my side until last year (age 17). Although he never gave me any indication that he there would be any problem I just never personally felt comfortable leaving the "shoot or not shoot" decision up to him because I was concerned that he might not always focus on what was behind the target. He has gone bow hunting totally by himself (without my even being in the woods with him) but he has not gone out with a gun totally by himself (he is now 18 and I would let him if he asked but he has not done so).