mauser06

this morning i got up a few minutes early for school and turned on outdoor life network channel.....a kid was hunting for his first time for deer....the kid was 8!!! the show was very good and actaully showed the deer that was a 3 point buck still warm soft and flexible...not all stiff and old like the other shows...it was called heartland outdoors or something like that...i really dont think that kid should have been hunting...he was way to young and not ready...he missed a basket rack 6 or 8..not big but not small...then he missed a doe then got the 3 point...he seen the deer and the dads like ok put the crosshairs behind the shoulder and squeeze the trigger and he kept telling him to shoot and hte kids like i can see it and all kinds of excuses....i personally didnt want to kill an animal at age 8 either... i was simply to young..i loved fishing and shooting but really didnt want to kill a beautiful animal yet....i think thats what that kids problem was...you could just tell he didnt want to in a way but really wanted to in another...his dad told him to shot and he said he couldnt find it in the scope but shot a second later 3foot high just to make his dad happy i think...i dont htink a father should MAKE his kid kill an animal or shoot at any given animal if htey dont want to..it should be their choice....what do you think? anyone see it? i described it pretty good....what do you think from what i said? i just dont htink the kid was ready....

Split-Hoof

From what you describe, it seems the boy was having some mixed emotions about shooting the animal. At 8 years old I would have given my right leg to shoot a deer, but for many kids 8 years may be too young for big game. It really depends on the individual. I wonder if the kid had started off with small game or if he was just taken out there to shoot a deer for the show? I hope the experience didn' t leave him with a negative attitude towards hunting.......how did he react after shooting the animal and seeing it dead? I agree it should be completely the choice of the young hunter whether or not to shoot, not the parent' s decision.

Washington Hunter

When I was 10, on my first hunt, my dad saw the deer before I did. It took me nearly 25 minutes to find it. I dont really think it' s the age so much as it is a mixutre of Anxiousness, Buck fever, Excitment, and the dread of disapointing your dad who is standing right next to you.

JimboHunter1

Maryland used to have a separate doe season, usually the second Friday and Saturday of December. My dad started taking me doe hunting when I was 9 or 10 and I' ll never forget those experiences. At that time, I was not ready to kill a deer but I sure did enjoy getting out there and going through the motions. That' s actually where I learned most of my hunting skills. On several occasions, I found myself shaking like a leaf while my dad whispered, " Get your gun ready. Here they come."

Sure, I felt pressured to kill something, but I stuck with my inner voice and chose to just enjoy the experience. The killing started happening about 4 years later when I was ready for it. I still get the shakes every so often. [&:]

Jim

wrongway

I saw that same show, and the kid was upset with himself after the second miss (if I am remembering right). I thought that he was just nervous, probably because he knew that he was being videoed.

mauser06

yes he was mad and almost crying on the second miss and his dads like dont pout!!! after he shot the deer and his dad said he hit it he got excited...i guess alot is on his shoulders...all the pressure from dad and the camera behind him....and all the nerves and buck fever that is hard for anyone to control....ive never had a problem finding a deer in my scope..even on a dead run at about 10 foot with a small lensed scope i find them....but ive heard of people not being able to and i trained myself and found ways to find my target easily....and i never close one eye...i duno it looked to me like the kid just shot to please dad the first 2 times...he was repeating find it and squeeze the trigger..put it behind the shoulder ect ect over and over...i dont think i could killed a deer at 8...i mean i loved it and i went coon and squirrel hunting with dad and watch 100s of animals die a year and never felt bad or anything...but dont think i could killed a deer myself at 8...i missed the first minute of the show i know it was the kids first deer...dont know about game....watching the boy just rubbed me wrong....i did like the show itself though...i cant remember any deer looking warm and soft when they found it.....this one looked like a home video....thats how i like hunting shows....

cardeer

I' m a old man and still cry if I miss. I started hunting when I was 7. All children mature at a different rate. Some can handle it some cant.

wimp

I saw that show and my first thoughts were that kid had NO business out there with a gun in his hand. Its one thing to be nervous, or have mixed emotions about taking an animals life, that' s understandable. It' s a whole different ball game to not at least be remotely capable of handling a firearm and finding your target, standing 40 yds away in a wide open field. That seemed like a case of the kid wanting to be like daddy, but daddy not preparing him enough for a real hunt. I don' t think that clip was suitable to show.

timbercruiser

I watched the show and after missing the second deer I thought the kid needed to go back to the range and shoot a few deer size targets complete with vitals. Just flinging a few chunks of hot lead out there hoping he will hit a vital area made no sense. He clearly had no idea where he was shooting.

Deerslayer_37

didnt see it. HEre in Wisconsin , you have to be 12 to hunt big game, no exceptions. I started walking drives and sitting with my dad at agea 10. I was so excited. It prepared me for when i was 12 and shot my first few deer. i think 12 should be minmum evrywhere.

slayer