what age to start
#31
RE: what age to start
we live in alabama, which is one of the most liberal states when it comes to hunting...I took my 8yr son last year deer hunting 3 times with me. before gun season started he was shooting alot with his little rossi .243(single shot w/safety) i sighted in his scope dead on at 100yds and put that as his limit as the farthest he could shoot at a deer.
he was very good with his gun and got to know it very well. first day out we saw a nice little 6pt which was about 150yds away, he was wanting to take the shot so bad, but I wouldn't let him(i think he could have hit it off the shooting stick). I told him if it came inside 100yds he could shoot. The buck when the other way and that was that.
the next two times he got alittle bored and even fell asleep one time, but that was ok too. On our trips I spent more time teaching him little things about gun safety and pointing out the importance of gun barrel control. He has a better understanding of how he is required to handle a gun.
the 3 hunts last year was all on his grandpaws private land, this year I'll be on WMA land for a 2 day youth hunt with him.
I'm saying 8yrs old is a good age, 3 of the boys I coach at baseball on my sons team already have killed their first deer, one kid last year killed 4!. IF the child shows intrest. If not wait till they get older, say 10 or 12.
he was very good with his gun and got to know it very well. first day out we saw a nice little 6pt which was about 150yds away, he was wanting to take the shot so bad, but I wouldn't let him(i think he could have hit it off the shooting stick). I told him if it came inside 100yds he could shoot. The buck when the other way and that was that.
the next two times he got alittle bored and even fell asleep one time, but that was ok too. On our trips I spent more time teaching him little things about gun safety and pointing out the importance of gun barrel control. He has a better understanding of how he is required to handle a gun.
the 3 hunts last year was all on his grandpaws private land, this year I'll be on WMA land for a 2 day youth hunt with him.
I'm saying 8yrs old is a good age, 3 of the boys I coach at baseball on my sons team already have killed their first deer, one kid last year killed 4!. IF the child shows intrest. If not wait till they get older, say 10 or 12.