Ghost of the hardwoods

I'm 36 years old now and I "STILL" don't like hunting totally by my self. Especially in an area that I am unfamiliar with. I have hunted about 15-20 times being totally alone on property that I was very familiar with.

In New York, with a firearm you have to be 16 years old to hunt by yourself. Thats how old me and my brother where when we hunted "alone". We were not totally alone though. I was about 175 yards away from my father and my brother was about 150 yards away from my dad.

I remember my first opening day, when I had my very own stand to myself. I felt very "independent". I felt as if I was a boy who was turning into a man in a primitive way and was sharing the experience of our ancestors since the pioneers of this country.

I also remember the first time that I hunted by myself on land that I was totally unfamiliar with. It was a large track of land consisting of 3700 acres. As soon as I got about 100 yards in, I was overwhelmed and didn't like the feeling at all. I thought to myself, " What if something happened to me out here? "

Even to this day I don't like going into "unknown" territory totally alone.

Anyways, CONGRATS to your son on a very fine buck!!!! Good huntin'

Sluggunhunter

I'm 14 and my dad hardly has the time to take me out. I started hunting when I was 11. I started hunting by myself at 12. Last year i took a little buck all by myself. This year i took two does. I gut my own deer and carry/drag them back by myself. All my friends think I'm crazy that i hunt by myself. IMO I think I'm a whole lot more mature than the average 14 year old, mentally and physically. I am 6'1" and am physically able to hunt by myself. My parents are the most strict parents ever. But they don't have one problem with me hunting with friends that are older and responsible or me hunting by myself.

skb2706

This is Colorado and out of site can be 25 feet. By the time my son was 8 he had handled a centerfire rifle more than 95% of the forum regulars.
Singleshot rifle coyote hunting one shot one kill.....thats the way we roll.

Master Chief

In Tennessee you are suppose to be 17. I hunt alone in my back yard(Im 16). My dad is only about 30 yards from me in his room.

On public land I hunt with my dad or his buddy. I climb the tree and one of them sits on the ground under me. I don't really agree with it considering I can legally drive by myself but it's the law. Of course the bonus hunts don't bother me

Buck Commander

It sounds like he's ready. Especially since you've stressed that safety is very important. I'm sure there would be a fear of not wanting to let you down so he would have to be careful but in the end, it's all about maturity. If your boy is starting to turn into a young man, he's ready but if he still acts out at the drop of a hat then not letting him go alone might straighten him up.

wareaglecj

I'm not going to tell another parent what he should or shouldn't do with his son/daughter on their own land. But I will tell you what happened to me if you don't mind a quick story:

My oldest son was 11 when I started letting him hunt by himself with a bow, which felt much safer for both him and anyone else who might walk up. Keep in mind he started shooting when he was 5 and regularly out-shot most of the men in our club (not just another dad bragging, I swear..lol)... The next season I let him sit on stand by himself with his 243. All was well until the last day of the season. He was hunting in an area where several people had sworn they saw a mountain lion, here in Alabama in all places. I can attest to seeing some very large cat tracks but was not convinced that we had a mountain lion on this piece of property. But anyway, 30 minutes before dark I heard him shoot. My heart sank into my stomach. It was the first time he had shot a gun while hunting by himself and I only thought I was prepared for that moment. I waited nervously until he called me on the phone. He was crying and asked me to come to his stand right away. I have never ran that fast in my life. Come to find out he had seen what he thought was that cat and got scared and shot at it. My heart sank even lower. I yelled at him and threatened to beat the living crap out of him - how dare he shoot at something that he could not positively identify! We looked and looked around there area he fired. I was praying the whole time that we did not find blood because I would not bear the thought of what he might have shot. Well after carefully searching for over an hour, we didn't find anything and left. He cried all the way home and honestly so did I. My son was scared, not only at the perceived threat but because he realized what could have possibly gone wrong. I felt like crap because it was then that I realized that I had rushed him into a situation he was not ready for. It is our responsibilty as parents to make the right decisions and if there would have been an accident it would have been totally my fault. My son is very mature for his age and a very confident kid, but he was still just a kid... Needless to say the next season he was back in the stand with me and another year before he was back on his own. We both learned a valuable lesson that day. I just ask that parents please consider not just your child's physical abilities but his mental abilities as well. Sometimes it is hard as a Dad to honestly judge your child without prejudice. If you love him or her like I know you do, you owe it to them to seriously consider whether or not they are ready to hunt alone.

I apologize for the long post but I hope just one person will learn something from my story. Again I'm not going to tell anyone what they should or shouldn't do... Also if you know my child or ever meet him, please never bring this up to him. He is still embarrased about that incedent and would die if he knew I posted it on the internet... By the way my youngest son is about to turn 11 and is ever bit as responsible and safe as my oldest was, but the poor kid has to hunt with good ole Dad a lot longer than he would like. I refuse to make the same mistake twice!

Good luck and be safe!

CJ

iayotehunter

I began hunting before I could even walk...Started shooting when I was 10. Started hunting by myslef at 14. Now I'm 17 and hunt by myself all the time or go with long time hunting buddies. I like the feeling of being in the timber by myself. It's peaceful

Champlain Islander

This post really says it all. I am really glad you posted it and hope it stays around for a while. The physical and mental requirements for hunting need maturity due to the potential consequences. Many parents might not be in a position to make the right call that is why most states have a minimum age similar to driving. I commend you wareagle not only for your post but your honesty.

MZS

If you have your own property, or use of some friends private property, that is a good place to start your son or daughter out with a firearm. I put my 14 yr-old out in a ground blind on our own property with NO other hunters within 1/4 mile, took him out there and made sure the gun was properly handled and safety on before I left him. My son already had hunter's safety as well. I would not put my son, even at age 17, on public property with a gun. Alone or not, once a fatal shot occurs, often all is lost. Frankly, I get a bit nervous being close to another person with a loaded gun, any person. For that reason, I much prefer hunting alone and well away from others when gun hunting.

Thanks for sharing the account wareaglecj. Yes, that would be scary. In the dim light, the eyes play tricks on you. How often, as I am ready to pack it in, stumps and brush suddenly look like deer.

GTOHunter

As most have stated....a lot depends on the maturity of the Youth Hunter,how well they have been trained and how they handle a Firearm as far as Safety and using common sense.I've seen some really good sensible Young Hunters...and I've seen a lot of Older Mature Hunters that I do not want to be around or hunt with! Yikes!!!


I started out at an early age in Hunting,we went out on excursions at an early age,shooting BB-Guns and then 22lr Rifles and then a few times using a shotgun for rabbit and doves.I was sitting on my Dad's lap at 10-11 years old learning to shoot a 30-06 and a .308 Browning for Deer Hunting,at around 13 years old I was going Deer Hunting....only thing I wish was that they had the Hunters Safety Course when we were younger because I learned a lot after growing up and taking my 2 Daughters on the Youth Hunts and taking the Hunter Safety Course with them....we're never too old to learn more about Safety and Respecting the Property and Land Owners wishes where we hunt.