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Youth Season Discussions

I'm sure this is going to make some people upset, and maybe make sense to others. Who all, besides me, how a little girl, or boy, I mean young, 5-7 years old, can actually be the one who is hunting? Lots of pictures of nice deer, and some that should be still growing, with a very proud Dad. Looks to me, that some are using their kids to get a jump on things. Sorry for the long rant, but just getting old and cranky.

My 7 year old daughter could easily do it if I wanted her to, but I don't think she's emotionally mature enough to kill a deer yet. Every kid is different though.

I suspect that there’s a lot of that occurring in some states, an early start and a second tag courtesy of the kid. My son started bowhunting at about age 10. He killed two does year one and still is an avid bow hunter after 30 years.

I'm not a fan of youth seasons for many reasons. Maybe I'm just old and cranky too.

I'm thankful for youth season. If my daughters had to wait until they were 16 I probably wouldn't have the memories. They were 9 and 10 when they shot their first deer, and used a bow. Now they are 16 and 17. Both have jobs and a drivers license and social lives. Hopefully I planted the seed and they will hunt with me again after college and careers are started.

No matter what the regulations are someone will break the rules. I hate seeing the hero pics of a three year old and dad with a deer with a high power rifle laying on it. Not hard to figure out who was looking through the scope and pulled the trigger.

Every kid is different,I would trust my daughters to make better shots than most adults.My oldest made a 374 yard shot on a NM oryx when 13. But she had practiced alot.

Our oldest shot her first deer at age 7, our youngest at age 8. Now teenagers, they don’t have time to hunt with school, practice, and sports. One day, I’m confident they will be back in the stand. If they had to wait until they were teens, they might not ever have the desire to hunt as adults. And not being mature enough emotionally to kill a deer at a young age is merely an opinion that matters little to me. A deer is an animal, it’s no different than shooting a squirrel or rabbit in the grand scheme of things. They’re just bigger.

My 7 year old actually shot a very solid deer last year, one that we had mounted for him. In no way do I feel like this is my deer. That is the weird part of this discussion for me as I have 1 buck tag and he has 1. This kid wants to do anything and everything if it involves deer hunting, hanging stands, moving stands, food plot prep, checking cameras... the kid is just a deer hunter. As his dad, he can shoot whatever deer he is happy to shoot even if some of you might think..... "it should still be growing". I would also let him shoot the biggest deer on the farm if it showed up and also the smallest if that is what he wants to do(although I do talk to him about letting them get to a certain age and trying to explain why but that process takes time). He only uses a crossbow but also has a new compound bow that he practices with a lot. I am sure he is several years away from even contemplating hunting with the compound in hand. With all that said, I couldn't imagine not having the experiences that we have already shared over the last 3 years. Heck he is already getting so involved with sports that it is harder to find the time to get him out. We are actually going tonight and I hope he gets lucky!!!

Great job to any parent that gets their kid outside.I see too many guys that won't give up "their" time to take their own child and none of them I know hunt now that they are older.Maybe some of you new hunting parents would want to teach Hunter Ed. If interested just call the state office

I have said for years on they should have never lifted the age restriction. At one time it was 14, then 12, and now 3 year old toddlers can hunt.

They wait to drive, they wait to vote, some wait to drink (I didn't) they can wait til 12 to hunt big game. Let him shoot rabbits, squirrels, etc but big game is different.

Not different, just animals. A bigger animal, yes, but still just animals.

Merely an opinion that matters little to you? Just like your opinion matters to nobody on how they should parent their kids.

It's 12 here in CT, and i feel that is about right. My kids came with me at a younger age but just observed. Those hunts were still alot of fun and made lasting memories. My son was 5 and we went out and got a nice 8 ptr. He still recalls that hunt often, now he is 14, and has killed 3 deer. He would not have been ready at 5 yrs old to pull the trigger, but that's just him, maybe some kids are. He is chomping at the bit to hunt this season.

Amazing how young hunters can shoot deer at six and seven years old. Sure there are some abuses but look at those smiles on their faces showing it’s all worth providing that opportunity. Our future hunters.

My son hunted with me since I carried him in a back pack and it did not kill his desire to wait for deer till 14. Don't think a 6 7 or 8 yr. old can process what they have done. If you keep them out doors the desire will not die.

Jason, Jeff and Dave don’t worry you can give up a few bucks to a child. Do you remember back in 1994 it was so different bla bla bla bunch of old grumpy, cranky men for sure.

Jason, Jeff and Dave don’t worry you can give up a few bucks to a child. Do you remember back in 1994 it was so different bla bla bla bunch of old grumpy, cranky men for sure.

Keepemsharp you said it best. A different generation raising kids today.

I have 3 boys and the minimum age in Montana was 12 for a long time. My youngest could have hunted younger due to MT rule change. However, we're not sitting over a food plot, feeder or a short distance from a vehicle on public land here.

For them to carry their rifle and a back pack and make the required hike and also be able to help haul out a deer, I never pursued having them kill deer younger than that. I also felt like I had my hands full when they were 12, I can't imagine taking them out younger.........maybe it's just my kids:)

I'm all for age limits. I've been shooting deer unattended since I was 13 and it taught me patience to have to wait. It seems these dads that let their kid shoot a buck at age 5 or 7 is more of a bragging rights thing for the dad. Kids that young do not, and cannot understand death or anatomy. The argument that starting them young is a must so they don't get bored and leave the sport I feel is null and void. Almost every single kid I grew up that hunted, still hunts, and the younger generation that gets everything handed to them quickly loses interest and reverts back to paintball, video games. Etc.

Opinions are like hair, most people have a head full of them. Not telling anybody how to raise their kiddos and not really listening to some of you on how to raise mine. Wouldn’t change a thing about how we introduced our girls to the whitetail woods. Our oldest has shot a bigger buck than me; I’ll NEVER forget that evening in the blind. We doubled up, I shot a doe. Lol

It’s not an opinion. I said I don’t think she is. She’s my kid bro. My oldest woulda been just fine. You are a strange duck sometimes lol

Cherney, I don’t even know what you’re talking about. I never told you how to raise your kid. If you’re talking about my opinion that a deer is merely an animal, then fine, if you think they are a higher animal than a squirrel on the respect ladder, then go for it. To me they’re all just animals.

Multiple people on this thread have made their OPINION known that they THINK a 7 year old is too young to kill a deer. They THINK it shouldn’t be allowed. I THINK they are wrong. They THINK it’s a dad wanting to brag. I THINK they are clueless about some dads. Fair enough?

I said “My 7 year old daughter could easily do it if I wanted her to, but I don't think she's emotionally mature enough to kill a deer yet. Every kid is different though.”

You said: And not being mature enough emotionally to kill a deer at a young age is merely an opinion that matters little to me.

Seems strange. Fair enough tho

Fair enough, my 7 year old was emotionally mature enough to kill a rabbit or a deer. Like you said, every kid is different. I come to these threads with a chip on my shoulder I admit. They come along about every year and fellas pile on dads who take their “way too young” kiddos deer hunting. Dads get labeled cheaters, braggarts, and worse. Lots of times by men who have no clue what is going on in the woods between parents and their kids. It’s gets old and I should probably just avoid these September grumps spouting opinions that really don’t matter, just like mine doesn’t to them.

Ya I took my 9 and 7 year old girls out with me tonight knowing it would hurt my chances of getting (and seeing any) one considerably but it was a fun evening for us anyhow

No one has given an opinion on how to raise kids. We are talking about the age limit for hunting big game. Obviously the KDWP thought that kids should wait til 12 or 14. They didn't drop the age limit because they thought it was the right thing to do. They dropped it for the same reason we have 30,000 NR's hunting here now, they same reason we have crossbow inclusion, and the same reason we have baiting,,,,,,,Money. It is what it is. KSQ you get thinned skin because some of us think there should be an age limit but you do the same thing to those who support baiting. For me, we should put back the model that was in place years ago that gave us the best hunting opportunities the state has ever had. A model of conservatism.

I was blessed to take my daughter at age 15, her boyfriend at age 16, and my son at age 12, out to shoot their first deer. I am hoping my other daughters boyfriend will be next but he has to get his license. She has no interest in killing one. They are all hooked and I have no doubt will be hunters for life. I don't think you need to start killing at age 5 to create a love for it.

Both of my daughters spent many hours in a tree stand with me prior to get to hunt themselves. They grew up around hunting and fishing. They rarely eat a meal that we didn't have a part in providing from hunting, fishing, or the garden. They "helped" butcher every fall from an early age and I feel they understood and were emotionally mature enough to know what harvesting an animal was about. Was I a proud dad? Yes!

Was it all for my glory? No. They still have the euro mounts and pictures hanging proudly in their rooms.

If the age limit was raised, I would have no issue with it. The fact is, it isn't and I have a son that loves to hunt and at the age of 7 perfectly understood what was going on. Some are more mature than others.... Heck even if the age was 12 or 14, there are plenty of 12-14 year old kids out their that aren't emotionally mature enough to harvest an animal. At the end of the day it comes down to a decision made by a parent and if made in the right way, I see no issues. I am sure there are some out there using this as a chance at a second tag and to be honest that is sick. Just as bad as poaching.

I also have an 11 year old at home that doesn't enjoy hunting as much(would rather be gaming or building something). He may go a couple times a year and has only ever shot 1 doe. I buy both his tags every year since he was 7 on the chance that he wants to go out because if he wants to go, I want to be ready. If he doesn't we just gave a few extra bucks to the KDWP.

I certainly have a big passion for deer hunting and an even bigger passion for being a good dad! With that said, I still very much look forward to the days I get to sit in a stand and enjoy nature myself. It's a fun experience with kids but a different one for sure. I just hope I keep getting to make memories doing both for years to come.

Good luck and I hope everyone ends up having a great season! Kids included!

I say get them outside anyway you can. I use to be in the 12 and up camp, but no more. My son is already 11 and I hope I have 7 more years left where I have his attention. Tomorrow is not promised for him or I…. no regrets.

Should youth NR tags be discounted. I don't think so, every state has whitetail to hunt pretty much so why is a NR youth tag so cheap.

They are the future of the sport. I say get em out when you can! I understand there are guys that wrongly take advantage of it. There are bad apples in any bunch. I didn’t shoot my first deer until I was 10. Was hooked from that moment on. Hate to think of missing out on the memories that were made with my dad and grandfather when I was a kid.

I’m in the the camp of every kid is different. Utah had more common sense at 5 then some of those yahoos in the audience at the commission meeting.

For example the blue suit red sock wearing guy that keeps getting up….he’s still not ready:?)

I've guided lots of kids on youth hunts, sometimes a first hunt for them and sometimes they had hunted several times prior. Every single one was different, some couldn't pull the trigger...some wouldn't touch the dead animal...some were all in. Far be it from me to tell a Dad or Mom what to do with their kid, but no...not all kids are ready to hunt at such young ages.

I do think lots of folks push their kids into it, to kill that "giant" that's been trained at the pile all Summer. Setting up bad habits, and stealing the real thrill of hunting from their own lineage.

Some states such as NM have the best tags anyone could ask for during youth seasons.

On a serious note though I’m with James on the small animals thing. I guess every parent is different but I was raised to treat every animal with respect.

Remember my dad walking through the door with a quail he had hit with his dump truck or seen it on the road. Now that was quite impressive cause either way it was road kill and when he was out working he didn’t dilly dally around with time. So for him to back up or turn the dump truck around just to bring home one quail told me at early age not to waste meat.

I guess you missed my point on the small animal. It's small and can be easily handled. Picked up, field dressed, etc. They can't handle something 300 lbs. I never said anything about not respecting small wildlife. In fact being able to take care of the animal in the field is teaching more respect than having an adult do the whole job for you. I would teach a kid how to catch blue gill before going after blue marlin.

Good point Jeff…I don’t have anything to say back at this time on that.

I’d like to see the dates pushed back beyond the archery opener, don’t want the neighbor kid killing “my” buck before I can even hunt. Hell its 90 plus degrees most years!

I’d like to see the dates pushed back beyond the archery opener, don’t want the neighbor kid killing “my” buck before I can even hunt. Hell its 90 plus degrees most years!

Had that happen a few years ago on my farm. There were a pair of booners crossing my place every evening to visit the neighbor's beans. The guy from Arkansas that owned the bedding area let his young son sit by himself with a crossbow at a feeder and crippled the biggest on youth opener. They never asked to look on mine or the neighbor's, just wrote it off as a cripple. I drove 37 miles one way to watch that buck several times throughout the summer. Not to mention the $8k a year I pay to the bank to own it, property taxes, habitat improvement, etc. I was really glad when they sold out and moved on. I never viewed it as "my deer", just an opportunity ten years in the making that was destroyed by an incompetent parent and juvenile shooter.

Youth season = yet another "Easy Button" brought to Kansas hunting by the commercialization of wildlife lobby.

Trebarker you are right. That is the reason they dropped the age restrictions on the first place.

"That is the reason they dropped the age restrictions on the first place."

Added additional special seasons, dropped outfitter license requirements, made it easier to get thru hunters ed, liberalized muzzleloader definitions, any season tags, T-tags, game tags, modified the season dates, lowered caliber requirements, crossguns, etc etc etc. All for the benefit of commercialism and making it easier for them to do business and sell deer.

Defiantly torn on this one, both my kids hunted at young age and killed deer. We highlighted the ethical issue a lot, take a shot when broadside, making sure there was plenty of light, not shooting if you didn't feel 100% right about. I sit with them when the hunted, and 90% of my hunts with my 15 year old he still asks me to tag along. Both of my kids were excited to be a part of hunting, and never made them go I would ask hey you wanna hunt tonight and let them dictate yes or no. For me it was about the quality time spent outside together. There were defiant times that I questioned are they ready for implications of taking life? But honestly that did not come up much. They have been a part of eating and processing a lot of deer it has just been expectation in our family that we eat deer, and we hunt them.

There have been times I reflected on if I started them too young no doubt, the question was answered for me a couple of weeks ago. My daughter recently moved to college, and I expected all that comes with college. Find her own things maybe come back to hunting or maybe not. Anyway was sitting at work when I got snap asking which app to use buy her deer license?(Yeah I know snap just send a text I don't know??) As of now don't think I would change a thing!!

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