I got to thinking about this a little more, and the kid should be able to stand up to some ribbing too. i know in our camp with teh all the uncles and cousins everybody is going to get laughed at for missing a deer or laughed at for spilling their near full bag of cashews in the mud(wasnt me, i swear it)..i think about 10 is right. hunta couple years without a gun, get that safety stuff in their head, learn woodsmanship, and then be able to shoot at 12. deer camp is always a bonding experience for us and our family, but theres alot of stuff that gets talked about that would be way over an 8 year olds head. it all comes down to a parental decision i guess.

slayer