Parent question for hunting

[drop dead fred]

My boy just turned 4 me and my wife were talking last night, and she said she thinks our son is ready. Last season (he was 3) he set in a pop up 2.5 hrs perfectly quiet. My question is when did you feel comfortable in trying to get them on a deer? Id be open to getting him a crossbow, but I just don't feel he can grasp looking through a scope, and quite understand the concept (or atleast I don't know how to teach him this at the stage of limited comprehension). He can look through binos so that's nice. I'm thinking of buying him a scope to play with to get accustomed to looking through a scope. When did you child REALLY grasp how to tie it all together? I was 6 my first harvest

[Playa]

Every kid is different.

Personally at 4 i don't think they are ready, physically or otherwise. There is a great deal of emotion with taking your 1st animal, i'm not sure a 4yr old is equipped to handle that.

[FireNguns]

I think the first step is to get him used to safely handling and shooting a bb gun accurately. Once he can kill with that or hit targets consistently and has the fundamentals down, he will be ready for animals with close supervision of course.

[Slick8]

Like stated, everyone is different but 4 is pretty young. Perhaps a few more trips to the blind and experiencing you making a kill would be in order.

[Jason Fry]

I held my boys out till 9. I had them shooting .22's under supervision since about 5, and had them in stand with me since 4 or 5 maybe twice a season. I wanted them to be around the killing a bit before it was their turn, so that they'd have more respect for taking a deer's life. They could have made the shot at 6, but I'm not convinced they'd understand the responsiblity at that point.

[Codie]

every kid is different. My 4yr old can hit an apple sized target every time with his older brothers Crossbow set up on a tripod while sitting in my lap. I personally would not bother with an actual scope until they are much older. I started my 8yr old on an open red dot sight and that is what he has used on every gun or crossbow he has shot. Very simple to just look at the dot and put it where you want the bullet or arrow to hit and no worries about eye relief and such. I may start working my 8yr old into a regular scope next year, but for this year he just wants to kill a deer with his crossbow, which has an open red dot site on it

[drop dead fred]

every kid is different. My 4yr old can hit an apple sized target every time with his older brothers Crossbow set up on a tripod while sitting in my lap. I personally would not bother with an actual scope until they are much older. I started my 8yr old on an open red dot sight and that is what he has used on every gun or crossbow he has shot. Very simple to just look at the dot and put it where you want the bullet or arrow to hit and no worries about eye relief and such. I may start working my 8yr old into a regular scope next year, but for this year he just wants to kill a deer with his crossbow, which has an open red dot site on it

That's a really good idea idk why that never came to mind!


And yeah I kind of echo what the rest are sayin he's close but I don't this is the year. I want him to be able to grasp the whole concept before we even really try

[Txsurveyor2014]

I am in the same boat. My daughter is 4 this year and says she wants to kill a deer, but I don't think she really grasps the fact of death completely. I am thinking maybe next year or possibly even when she is 6. I don't want to scar her and it end up turning her off of hunting.

[Electrican]

I think the first step is to get him used to safely handling and shooting a bb gun accurately. Once he can kill with that or hit targets consistently and has the fundamentals down, he will be ready for animals with close supervision of course.

This^^ along with being present and experiencing one of your kills.

[popup_menace]

I'm not a parent, but I was the one that introduced my younger brother to hunting. He is 10 years younger than me, so our relationship isn't a normal brotherly relationship. I made him practice a lot before I ever put him on a deer. Then I made him prove his ability by shooting a turkey before ever letting him have a crack at a deer. At 11, he was still shaken up enough to contemplate not even attempting a shot. It's all about the individual and your idea of the importance of the first deer kill.

[salth2o]

Every kid is different. When my son was 6, he thought he was ready to kill one. We had a spike at 25 yards, but buck fever set in and he couldn't get it done. No big deal. He and I talked about it, what he was thinking and how he was feeling. He said, "Dad, I couldn't get my scope steady and I didnt want to take a bad shot." Good enough for me.

The next season when he was 7, he killed a spike with no problem. This past year at 8, he killed a pig and a spike and I never touched his gun. He did everything on his own.

[txpitdog]

My opinion is that as big a deal as it is to get your first deer, let them get that memory at an age where they will totally understand it and be able to remember it for the rest of their life. It's their special memory too, not just ours as parents. I didn't allow my oldest son to try until he was 8. My middle child is ready at 7. My youngest may never shoot a deer because she just likes sitting in the blind eating snacks and taking pictures of funny faces.

[Pullersboy]

I think the first step is to get him used to safely handling and shooting a bb gun accurately. Once he can kill with that or hit targets consistently and has the fundamentals down, he will be ready for animals with close supervision of course.

I agree w/ this. He must be able to understand gun/cross bow safety to some degree. Of course, he doesn't have to have it perfectly. That's the whole point of hunting w/ you under close supervision. However, shooting the bb gun enough to have a concept and to understand how the sights work, so that he can put it on target so that there's an ethical kill is important to me. I think few 4 year olds are quite ready for that. Some may be. Most, probably not. I think it'll be a call only house can make as tk weather or not you think he's ready. Nobody knows your son like you and your wife. Hence, nobody can really know if he's ready like you and you wife will.
Also, who days he has to use a scope. There is nothing wrong w/ traditional sights.

[Traildust]

My boy just turned 4 me and my wife were talking last night, and she said she thinks our son is ready. Last season (he was 3) he set in a pop up 2.5 hrs perfectly quiet. My question is when did you feel comfortable in trying to get them on a deer? Id be open to getting him a crossbow, but I just don't feel he can grasp looking through a scope, and quite understand the concept (or atleast I don't know how to teach him this at the stage of limited comprehension). He can look through binos so that's nice. I'm thinking of buying him a scope to play with to get accustomed to looking through a scope. When did you child REALLY grasp how to tie it all together? I was 6 my first harvest

Start him out with a BB gun or .22 first.

Be careful trying to push your kids into killing animals too soon.

[sqiggy]

At 4, I was taking my son dove hunting. He was my retriever!!!
I think he was around 7 or 8 when I introduced him to a 243. Once he could shoot out to 75 yds., and on target, then he went on some deer hunts. Killed his first deer at 9.