I remember shooting my BB gun around the house but I honestly don't remember not having a .22 rifle and not taking it with me if I left the barn lot. My dad's only thing was I could not leave our farm which was fenced so that was not a problem. So I suppose I was free range in the big pen from Day 1. Had a 3 wheeler and a Sako Manlicher Carbine in .308 when I started deer hunting around the house and the only time I remember my Dad going with me was my first hunt on Skyline either sex. Mainly because it sounded like a possible scene from Red Dawn was unfolding on the mountain. Standing there at daylight by the Jeep it was obvious the attack was in full effect. I had never heard that much shooting.... the standard issue 7400's were giving them hail. I remember him looking at me and saying... we had better just go together. I think I was 9 years old and I know he was more worried about other people than me.

Generally agree with this ^^

On the other hand we are now living in a dumbed down society that is much less mature then previous generations, and this includes adults in the under 60 age group. So the parental responsibility on this issue is even greater.

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Also, I think that squirrel or bird hunting hunting alone with a 410 and small shot is totally different then deer rifles and 12 guages with buckshot. I think that the father should be sitting side by side with his minor child for MANY YEARS before allowing the child to go completely on there own.

What that age is will vary but imo completely alone with deer rifle/shotgun is too early for even junior high school age for the vast majority of kids.


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I started I think at 14.

I think my son was 12 or 13 when he went by himself. The way I handled it was I went along several times as an observer. I didn't say anything or do anything but "grade" him on how he handled it. He did everything correctly and how I taught him so I turned him loose. BTW, he did not know he was being graded. He just thought Dad was too lazy to carry a gun those days.

I have an 11 year old nephew that I would turn loose with any rifle, any time, by himself. He hunts in the delta dang near every weekend and has trapped with North40. He has probably killed more deer, hogs, ducks, turkeys, squirrels, coons (one albino), caught more perch, limb lined catfish, and gigged more frogs than 99% of adults. He will sit in a boat in July when it is 98 degrees an hour longer than most adults just to have the chance at one more perch bite. And he is an all around good kid to boot. He don't need some law telling him he cannot go because someone else chooses to not raise their kids the same. It isn't hard to understand; it isn't about age, it's about their maturity.

BTW, I started at 8 or 9 going with a buddy with two shotguns and a couple 22s. Nothing like leaving the house on Friday night to stay in the tent, burning through a brick of 22s after you shot squirrels that morning, walking up rabbits and quail because you didn't have a dog, and then making a fire to cook them all on that night.

There are some adults on this site that probably don't need to hunt by themselves and stick to their video games.

Kids are kids regardless of how "Disciplined" you think they are or how well you "THINK" you've raised them. There should be an age limit of when a person can be cut loose by themselves with a firearm for hunting purposes.

I suggest five years older than whatever age YOU are now.....

I don't hunt anymore, so I'm good. Now if we're talking age limits on fishing, we gonna fight.

The correct answer is as soon as the child is big enough to drag one to the truck.

Seriously... My daughter (older of my kids) was about 13 (now 22 and still hunting). She had already killed several by then when sitting with me. My son was 11 (now 19 and I cant keep him out of the woods) when he first sat alone.

I was always close (400-500 yards away). Neither were scared to go before sunrise or come out in the dark. Both have good gun saftey and trigger disicipline. Both are fine kids who have never given me a reason to question their possession of a firearm.

like said above, it alll depends on the child and their raising. My grandson Dylan started going with my wife and I when he was still in diapers. Called up his first turkey when he was two. Outshot his momma at the state fair when he was two. Killed his first deer when he was three(banged his eye with the scope). Climbed into a ladder stand when he was 18 months old and watched his PopPop kill a big deer with a recurve. Has killed half dozen deer and hogs since then. He's 12 now. I would have no problem letting him sit by himself tomorrow. Hogwild knows him, he knifed his first pig when he was 7 with Danny.

NOT your average upbringing. I sure as hell don't want some desk pusher telling me when he can sit by himself...considering he has way more actual experience in the woods than a LOT of grown folks on here.

Quote - NOT your average upbringing. I sure as hell don't want some desk pusher telling me when he can sit by himself...considering he has way more actual experience in the woods than a LOT of grown folks on here.



That's the sad part. It's those that don't bring up their children the way you are raising Dylan that want them regulated more. What used to be the average upbringing is no longer average. My guess is most that want to regulate all kids from being out of arms reach in the outdoors have their kids playing video games all the time with bunch of online "friends". Mine has both an Xbox and some playstation something or other. He played each one of them for about two weeks and never looked back. He figured out quickly real life outdoors is much more entertaining.

Now I’ve heard some tales in my time but this thread is about to take em all, hahahahahaha

BhamFred's grandson.

I hope you ain't referring to my post there bud

Does that mean I'm too old to hunt these days?

If you think this is something, you haven't been on Aldeer very long.

The ALdeer book of fiction.

thats what I was thinking. Waiting for Dylan to get big enough to drag one by himself.

I think people generally assume all children are like their own. I coached my boys baseball team when he was 6yrs old, having gotten used to being around him and not having much interaction with other children, I assumed they were all like Joseph. Not so. I think that also works in reverse. Signs of it in this thread. Underachieving has become the norm and if a child is pushed to do more he is a bragger or a liar, or just showing off.

Having a big strong teenage son is a wonderful thing when hunting. Not so much when having to feed him though.