How young for gophers?

proonur

proonur

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Hi guys,

I'm curious about what age people bring their kids gopher hunting.
I'm thinking about bringing out my boy, but hesitate because he's only 4.5 yrs old and wonder if it might be a little much for him to watch the little critters get zapped by the .223/.22 LR.

Opinions? Experiences?
 
i had my eight year old cousin out with me last summer

he is a bonified city kid and he was instantly hooked!!

he even nailed a few with the HMR...at 75 yards too

never too young...the earlier the better IMO
 
My wife is already dreading me taking future kids hunting. She says if it's a girl I can take her hunting but only if she wears her pink tu-tu, high heels, pink purse and tiara.


I think I should talk to Gatehouse about where he got his tu-tu!:evil:
 
Keep it very matter of fact. My kids have been out with me and the wife since they were born. As far as they're concerned that's just how it is. The older boy is 10 now and has developed into a very good shot.

good luck
 
I went gopher hunting for the first time last summer, with a friend and his two girls aged 7 and 13.

The 13 yo was a great shot and said she enjoys gopher hunting more than deer or turkey.
Kids are impatient and I guess it was the non stop action they enjoyed.

The 7 yo enjoyed the hunt but couldn't line up the 22 with any targets.:(
A little more firearms handling, training should fix that in the next few years.:)
 
All I can say is dont put them on a single shot 12 gauge with magnum 3" at 8. I was scared of a .22 after that for a few years. However i dont seem to have a problem with recoil now and i am 27 and have been out "huntin" with dad since i was about 6 and mom would let me
 
Speaking of kids and gophers

I am taking my son out this year. 7 years old. 2 years of range time now in so we are good to go I am thinking. However, my issue is still safety glasses.

We are having a hard time finding glasses to fit kids. Anyone out there that can help with some solid leads? I have checked on the net but most sites are out of the US and a 4 dollar pair of glasses would cost around 80 after shipping.

Greg
 
albertacoyotecaller said:
I am taking my son out this year. 7 years old. 2 years of range time now in so we are good to go I am thinking. However, my issue is still safety glasses.

We are having a hard time finding glasses to fit kids. Anyone out there that can help with some solid leads?
Greg
Click to expand...

You could try a welding supplies dealer?... They have safety glasses now with adjustable length and a variety of shades. With the right adjustment they should fit a young person well, and not cost over 20 bucks..
 
BigUglyMan said:
My wife is already dreading me taking future kids hunting. She says if it's a girl I can take her hunting but only if she wears her pink tu-tu, high heels, pink purse and tiara.


I think I should talk to Gatehouse about where he got his tu-tu!:evil:
Click to expand...

She only have to wear that to the truck once you get to the field put camo on her .
 
I took my son out last year at that age. He didn't mind the gore and always want to go and poke the dead one with a stick after, remember their boys. I needed to teach him after what happened and that shooting gophers helps control them. He was O.K. with that but needed to be reminded that we can't do that to just anything.
 
luftmech said:
I took my son out last year at that age. He didn't mind the gore and always want to go and poke the dead one with a stick after, remember their boys. I needed to teach him after what happened and that shooting gophers helps control them. He was O.K. with that but needed to be reminded that we can't do that to just anything.
Click to expand...

Thanks everyone for the input. This is how I went about it and lo and behold we got two of them yesterday and he had a great time. Now my twin 5 yr old daughters are jealous I didn't take them and insist on equal time.
We just used the .22 to avoid the ear protection thing and to keep it from being scary.

gopher09003.jpg
 
scottay_one said:
I've been taking my daughter out since she was two. I don't let her out of the vehicle when shooting though. She enjoys seeing their acrobatics when hit:eek:
Click to expand...

Same as me, my son tags along all the time. He plays in the truck with his ear muffs on.

Everytime I whack one with the 223 that he can see he yells out "YAAAY!"
He is already asking "shoot gophers daddy?"

LOL

He has his own Cooey 39 waiting for him in a few more years.:D
 
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