How Old for Kid's First Gut Job
 

How old should your kid be before you make them gut their own deer?

It was different for my generation because we weren't even allowed to start hunting until we were 12. My dad gutted my first two, so I was 14.

My kid shot his first deer at 7 and has racked up 4 so far and is now 11. Should his next deer be the one he guts himself?

Definately! Being an old farm boy, I was doing chickens etc before I was 10 and hunting at 10. Old man said you killed it, you clean it. Same applied with fish. If I caught it, I cleaned it.

Should start gutting own deer as soon as he's old enough to shoot his own deer.

Seven, then?

Absolutely

My dad taught me to gut and skin at a early age. The first one I ever helped with I was in preschool. My mom was pissed at my dad because my new mittens got bloody.

Let him help with the field dressing at first. Next year let him do the whole chore, with you directing of course. Don't let him get used to having all the fun and avoiding the blood and guts.
I've seen a couple boys who loved to hunt and kill but wanted no part of the nasty stuff and always had their daddy handle it for them. One year when my daughter was 15 one of the aforementioned primadonnas didn't want to get his hands messy so my girl rolled her eyes and showed him how it was done. To say I was proud doesn't half cover it.

I was taught if you shoot it you gut it. My boy killed his first at 8 yrs old and he gutted his first deer at 8 yrs old as well. Was quite a hack job but he still done it with me walking him thru it. He is 15 now and has been hunting without me since last yr. Every parent decides what and when something is right for their kids but I wanted mine to realize at the very beginning that as soon as that trigger is pulled the fun is over and the work begins.

The hack job is what I want to avoid. Splilling stomach contents and urine all over the tenderloins does not help with the "eat what you kill" lesson. :D

I'd get him to assist on one or two first. Get him in there close so he can see what is going on. Explain the procedure each time. Then on his first solo job, have him tell you what he's going to do before he does it, and supervise closely. Make sure to caution him about using the knife properly, and that broken bones will cut you just like a knife can.