How old for first solo hunt?
 

For those of you with kids I wanted to pose this question. My oldest son just made 13. He has been hunting with me since he was 5 or 6. Of course more and more each year as he could tolerate. We have really focused over these last few years on getting ready to hunt alone. We have spent the time at the range, talked safety every time we hunt, reviewed the do's and dont's. I can't think of a thing we have not covered several times, in fact he is more prepared to hunt alone than I ever was. The reason I ask a this is my wife does not think he is ready. I do, as a matter o fact I feel safer with him than some other adult I have hunted with.

Define hunting alone. My son hunted with me with a rifle out of my sight when he was 8. To be honest I don't ever want him to hunt completely alone but we go into wilderness where that's a bad idea at any age.

alone as in I am a stand or two away with radio and cell contact at all times. Basically we are in the woods together he is just on stand by himself.

I started when i was 12, but we pretty much hunt behind our house, is it like stnad hunting? or going out in to some mountains all day?

first time i hunted alone was when i was 12 in the mountains. My dad was confident in me and i was confident in myself. we usually get out of the truck and say where we are headed and make a time to meet back up at the car. i took my compass and thats all i felt i needed. i usually go a few mountains away from were we are parked. count the mountains as i go over them and remember all streams i pass, where the meet up with other tribs and if as a last resort i need to follow them back to the truck. about the worst thing you can do in a situation in the mountains or vast wilderness is to panic. then you start going all over the place going in circles, getting all mixed up. i am now 17 and go miles away from the truck at a time. As for your kid, i think he should be fine if your just going to be in 2 seperate stands. set up a place and time to meet, even come get him at his stand if he is not comfortable walking back to the car alone.

I'm right here with you. Sounds like we did the exact same thing and are about on the same timeline from starting to current...and I just cut my son loose this year for his first few hunts alone. (He just turned 14 last month).
My son got his first solo deer this year (a doe), he was pretty excited...and proud of himself as well.

We still hunted together some this season, but I have cut the cord and given him his freedom as well. Sounds like you've done everything right...let some leash out and see how he does. I'm sure he'll do fine :)

i have 2 gurls...dont think ill ever leave them alone...grown men make mistakes and kill themselves every year...big difference between a child and a man with a fire arm, and things do go bad!!!
private property i might ease up when she is 15, and she is in ear shot of me....that doesnt mean a phone er radio...will this be as safe for her..no, but i hope i have burnt in the safety aspect enough that she doesnt kill herself or anyone else....a 13 y/o with a gun all by themselves in the woods...a bad idea...yeah we did it, but times have changed....i think its probably a crime now...providing a firearm to a minor?

No offence meant here either, but imo 8 is WAY too young to be hunting solo. To me, that is irresponsible as a parent...way too many things can go wrong. Count your blessings if nothing did.

Thats a tough question to answer. As for my 11 year old daughter Im sure she would do well on her own away from me on a stand,but I wouldn't do well at all knowing she was by herself. I think I'll wait until shes about 15 or so for her first solo in National Forest. Now if we were hunting private land I would be far more at ease letting her go at it alone. I guess it depends heavily on the circumstances and the parent's feelings alone.

tell ya what...set him up...put a few small pieces of blaze orange around a target at 100 yards..( like in a bush, kinda hidden ya know) if he takes the shot, he aint ready, and dont tell him why....work it into a lesson later..then next year, try again, see if he takes the shot..settin my kids up for this just b4 new years, thx for the idea.