I was probably 12 when I started deer hunting on my own. My skill level was different than all the other 12 years olds that I knew though. I had been going with my father religously since I was very young and my father had seen me exhibit good judgement on several occaisions so there was no doubt that I could handle myself and make competent decisions. Then again I was getting triples on a covey rise by the time I was 12 and we were hunting together 40-50 days a year and I was hanging right there with the adults. My dad was always close buy until I was 14 when I started bowhunting. Then he would take me and drop me off and come back and get me. By that time I was an accompolished duck hunter, squirrel hunter, quail hunter, dove hunter, and rabbitt hunter. I consistenly killed limits of small game if the shots presented themselves and I killed by first limit of teal 6 years earlier (anyone that has shot teal can attest to the difficulty of this task). At 14 I already had 7 duck bands a couple of long beards and enough rabitts , squirrels, dove, and quail to fill up the back end of a truck. It all depends on the experience level and majurity of the child involved.