Hunting age
- Thread starter Zkgabriel
- Start date
Hurketthunter84
Member
- Location
- Northwestern Ontario
My father started taking me grouse hunting before I could walk. As I grew our trips got longer and longer. I shot my first grouse at 5 years old under my dads watchful eye. I learned firearms safety and marksmanship from him and now I’m passing those lessons on to my two boys on their journeys to become ethical hunters.
Hurketthunter 84
Hurketthunter 84
M12shooter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- East St. Paul, mb
I was 9 when I started to hunt. My son accompanied me at around 5 started to shoot at 7 and hunt at 9. Mostly just shooting the heads off ruff grouse and such. Provincial Champion Junior Trap shooter last year at 14...guess I did something right.
My dad had me in the bush hunting when I was three, I held off with my son until he was FOUR (
)... he started on grouse and hare with various air rifles and pistols... he took his first grouse at 20 yards with a Benjamin HB20 pneumatic pistol, which I had to pump up for him, but he made the shot on his own. It is likely that by the time he reached double digits in age he was well into triple digits in small game.
)... he started on grouse and hare with various air rifles and pistols... he took his first grouse at 20 yards with a Benjamin HB20 pneumatic pistol, which I had to pump up for him, but he made the shot on his own. It is likely that by the time he reached double digits in age he was well into triple digits in small game.
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There was an internet article on the guy who married the singer/performer PINK and he started shooting with their daughter at three years of age.
Your mileage may vary.
Rob
1963beretta
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Vaughan, Ontario
Awesome photos gentlemen!
I honestly cant remember when my dad started with me, but I also cant remember not being included in the hunt in some way, so I must have been really young. I remember helping track rabbits and plucking pheasants and pigeons long before I got involved in sports so I must have been about 5 or 6. I think I was about about 16 when I made my first trip up to Luther marsh for a duck hunt. That day was a hoot!
I honestly cant remember when my dad started with me, but I also cant remember not being included in the hunt in some way, so I must have been really young. I remember helping track rabbits and plucking pheasants and pigeons long before I got involved in sports so I must have been about 5 or 6. I think I was about about 16 when I made my first trip up to Luther marsh for a duck hunt. That day was a hoot!
As soon as you can keep their attention. All my kids starting shooting BB guns around age 6 - 8 and they all shot 22s since they were 10. However if you are going to take them hunting you will most likely need to keep them from getting bored. Waiting hours for a deer probably not the best idea even looking for grouse kids can get bored. Only my youngest hunts and now has his beginners PAL and hunting card he's now almost 14. He started going hunting with me for geese when he was 6. We would hide in the field and watch the sky and he would help spot geese and this way he felt like he was participating and he got to see action. Now he gets to shoot them.
Mark?? Lol sounds exactly like my first hunt as well (with my dad and my brother)
My daughter is four and my focus will be on introducing her to fishing for the next couple years. My dad started me on shooting when I was six and I think that makes sense for me as well. I’ll probably get her going with archery before we move to guns, not sure yet though. She loves the outdoors as we’ve been hiking/camping since she was a little baby. We hunt for bugs, frogs, birds and she loves looking through her binoculars at things.
Patrick
Patrick
My kids have been shooting since they were about 6 years old. Sling shots, then single shot air rifle, then single shot 22, then 20ga shotgun, then 12ga and centerfire rifle. Lots to say about how to keep them interested (short outings, lots of snacks, and REACTIVE targets ) but as for hunting, only my daughter showed and interest..the middle kid between two sons. In Ontario, a kid can legally hunt when they've hit 12, and taken their hunter's apprentice course, but my daughter started tagging along on grouse hunts/groundhog hunts around the age of 9/10. (involved, but no trigger work or touching the gun) Once she took the course/had her license we hunted for a couple of years before she discovered iPhones and Starbuck's. She was a great shot too, the highlight being a groundhog @ ranged 201 yards...only the top half of it's noodle poking out of the hole. I told her where to hold on my .223 zeroed @ 100 yards, and she capped the thing. I know experienced guys my age who couldn't have made that shot=proud dad moment. Barn pigeons with a 22 or air rifle~they stood ZERO chance with her on the trigger. I remember my farmer friend asking me (while she was taking aim at a pigeon); "does she need to move any closer? that's a long shot". My reply; "just watch"
These days, only my youngest has any interest...but I think in just being there/involved, not actually hunting himself. He's been out with me groundhog hunting, but I always set aside time for him to target shoot, and bring a rifle I know he'll love using.
) but as for hunting, only my daughter showed and interest..the middle kid between two sons. In Ontario, a kid can legally hunt when they've hit 12, and taken their hunter's apprentice course, but my daughter started tagging along on grouse hunts/groundhog hunts around the age of 9/10. (involved, but no trigger work or touching the gun) Once she took the course/had her license we hunted for a couple of years before she discovered iPhones and Starbuck's. She was a great shot too, the highlight being a groundhog @ ranged 201 yards...only the top half of it's noodle poking out of the hole. I told her where to hold on my .223 zeroed @ 100 yards, and she capped the thing. I know experienced guys my age who couldn't have made that shot=proud dad moment. Barn pigeons with a 22 or air rifle~they stood ZERO chance with her on the trigger. I remember my farmer friend asking me (while she was taking aim at a pigeon); "does she need to move any closer? that's a long shot". My reply; "just watch" These days, only my youngest has any interest...but I think in just being there/involved, not actually hunting himself. He's been out with me groundhog hunting, but I always set aside time for him to target shoot, and bring a rifle I know he'll love using.
barry1974w
Regular
- Location
- Central B.C.
I had my son in a backpack carrier with ear muffs on when he was 7 months old. I got him a savage rascal when he was 3, but he couldn’t really hold it on his own till he was 6. He was with me when I shot a moose when he was a year and a half old. He’s been coming along his whole life. But as mentioned it’s hard to keep them interested, it’s getting harder for me as he gets older. He’s nine now, he can start legally hunting in the fall of 2020, hopefully that helps keep his interest up.
My brothers and I were with our parents and grandparents on the trapline and out hunting and fishing since were infants. We grew up in those early years being taught to be quiet and observant, while they hunted. We were being given our own rods to fish with at 3, although there was a lot of assistance until we could manage to baith the hook and land the fish on our iwn. When hunting, and in the vehicle, it was our jobs to try to spot grouse and rabiits first, making a game out of it, but we had to be quiet too. We were around cleaning fish, skinning furbearers and cleaning game from the beginning, so it was just something we accepted, as it was a normal thing. We were taught to clean our own fish at an early age, I think I was 6when I got my first knife for these chores. There was no ipads, videos or cell phones to keep us busy and quiet with. We were allowed to look at, touch and handle, and even carry the rifle(s) with parent supervision as we got older and could handle them. At 7 I was allowed to go out and fish the creeks by myself (with our dog as we were in bear country). We also raised chickens and rabbits for meat. It was my job to care and feed them. I was about 9 or 10 when I was finally allowed to shoot the 22 and and shoot at a grouse. And was able to clean grouse and rabbit on my own before that. We were always required to learn how to care for the game and equipment before we were allowed to do it on our own without any adult supervision. At 11, I finally was allowed to go out with the 22 or 410 on my own to hunt and check my rabbit snares. We also lived onthe farm, so we were all taught how to skin, clean quarter and cut up meat at about 10-11 as we had cattle then. Believe I was 13 when I was allowed to shoot the 30-06 for the first time. I was 15 when I got to harvest my first big game animal.
I was taking my daughter with me hunting, fishing and just going out to look at the animals in the bush since she was a toddler. She was with me on a bison hunt when she was two. And several hunts since. She has watched hunting shows and videos with me since she was a newborn. Her favourite movie as a toddler, after Toy Story (of course! LOL) was a hunting video I have of bear, moose and mountain goat.
I gave her her own deer and elk calls when she was two. She had an absolute blast calling them! We would go out and park in a friends hay field and she would stand on the front seat and call to the deer out the open window. Many times they (does and fawns) would come right up to the truck and walk around the vehicle looking and calling back to her. Was quite a thrill for her. The first time she saw a cow elk come out of the bush when she was calling, she laughed and squealed so much it scared the elk back into the bush. Fun times!
Her first time witnessing deer rutting behaviour is pretty memorable. She wanted to know why the Daddy mule deer was chasing the Mommy deer. When I told her that the Daddy deer was looking for a girlfriend, she thought that was the funniest thing ever! She laughed and talked about it for months! After she saw Bambi, then I was only allowed to shoot Daddy deer, but not the Mommy deer or the babies.
She got her first grouse at 12 and her first mule deer at 15. Today(now 24) she has her own 270 and 22, and comes hunting when she can. She's looking forward to getting her first elk.
I was taking my daughter with me hunting, fishing and just going out to look at the animals in the bush since she was a toddler. She was with me on a bison hunt when she was two. And several hunts since. She has watched hunting shows and videos with me since she was a newborn. Her favourite movie as a toddler, after Toy Story (of course! LOL) was a hunting video I have of bear, moose and mountain goat.
I gave her her own deer and elk calls when she was two. She had an absolute blast calling them! We would go out and park in a friends hay field and she would stand on the front seat and call to the deer out the open window. Many times they (does and fawns) would come right up to the truck and walk around the vehicle looking and calling back to her. Was quite a thrill for her. The first time she saw a cow elk come out of the bush when she was calling, she laughed and squealed so much it scared the elk back into the bush. Fun times!
Her first time witnessing deer rutting behaviour is pretty memorable. She wanted to know why the Daddy mule deer was chasing the Mommy deer. When I told her that the Daddy deer was looking for a girlfriend, she thought that was the funniest thing ever! She laughed and talked about it for months! After she saw Bambi, then I was only allowed to shoot Daddy deer, but not the Mommy deer or the babies.
She got her first grouse at 12 and her first mule deer at 15. Today(now 24) she has her own 270 and 22, and comes hunting when she can. She's looking forward to getting her first elk.
john-brennan
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Vancouver Island B.C.
My son started at 5-6 years old with a .22 and by 10 had his hunting license and was shooting a youth .243 with reduced loads on deer I i kept ranges under 150 yards) and now at 14 is using the same rifle with full power loads, I found I did not want to start with full power loads to early cause if they get recoil shy early it takes a long time to get rid of that issue. I always made sure everything I asked him to do he felt he was doing it for him not me.
My memories are fairly similar, once I was out of diapers I was tagging along for quick grouse and duck hunts as well as fishing. About age 6 I remember asking to go and the hunts getting a little more serious. Around that same age, maybe 7 I got a bow and was taught safe gun handling and allowed to shoot an air rifle and a .22 with supervision. I was also told that other than targets I wasn't allowed to shoot anything I wasn't prepared to clean and eat. It progressed rapidly from there and at 12 I did NB's firearms and hunter safety course but then had to wait until 14 at that time to hunt.
I have seen quite a few kids totally turned off of shooting and hunting by over-forceful fathers. They essentially force their kids to learn to shoot when they don't want to and force them to come hunting when they have no interest in it. An interest in shooting sports and hunting can be nascent or can be encouraged but trying to force it usually results in resistance and protest from what I've seen. I know a few people in their 30's who are strongly anti-gun who had hunter fathers and talk about their fathers trying to force them to like shooting which turned them off of it entirely.
My own personal introduction was a father who would go hunting and talk about it but never invited me or pushed it. As soon as I showed interest in learning he enthusiastically agreed to teach me. He later told me he was intentionally waiting until I was personally interested and I asked him directly. I was I think around the age of eight?
My own personal introduction was a father who would go hunting and talk about it but never invited me or pushed it. As soon as I showed interest in learning he enthusiastically agreed to teach me. He later told me he was intentionally waiting until I was personally interested and I asked him directly. I was I think around the age of eight?
This is right on the point. I wanted to go and started bugging my Dad, about 8 or 9. There was a 22 hanging in the basement in his work shop. The second time I asked the gun disappeared (finally tracked it down but that is another story). He had no interest but knew I would not quit bugging him. I remember asking him again after the gun disappeared and he just ignored me. The point being kids who want to hunt will let you know. No idea why I was always a hunter, it was never encouraged. Bought gun magazines, hunting books had fishing rods, used to practice casting in the back yard, but never went fishing once with my Dad. None of my siblings could care less about this stuff. Guess you are born with the desire.
