Is this kid too young to be hunting?
 

Coach Stankowski is at it again. My little girl is only five, but I'm wondering how old your kid should be before you take them out on a serious hunt.

http://www.centralwisconsinsports.ne...he-kid-in-tow/

Only you as the Parent should make that decision. Every kid is different.

I started taking my kids hunting with me when they were about 5 years old. My daughter would fall back asleep sucking her fingers.

I agree it is a parents choice to as when he can hunt but as far as taking him with you I love it the excitement my 10 year old has had the last 3 years i will never forget.
The fondest I have had was I had 2 does at 40 to 50 yards in front of a box stand and my mentally handicapped son flapping his arm in excitement and the does turning there head almost upside down to figure out what he was. The previous week I had shot one he could not see from the box stand because the light was about gone but I love hunting with him. I hate I lost the box stand it made a good location to keep him warm and I would have loved to see him take a deer from it. I plan to let him pull the trigger this year, last year I was standing beside him and dropped a doe at 20 yds with BP.

I too would say . . .
 

it's not a cookie cutter decision. Every child won't fit our mold, even if we wish.
Personally, I came to hunting later than many. I well remember my smallish size in height and weight and the kick of that old 30-30, which few adults quite ever understood. Truefully, I wasn't made for hunting before twelve.

Due to the laws at the time in Michigan I couldn't bow hunt till I was 12 and couldn't gun hunt till I was 14. I think it's great that states (including MI) are allowing young kids to get out in the woods. As mentioned above each kid will be different, but I think kids should get out in the woods as soon as possible. If they are too young to shoot there is nothing wrong with letting a youngster sit with ya and have them take it all in.

as others said,
comes down to the parents,
think kids should tag along as young as possible,
the younger the better,
you as the parent have the responsibility of hunting and keeping an eye on your kid,
as for kids hunting,
to me that is a different scenario,
i do not feel safe sharing the woods with a 10-12 yr old holding a gun, no matter how responsible the parent claims his kid is.

If they can pass a hunters education course ON THEIR OWN and can hadle a firearm or bow then I say put them out there. I feel like this should be what says if they are able to hunt or not. I feel age should not be a factor.

My son started hunting at 6. He got his first game at 6 - a squirrel. His first big game animal was a spike whitetail buck at 7. I also took him on an exotic hunt when he was 7 and he shot a Corsican ram with his 308 Win. :happy0001:

I started when i was 4 yrs old with my cap gun,then my dad let me carry a 22 single shot
with out the bolt in it.when we would see a squirrel or rabbit sitting we would put the bolt in and let me shoot (bagged my first squirrel at 5 )
he would make me pretend the gun was loaded all the times and would let me have it if
the barrel ever pointed in the wrong direction.(still have lumps on my head :-) )
but by the time i could hunt (PA 12 yrs old) I was very well educated on how to handle
a gun.

if he is hunting in wisconsin he is too young to shoot a deer. you have to be 10 in wisconsin

How I was Taught
 

I think that children should start on "scouting" trips with no firearms present. As soon as their interest begins to wonder, call it a day. If you force the issue, it will cease to be fun and they will want to avoid the trips.

Take them on actual small game hunts (with you as the hunter) These may be short hunts. End with some target shooting as the reward for their efforts.

Big game hunts (with you as the hunter) when they can sit still for a reasonable time. Even when the reach the age when they can hunt, even if they pass a hunter education course, they should be under close supervision. Adults make mistakes because of the excitement of the moment. It has to be assumed that young folks are even more likely to do so.

Eventually, they will hold their own firearm with you hunting nearby. Then hunt on their own.

You are responsible for your childs safety as well as that of the other hunters in the woods. That is the way I was taught and it has stood the test of time.

Don't think he intended for the child to actually shoot the deer. ;)

When you start taking kids in the woods, you first and foremost need to realize that it will be a different type of hunt than if you do it solo. It's all about keeping them engaged and interested. Some thoughts:

- go places that are easily accessible (don't drag them on long walks through nasty terrain to get to the stand)
- go when the weather is decent (we can handle bad conditions...kids usually have a lower tolerance for it)
- be patient and flexible. You will probably have to leave the stand earlier than you would on your own.

It's all about getting them interested and giving them good memories to build upon later. If you make their first experiences boring, miserable ones, you'll turn them off faster than you hook them. Their first hunts are about them, not you. I think some hunters forget this...I know of a few kids that have been turned off because of an over-eager parent that tried throwing them into the deep end of the pool too early.

With that said, starting early is probably better than waiting until they're 10, 12 or older. By then, they'll already have other interests competing for their time. I started with mine when they were toddlers, and they're already hooked (older now). :)

The first "hunt" I recall was with my dad .... at age about 5. Walking with him as he and his lemon heared pointer "Lou" searched for quail around Amite , La. That was about 1953. Santa brought me a 3 shot, bolt action Mossberg .410 when I was 8. Dad taught me every safety rule that there is and "Barney Fife'd" me for years ... one shell at a time, and in my pocket until game (squirrel, rabbit, raccoon or nutria) showed up. Somewhere around age 13 or so, I was on my own still hunting squirrels and hunting rabbits with beagles. At 15, I was hunting ducks with an old 12 ga. Savage SBS and deer with my beloved Remingotn 600 in 6.5 Rem. Mag.

If the parent or mentor is worth his/her salt, they should know best. I am a very cautious sort by habit, and did not allow my children to hunt un******ed by me until about age 15.

hunting
 

Its definately a different hunt with the little ones. I started my oldest daughter with morning hunts when she was 7. We would carefully and quietly go to the stand before light and then would sit and whisper until sun-up. Usually after about two hours she would inform me that she needed to pee. This was my que that it was time to leave and go get breakfast.
Four years later, shes a pretty polished hunter. She shoots a .243 and is extremely stealthy around deer. I still sit in the stand with her and find myself saving the good deer for her. She still wants to shoot the little bucks when they walk out but she knows better.
Some of my favorite one on one times with her were in the deer stand. When its dark, those kids will tell you everything. By not forcing her, I was able to develope her love for the sport.
Make it fun for them, dont push them and you will have a hunting partner for years to come.

Whenever both the kid and the parents is ready.