re: My son is 7 and has a 410

quote:

---

He knows and understands gun saftey probaly better than most adults.

---

I think it is impossible for a child to understand the ramifications of not handling a gun safely.

I was raised more "back in the day" than most of you and at that age, I may have been plinking around at squirrels with a .22, but I was not hunting with a .410 yet. I distinctly remember my first deer kill, but I doubt a 6 or 7 year old would remember that experience when they are older.

No earplugs? Sorry dude, but that is irresponsible.

Black and Gold 22,
I applaude you for taking the time to start your son hunting in what sounds like a responsible manner. Teaching him to hunt is NOT easy and will require a LOT of patience on your part. The main thing is for him to enjoy the hunting experience. Each child is different. My son accompanied me on deer hunts starting at 6 or 7 y/o. He didn't go every time, only when he wanted to. I found that PM hunts worked MUCH better for all my kids than did AM hunts. Dress your son VERY warm. If he gets cold, the hunt is over.... Take snacks and quiet activities for him.

My son didn't carry a gun on a deer hunt until he was 9 y/o. Killed a small buck w/ my 270 Win and reduced recoil handloads. He's killed 'bout 10 deer since using a 308 Win at different levels of recoil. If your son's afraid of the 410, I'd back off. Any gun that can kill a deer may have too much recoil for him at this time. The main thing for you is not how old or young someone else was when they started shooting high powered guns, but whether or not your son is ready. I'd think about backing off a bit. Get a 22 LR, wear BOTH ear plugs and ear muffs and go shoot a couple hundred rounds w/ him. I bet you'll find out he has a bad flinch the first few rounds he shoots in the 22. If you can get him to try the 410 right now, I bet he also flinches w/ it. Make it fun again and I bet you'll both end up happy. If he's going to become a deer hunter, he's got a LOT of time to do so.

a lot of it depends on..

1. the SIZE of the kid..

2. the maturity of the kid..

3. how much the kid shoots.

the single shots - are all notoriously bad recoil.


under 8 years old - you are probably stretching it to shoot beyond 50 yards...unless your kid shoots A LOT...

I would find someone with a a 7.62x39 or .223 semi auto and borrow that for awhile...if recoil is the problem..

biggest mistake back in the day for us older ones....no ear protection...

TigerOnTheHill,

Thanks for the advice, we have enjoyed many evening hunts and I always leave when he says he is ready to go. When he ask once, I'll say 5 more minutes. Sometimes, that means 1 min. or 30 more min. But when he comes up a second time we pack up and leave. You have some great ideas, sounds like we need to do some plinking with a 22.

Black and Gold 22,
There's been a lot of good advice here. The main thing you'll need to do is stay in touch w/ your son's needs/wants. Fortunaely, you've already avoided a lot of the mistakes I made through the years. Good luck and good hunting.