A11en

My boys started spending time in the woods at age 3. My oldest shot his first at age 10 and my youngest son shot his first at age 8. They enjoy it.

wyomingtrapper

Any age, if interested. Just remember to make it a good experience. An all day, sunup to sundown, steep country, elk hunt might not be the best one to take your little one on...

Angus74

I think it depends on the youth and the parents,, My son just had his 6th birthday party today, and has been shooting a .22 since he was 4, and been tagging along with me on bloodtrails, scouting, and trail cam checking for a couple years. He has been hunting since the first of this year, and last winter went on his first coon hunt and cleanly took a possum and a coon and loved every minute of it. Then in spring turkey season, he took a 22 lb gobbler with a 10 inch beard with a 12 yard shot from a ground blind in a food plot with his youth model Rem 1100 20 gauge! He also just got a NEF .223 for his 6th birthday and is shooting it pretty well for the first day,, 4 inch groups,, and hopefully he will be taking his first deer in Mo youth season Nov 1st.

With that said, I also have a nephew 3 weeks younger than my son, whom I wouldnt consider taking on a hunt. His dad doesnt hunt and he has never been around hunting, except at my brothers meat shop, he isnt ready at all to hunt, and I dont hink he would enjoy it if he was taken. Just the difference in the way they have been raised so far,, both on the same farm, next door to one another, and in the same school class,, but totally different in all other ways,, and best of buddies.

Stoningtonwhitetail

I have two sons, that is why I asked this question. My oldest is 5 and he shows TONS of interest in hunting, I am considering taking him out next year during bow season, so I guess the answer to my own question is 6, but as he gets older I will take him out during rifle season...

WV Hunter

I've taken my 2 kids since they were about 4. Just little bits at a time initially and when it was warm out, etc. Get them interested little by little. Now my son is 10, daughter 7 (will be 8 & 11 soon) and they love it. My son has killed 3 deer and my daughter "wants to" but we aren't there yet. Maybe next year. Nothing funner than taking kids, imo.

Have fun!

Rebel Hog

That depends from Child to Child.........If a child has no Attention Deficit Disorder at the age of 8, he's ready to start to participate in the field with instructors....Don't take it for granted, it could cost him his life or your life or someone else's......

Canned Heat

I failed to mention in my earlier post....the kids can't hunt up here in WI until the age of 12. That may change at some point, hopefully before too long.

Grasshopper13

Both my girls were seven when they went on their first whitetail hunts as the shooter, but they'd been going with me for a couple of years prior to that. It mostly depends on how you teach them about nature and the need to actually "kill" game instead of "catching" it.


GH

Jasonlester

My oldest daughter started at 2 1/2. I took her out in the middle of the day and she sat for 2.5 hours and carefully whatched. I was amazed. I haven't been able to take my kids as much as I want though. So its a few times a year.

My daughter just finished her hunter safety course yesterday. She hunted with me the last couple of years with an aprentice (sp) licence. She had two nice opertunities but niether worked out. So hopefully this is her year.


So basicaly take them out whenever you can. If nothing more than an extra trip in the middle of the worst time to hunt. sit them in a blind or something and forget about realy hunting. Teach them how to walk in and be quiet. Teach them how to sit still and look carefully. I have taken 2 of my other children and had one asleep ong me when deer came by. I tried and tried to wake her up but couldn't ..so the deer walked. Its a memory I'll always have.

okietreedude

my daughter (now 9) went w/ me the first time at 4. its the only time she's gone. Id take her again if she wanted to go.

my son was also 4 but closer to 5 on his first. Hes been several times since. One was an early morning hunt. Weather was decent.

All of the hunts have been gun hunts. I wouldnt take them archery until they were able to sit and enjoy the outdoors. that seems to be 12-13. Sure, there are kids that are younger that can sit still, but the stillness required for bowhunting it a lot to ask of a youngster. That is unless your sitting in a ground blind wich conceals a lot of movement.

I bought a 243 last yr in anticipation of the kids hunting on their own. so far they havent shot it.