I know I'm gonna get blasted, but here it goes...

[LawDawg]

Well, Law Dawg, you got a lot of good answers and aint been blasted yet.

Must be the Christmas cheer. I just didn't want anyone to think that I was criticizing kids shooting young deer. Maybe this place is maturing...

Naaaahhhhh

[Dutch Dog]

Hannah is already WAY ahead of that game, last year at a draw hunt where we had to shoot a doe first she saw four 140 class bucks running in a bachelor group and as luck would have it we hadn't shot a doe yet. I ended up shooting a doe the next day while she was in school so she could shoot a buck if it came along over the weekend. She could have killed several spikes, 4 pts but passed on them waiting on one of the big bucks she saw. She was going to settle for a nice 6 pt on the last day but he never did get right for her to shoot. This was done with her having not ever killed a racked buck before. I guaran-dam-tee you I would have shot one of them spikes or 4's she saw if it had been me in her shoes.

[Gunslinger]

My son's 10 and I still give him the green light on whatever he wants to shoot. I think the kid will let you know when it's time to start talking management and about passing on certain deer. My son has passed on does and some spikes-4 points the past two years waiting on a "big one". After a while he gets tired of going and not shooting something. He was 8 when he killed his first racked buck - a ten point. Later the same year, I made him pass on a young 7 point one evening. Man, did I feel like $#!+ when the deer walked off and I could see the disappointment in hmy son's eyes. Luckily, the deer came back by about an hour later - I told him to shoot it if he wanted. Not wanting to disappointment me, he asked if it was big enough. I told him I got a better look and said yes, it's big enough. It was a trophy in his eyes, and that's all that counted. When he starts refering to bucks he shoots as small, that's when I'll start making him pass.

[Duck$$$]

My oldest just turned 14 and he knows what to shoot and what not depending on where we hunt. He' s shot one this year and described it to the tee before we found it later, down to # of points, spread and body weight. My youngest just wants to shoot so we just choose our property/hunting location based on what they want to do. Works greatbfor us but you must have at least 2 properties to choose from.

[Bigpoppa]

Some folks are not fortunate enough to have a place to worry bout management> I however do , but i dont have any children who hunt so i have skewed view> I say let em kill whats legal until they get to where they can consistently do it like an adult then step it up a notch> And they need to learn a nub from a doe and shoot a million does!

[ScottyLee]

i think it will come with time. My dad never forced deer management on me, although he practiced it for a long time. If it was a legal deer and i wanted to drop the hammer, then that was fine. After i shot a deer or 2 then, he would always tell me to be real selective in what i shoot. He always left me with the decision. As i grew older, shooting the barely legal bucks (which was just as good as killing 200inch deer, in my eyes as a youth) it just didn't appeal to me anymore. I started wanting the bigger better bucks, because i would see what dad was shooting and calling a good deer. So for me, it came with through subtle teaching and me growing out of the youthful deer hunter stage from when i was younger. Respect the law as far as limits and legal restrictions. and let the kid make the decisions. all kids mature at different times when it comes to that kind of thing, let them decide when that time is..

hope that makes since and i wasn't ramblin to much

[GordonGekko]

About the same time you start talking to them about shooting greenheads only...it isn't about an age it is about maturity; you could talk to plenty of 40 year olds about it until you are blue in the face and they still won't "get it" (and even those that nod will shoot the first nice three year old that walks by....and trust me you'll know when it's time if you listen to the kids...always remember, kids see WAY more than they hear, they will follow your example....

[cwink]

I think the State did that for us last year when they went with a spread rule. Youths get Buck of choice thier first buck and then have to go for a state law deer rule. Our camp does this except we have a 14" inside rule. So youths get first choice on bucks every year then it is a min 14" spread.

[arduckslayer]

About the same time you start talking to them about shooting greenheads only...it isn't about an age it is about maturity; you could talk to plenty of 40 year olds about it until you are blue in the face and they still won't "get it" (and even those that nod will shoot the first nice three year old that walks by....and trust me you'll know when it's time if you listen to the kids...always remember, kids see WAY more than they hear, they will follow your example....

I was told green only from the 1st trip on!!!

[john roach]

My daughter shot her first last January small spike this year opening day of youth wknd a doe,,she has passed many does since thusfar this year[.she said that we have meat and if we keep killing everything she sees we mite not see anything nxt year,I was floored at her answer you seem to be on the rite path,You will make the rite decesion and have the best times ever with your child,good luck to you and your family