how old to start hunting?

[live to hunt pheasant]

yes I involve my grandkids, but just wondering how old everybody was when they were allowed to start carrying a gun?
my family rule in the 70's was .... you walked along and learned until you were age 13, you then got the family 4-10 for the year, and on our 14th birthday my grandfather would get us a browning A-5, and we were good to go !!! my 11 year old grandson has sat in the duck blind where I can keep a very close eye on him and help teach, but walking for pheasants seems like it is too young. what your thoughts?

 

[A5 Sweet 16]

yes I involve my grandkids, but just wondering how old everybody was when they were allowed to start carrying a gun?
my family rule in the 70's was .... you walked along and learned until you were age 13, you then got the family 4-10 for the year, and on our 14th birthday my grandfather would get us a browning A-5, and we were good to go !!! my 11 year old grandson has sat in the duck blind where I can keet a very close eye on him and help teach, but walking for pheasants seems like it is too young. what your thoughts?

I was 12, but my dad had had me carrying my bb gun along for several years & learned a lot about gun safety before even taking the hunter safety course in '81. I think all kids are going to be a little different, and so is their experience w/ guns/hunting up until the point you consider letting them carry a gun. Other things to think about are: Just let 'em have 1 shell at a time for awhile? Hunt alone w/ them awhile before taking part in groups? Etc. Seems like with most kids there's a pretty big jump in maturity from 11 to 13. Some kids, not so much. But somewhere in that 11-13 range seems appropriate for most, so I'll split the difference & say 12 on average.

 

[HS Strut]

My son started coming along and "walking" with us real young...I mean maybe 6 yrs old? HE LOVED IT! I've got pictures of him at home on the wall sitting in a pile of pheasants...proud as he'd shot them himself. Then about 11-12 he got to carry a gun. He didn't really start killing any till he was maybe 16? But he loved all aspects of bird hunting and gun safety.

 

[SoYoCoTransplant]

My daughter turns 11 next Wednesday. I️ grew up with a father who didn’t let us anywhere near the fields or woods u til we were 12 and ready to legally hunt. However my daughter has been going Spring Gobbler and deer hunting with me since she was 2-1/2. Basically Once she could keep her mouth shout she was allowed to go. She started taking along in the pheasant fields and grouse woods at age 6. She got her first .22 for her 3rd birthday and has since upgraded her .22 to a better model with a nice scope with her own money and has her own shotgun. She knows and well understands what a gun does and as far as gun safety she is as good if not better than me. For her upcoming birthday she received her own birddog that will be ready for next pheasant season, so she will have her own birddog to handle.

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