When to let a kid shoot a deer?

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When to let a kid shoot a deer?

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My dad gave me the green light when I started siding with the hunter in the movie Bambi.

I was about 7.

I still remember the first one I saw him kill. We walked up to it and he asked, "What do you think about that?"

I pulled out my knife and said, "Can I cut the tail off and keep it?"

Problem with very young kids deer hunting is that there is not much action unless you have a lot of deer. They get bored with it fast.

It is best to take them shooting often. Buy good hearing protection.

When it is time to hunt with them, afternoon hunts to start with. 5 years old is a good time to start with them, but that all depends on how active the kid is.

Thank God for iPads.


She doesn't have any moral qualms with killing animals. She knows that they're food and decorations. She likes when someone brings a deer into camp and tried to grab the rattler I killed this season

whenever you think she/he is ready, will be different for each child, no one knows them better than you. as others have said make a few hunts with them now, when the weather is nice and keep the hunts short, the attention span is not going to be long, but make it enjoyable for them. Start them shooting a .22 rifle and teach the basics of safety, they are very moldable at this age, use it to your advantage and always lead by example, when you think she is ready move her up to a bigger gun (but one that fits) and when comfortable at the range then bring her to the stand, dont let the first time they shoot the gun to be at a deer

Yeah, mamma Doe almost had a heart attack when her sweet, beautiful, blue eyed, blonde haired girl tried to get ahold of that rattler

Has nothing to do with age and everything to do with a kid's ability to pay attention and understand that he or she will be holding a weapon in their hands.

Some folks might not agree, but I don't think a kid should be allowed to shoot a high powered rifle until they know the rules of gun safety and understand the responsibility that goes along with pulling the trigger. The goal is to have them respect guns, and different kids will attain that level of understanding at different ages.

Having said all that, my boy has been going with me since he was 3. He is now 9, and I gave him his first opportunity to kill a deer earlier in the season. He passed because it was a small buck -- kid learned a few other things along the way.

I started taking my son "leroy" at the age of 3. He is now 4.5 and He got a plastic bb gun for christmas. We are teaching him the dos and donts of gun safety. I am looking into buying a new rifle this year and am thinking of getting a 7mm08. My dad bought one this year and loves it. I hope leroy can hande it.

Hard to put an age limit on it. My advice is to start taking them (either son or daughter) when they first seem interested and prepare to be patient (dont take them on a hunt during the prime of the rut in a ladder stand and expect them to be perfectly still - be flexable). Focus on teaching them everything you can in the woods and make it fun and interesting. Then introduce firearms - I brought both my son and daughter letting them tote an unloaded pelet gun for a year and everytime I observed something unsafe I pointed it out - then get them comfortable with shooting and handling a live firearm. Aas far as when to let them shoot a deer, they will dictate that to you. My daughter wanted to go badly very young and we went and when it came time for her to pull the trigger, she did not have the heart - then she asked if she could still go with me even if she does not want to shoot and of course I said yes. She is 21 now and wants to shoot one badly, just have not had the opp. My son on the other hand wanted to shoot one very early but did not get the chance till he was 9, after that he was hooked. Regarding caliber, search this site, plenty of live discussion on that! For us, my son shot his first few with a .243 (no issues) and now he shoots a 7mm - .08 (no issues and i highly recommend this caliber).

Also, it is OK for them to drift in and out of interest so dont get frustrated there - take them when tyhey want to go and enjoy the time in the woods, I promise you it will go by very fast!

Good Luck and I look forward to many posts in the future about yalls successes.

i was given good advise when my son was young....make sure he has his own set of binocs. Then play Ispy with him using them. You find something in the distance and get him to find it. He has fun and learns at the same time.

simple...but works