What age were your kids when they shot there first big game animal.

[Josh06]

My 2 oldest sons and my nephew were 8 when I took them on their first "big game" hunt. All 3 used a .243. I have a 6 year old now and he will be using a 22 creedmoor on his first big game hunt. It's become kind of a family tradition to take them to a game ranch for a ram hunt on their 8th birthday.

 

[Possum Cop]

Good afternoon, I was just wondering how old were your kids when they took there first big game animal. By big game I'm including whitetail deer. My son is 4 and will be 5 next year and I'm hoping if he keeps progressing he will be ready to go next fall so he will be towards the end of being 5 almost 6 by the time deer season rolls around next year. He has been wanting to shoot almost every night lately. We have just been shooting .22's and .17 HMR for now as I'm sure the recoil of any of my bigger rifles will be to much. He has been doing really good the last couple of weeks so I now have high hopes he keeps progressing. I wouldn't take him if I'm not fully confident in his ability to make a good ethical shot and I will keep the ranges close. Just wondering what you guys kids ages were roughly. A great side affect of this, I get to build another rifle even if it is for him. Will be much easier convincing the wife to let me build another one if its for our son lol. Thinking either 6mm CM or .243.. Probably make the rifle fairly heavy, adjustable chassis for him since he is small still, shooting off a tripod was my thinking. Undecided on muzzle brake yet I really don't want to run one but it will help a ton and make those small calibers feel like nothing. Feel free to show off any rifle builds for your kids, would love to see them and hear the build specs!!!

My son was 7 on his 1st whitetail and hog. My daughter was a little more mature and killed her 1st Whitetail at 6 years old with an AR15 .223 with a 77 grain bullet. Both of them were shooting milk jugs of "coolaid" at 300 yards with a Remington 700 Varmint Synthetic .223 and a Leupold Long Range 6.5-20x50mm at 5 years old from prone.
They do mature at different times. I spend most of my quality time with them on hunting trips now that they are older.

 

[Son of a Gun!]

When I started hunting big game in South Dakota you had to be 12 yrs. old and complete a hunter safety course! I now live in Wyoming and the rule is the same. Although they have a new rule on mentoring and I'm not sure of the qualifications on this. My daughter was 13 when she shot her first big game! My granddaughter was 12 when she started and my grandson will be 12 this year and we've applied for an antelope tag for him! I've watched these TV shows where these real young kids shoot a deer and it's obvious they have no clue as to the significance of what they've just done! I understand that dad wants his new hunting partner in the field as soon as possible but the kid needs to be ready and have the right mindset!

 

[Plinker147]

Something else to think about is if you start them too young they loose some ambition for hunting. I started my kid at 8 and there were so many hunting opportunities that by the time he was 16 he had killed a ton. An cow elk every year since he was 9, bull elk, antelope, deer, Ibex, bighorn sheep (lucky draw) and more. Now he wont shoot another cow elk, and has lost passion hunting. I think because it all came too easy. Also I pushed it because I love hunting and probably over did the # of hunts. He still goes but he can take it or leave it, maybe just my kid but something to think about. Maybe tagging along and earning the right of passage at an older age might be a better approach?? Just something to think about

 

[dallen0427]

My daughter was 10 when she shot her first big game animal. She's done well since.

 

[Possum Cop]

My daughter was 10 when she shot her first big game animal. She's done well since.View attachment 277809View attachment 277810View attachment 277811View attachment 277812

That's awesome.!

 

[GUNNNN]

Good afternoon, I was just wondering how old were your kids when they took there first big game animal. By big game I'm including whitetail deer. My son is 4 and will be 5 next year and I'm hoping if he keeps progressing he will be ready to go next fall so he will be towards the end of being 5 almost 6 by the time deer season rolls around next year. He has been wanting to shoot almost every night lately. We have just been shooting .22's and .17 HMR for now as I'm sure the recoil of any of my bigger rifles will be to much. He has been doing really good the last couple of weeks so I now have high hopes he keeps progressing. I wouldn't take him if I'm not fully confident in his ability to make a good ethical shot and I will keep the ranges close. Just wondering what you guys kids ages were roughly. A great side affect of this, I get to build another rifle even if it is for him. Will be much easier convincing the wife to let me build another one if its for our son lol. Thinking either 6mm CM or .243.. Probably make the rifle fairly heavy, adjustable chassis for him since he is small still, shooting off a tripod was my thinking. Undecided on muzzle brake yet I really don't want to run one but it will help a ton and make those small calibers feel like nothing. Feel free to show off any rifle builds for your kids, would love to see them and hear the build specs!!!

Both of my sons were around 6 when they really started shooting but they were both 10 when they killed their first deer I started them out with a 35 rem. they were both big for their age but my granddaughters use a 223 that I hand load their ammo with good bullets and we limit then as to the range so there is less room for error

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

I started when I was 6 years old. Killed my first deer when I was 7. I'm starting my son this year. He's 5 but will be 6 in Sept. I bought him a light weight 6.5 creed and will be shooting shooting some mild 123sst out of it for him. If that's too much I'll just let him shoot my competition 6mm creed prone. He's been begging me for 2 years to go deer hunting so he's ready

 

[Lnewton]

My oldest son shot a buck at 8 but my youngest son was 14. You have to be 8 in Oklahoma. H&R makes a nice break barrel .223 youth sized rifle that worked great. 62 grain hollow points dropped them where they stood. The 14 year old used my .308. Depends on the kids and their size but that little H&R was hard to beat for smaller kids.

 

[RafterP2003]

My son was 14 when he shot this muley with a .243.

 

[Varminterror]

We waited until my son was 5 before he did any hunting at all, despite starting him shooting at 2. We walked around the woods with a BB gun "squirrel hunting" and let him shoot walnuts and hedge apples from shooting sticks for a couple of years from 3-5, but he didn't really get any opportunities to actually take game until he was 5. I took him after whitetails when he was 7 for the first time. Basically, we determined his readiness to go after deer by a system of qualifying metrics:

1) understanding of shot placement and vitals positioning in various animal postures and angles of presentation

2) ability to deliver necessary precision on the clock with the rifle from field positions

3) physical readiness to manage the rifle and recoil (lightweight and short barreled rifle built for this purpose in 6.8 SPC)

4) Demonstrated ability to manage "buck fever/target panic

5) emotional readiness to take an animal's life with the respect it is due

6) demonstrated maturity and composure to sit for 6-12hrs in the blind

We offered the opportunity to him to hunt deer when he was 4 or 5, but the first year he simply wasn't capable of maintaining composure long enough. He also in those early years had extreme excitement about successful kills without metered consideration of the gravity of taking life, and THEN his pendulum swung back the other way - he was more appropriately excited about the hunt and the harvest, but he'd later in the day cry because the squirrels, rabbits, and woods rats he'd shot wouldn't ever get to see their family again. But finally when he was 7, everything clicked and he was ready to go.

 

[MIBirdhunter]

My son was 6 years old when he shot his first turkey and 7 when he shot his first deer in Indiana. At the time, only straight line cartridges were allowed and he used a single shot 44 mag. He's eighteen now and we still hunt together every fall. Enjoy your time with your kids, it sure goes too fast.

 

[Sanford338]

Good afternoon, I was just wondering how old were your kids when they took there first big game animal. By big game I'm including whitetail deer. My son is 4 and will be 5 next year and I'm hoping if he keeps progressing he will be ready to go next fall so he will be towards the end of being 5 almost 6 by the time deer season rolls around next year. He has been wanting to shoot almost every night lately. We have just been shooting .22's and .17 HMR for now as I'm sure the recoil of any of my bigger rifles will be to much. He has been doing really good the last couple of weeks so I now have high hopes he keeps progressing. I wouldn't take him if I'm not fully confident in his ability to make a good ethical shot and I will keep the ranges close. Just wondering what you guys kids ages were roughly. A great side affect of this, I get to build another rifle even if it is for him. Will be much easier convincing the wife to let me build another one if its for our son lol. Thinking either 6mm CM or .243.. Probably make the rifle fairly heavy, adjustable chassis for him since he is small still, shooting off a tripod was my thinking. Undecided on muzzle brake yet I really don't want to run one but it will help a ton and make those small calibers feel like nothing. Feel free to show off any rifle builds for your kids, would love to see them and hear the build specs!!!

Both my Son and daughter were both 7. Found a Ruger M77 in .243 caliber carbine very short and fit both close enough for target practice and eventually both taking a doe at about 70 yards. They both eventually grew into it and have outgrown it! It's still on of my favorites in the safe for hogs and varmits...

 

[FrogFire7]

Mine is still too young but I shot my first whitetail just shy of my 8th birthday. I remember it vividly. My dad ans hunting buddies made it a great experience and it set the foundation for my hobby, maybe life lol.
I will say, I remember having mixed emotions about taking a life. I don't think this was a bad reaction and it should be the case. It was a big deal and I remember dad making sure I new this was the case and to thank the animal and the Lord for the harvest.

I think it depends on the maturity of the child. I will wait until my child can comprehend the the value and magnitude of taking a life and why we do it as hunters.

My oldest is 5, and I've been excited for him to hunt with me (for about 5 years, now. LOL).

However, what you said about taking a life is the biggest issue in my mind, more so than him being capable of pulling a trigger.

I remember my first deer at 12. Flood of emotions... adrenaline and excitement, shocked at how beautiful the animal was, and yet a somewhat soulful sadness at taking life. I'll never forget that moment. I absolutely LOVE hunting, and the sadness quickly wore off that day, yet I think there should be pause for reflection.

I'm not sure what age I'll start my kids at. Honestly, we haven't even shot rim fire yet. Pellet guns a couple times. For my oldest, at his current age, I KNOW he can't grasp the gravity of having something in his hands that can kill (especially unintentionally). So for now I wait. Will keep working with the pellet gun, graduate to rimfire, and eventually small caliber centerfire. He's a sensitive kid, and I don't want to push him into actual hunting until he's ready. Although he has been along on several archery hunts and a couple times groundhog hunting.