peakrut

Here in Wi age limit is hopefully finally changing. My 9 yr old and me are pumped.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/state/dec05/378511.asp


Peak


Live and Learn

psychmonky

Don't forget doughters. My best friend's girl can't wait for the youth turkey season this spring.

peakrut

My bad big time, thanks Monk. Sorry to all the daughters.


Peak


Live and Learn

wis_bow_huntr

I have two children ages 4 and 7 and I think this is rediculous. I can see taking your child or children with you to the stand at 8yo but carrying a firearm that young is just plain out supid. You show me an 8 yo that can handle a high claiberrifle, shotgun, muzzleloader, or handgun with out causing injury to him or herself or maybe to others and I still wouldnt let my 8yo carry a gun. I enjoy spending time with my son in the woods hunting but I dont think its safe, nor ethical to have 8 year olds to be out killing deer or other animals. Many 8 year olds or 9 year olds cant handle a bb gun properly, and the state wants to put high caliber rifles in their hands this is just plain out stupid. I fear for anyone who puts a rifle in any 8 or 9 year olds hand. My son will nbot carry a rifle untill hes at least 12 and has completed hunteres education.I can see the news headlines now. Child Hunter Breaks Shoulder while shooting fathers/mothersgun or 9 year old child falls from treestand and later dies due to injusries. Is this what we really want for our children. Im saying that us as parents have to make the right decisions for our children and be responsible. Im not saying that most parents arent responsible, what im saying is that things can turn real ugly real quick and alot of things can and will happen before its too late for us to change the way things are turning out. For all ofyou who disagree with me, and Im sure there are hundreds, be careful, please. Remember our children can not be replaced.

psychmonky

I think that a childs readiness and maturation has to be assessed on an individual basis. I've known some pretty responsible children and then, I've met some adults that shouldn't have a gun in the woods.
Nobody suggested that you give a 7 year old child a .338 super-ultra-hyper-mega-mag. With the recent advent of reduced recoil rounds and the abundance of smaller caliber rifles that are more than capable of downing a deer, there is no reason why a child can't handle a deer rifle.
As for them falling out of the stand, why couldn't the pair of you sit in a ground blind? Or just next to a tree? I think that the important thing to remember, and the original point of this post, is that kids are the future of this DYING sport and it is important to get them involved.
It is, of course, up to you when you take your children to the woods. I do, however, wish that you wouldn't condemn the excitement of others.

wis_bow_huntr

Im happy that most of us are excited, but this is a mixed bag. Im not excited and I dont see this law passing. Its not going to happen. I did a small local survey to see how many local hunters with children under the age of 10 would let their child hunt deer under the age of 10 and I tell you what, it looks good in my book. I surveyed 30 hunters, and 22 out of 30 said that they wouldnt let their child carry a gun under the legal age as it is. 4 were undecided and 4 said they would deffinately. I rest my case. Many of them take their youg children with them every year so they can see what exaclty goes on when hunting, how guns are properly handled, etc. The DNR is running out of money and thats why they want to do this. And if it passes, which I dont think it will, im still not letting my 7 year old carry a gun next year when he will be 8. But you know what, hell be right with me in that stand or in my blind. I know the future of hunting is at risk, but its not as bad as the DNR is making it out to be. THEY NEED MONEY..and this is the only other way besides raising the license prices again. If they raise them again from 32.00 next year to 40.00, thats going to be it for Wisconsins hunting. Higher fees are whats causing the loss of hunters.

2 Poppa

It's about time the rest of the country catches up with the other states that already allows youngsters the privilage to hunt. Of course there will be nay sayers. But these are people who just take their kids hunting and never really spend the investment of time with their kids in teaching the true art of shooting, safety and hunting.

When I married my wife she had a 5 year old son who stayed in the house and played on computers and games. Not in my house. I gave him a BB gun and before you know it he graduated to a .22, during this time he was learning to shoot a bow also.

At the tender age of 6 he moved up to a .270. I wanted him to get a .243 but his preference was the .270. He began to excel. To make a long story short, not only did he excel he joined the Army in August of 2000, a month prior to the911 disaster.

He became a sniper in the 125th Infantry and served 14 months in Iraq.

Is it a good thing? Only if the parents are willing to invest the time that it takes to allow there children to become efficient in the art of shooting and hunting.

As a side note that 6 year old that I trained up is home this Christmas for good from Iraq. The time I invested was well worth it...

mudd_dawg

I coud not disagree with you more i have an 11 year old son and he took his first deer this year with a shot gun .I have twin 7 year old girls and they both have shot my 4-10 and they both shot my 22-250 all the time .To say letting a kid that young shoot is stupid,Is the truly "Stupid"thing.If the child is interested in it and is showed the proper way and it's done with the right adult then learning how to hunt and being in the outdoors is a great experince.I guess it would be better to sit them in front of a tv or let them play video games.I wish more people would would get involved with hunting or even just the outdoors.Since all my kids where about 4 or 5 i have taken then in the woods with me as much as i can not just for hunting but to teach them why its important to hunt and also and more important why is is so important to take care of the woods that we are lucky enough to have.If more parents got themselfs and their kids in the out doors the world would be a much better place

marty IL

Three of my four boys all went through hunter's safety course around 12 years of age. I took them shooting prior to that just to see if they could handle a 20ga SxS shotgun (the lightest shotgun I own). If they couldn't lug it around for a few hours there was no reason for them to get ready for the hunt. I pheasant hunt (rabbits, squirrels, doveand quail on occasion) and if the boys want to go they need to be able to carry their own shotgun. Nothing against sitting in a blind for deer, geese and ducks, but it just isn't for me. My 12 year old youngest is just now able to swing the SxS, but he still has some difficulties swinging on a pheasant after he has carried it around for a couple hours. After the boys use the 20ga for a few years they have the option of moving up to the Mossberg 500 12ga. If they like that then they get their shotgun of choice on their 16th Christmas - 12ga or 20ga.

25musky

I'm a proud grandpa of an almost 1 year old boy. I took my daughter to hunters safety and watched her graduate from that then trained her to shoot with the single shot .22 that belonged to my dad when he was young. She learned to shoot a shotgun using a 20 ga. that was my first shotgun. She went turkey hunting with me in the spring of her 14th year and decided that hunting just wasn't for her. I never pushed her to continue but she wants her son to learn about hunting and fishing. My point to all that is we should do all we can to expose our young people to the outdoor sports. We are losing hunters every year and the number of replacements is going down as well. Some of our kids will love hunting and some will not. Do what you can to get that young person outdoors and enjoying what nature has to offer.

The DNR, wether right or wrong, is trying to do something positive to get our kids in the woods. Now you might wonder what other motives they have with this, but at least they are trying. I just hope the next generation of hunters will have access to hunting land. I believe this is the single most important issue as we roll into the 21st century. We can change all the laws and regs. we want, but if our kids don't have anywhere to go to hunt, it's not going to make any difference what age they are.