Need some help from you guys with kids

[turkeyman]

So my wife and i had a disscusion about what age is it ok to kill a deer in front of a child. I would like to know your thoughts along with what your wife thinks the appropriate age is. ( there are no wrong or write answers. It's all opinions)

My boy is 4 and I think it's ok


Me age 4
Wife undecided but not age 4

[DanP]

My little girl was 5 and I would take my boy now at 3 if he would sit still long enough.

[DanP]

I did explain to my daughter why we kill "girl deer" but we still had a debate in the ground blind over whether or not I could shoot. She finally gave in lol

[cwink]

I think it is going to boil down to the child.. Some are a little more sensitive than others.. I took my son at 4, but he has not seen me shoot one.. He has seen many after though..

I think it is important to point out that as sportsman we have several jobs to do. To keep the population in check, to preserve our heritage, to help provide food for our family and another topic is to point out that hunting is more humane than letting deer die of old age or death by predator or by cars.. There are no hospitals for deer, and a proper placed shot is much faster and less painful for a deer than to be run over by a car, or starvation or attack from predators.

However, selling all this to a 4 year old will be much easier than Momma though..

[1010]

Hold the gun and let them pull the trigger.. It took my son several years to finally pull it(he was about the same age 4-5)..

I would just enjoy being with them and not rush anything.. I would go by myself meat hunting.

[peewee]

I have been taking my daughter since she was 3. She never saw one get shot until she was 6 but she saw plenty at the skinning rack. She started shooting last year and is a heck of a hunter. Personally I think the younger you introduce them the better. As a kid I can remember being much more shocked seeing a chickens head twisted by my grandmother than any deer I saw die.

[Chuckle12]

I take both my sons fairly regularly - the 5 year old has seen many deer die. My middle child will turn 4 at the end of January. If a nice doe walked out with us in the blind I wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger. I seriously doubt seeing a doe shot at 150yds would damage him for life.

[cajun squealer]

I did explain to my daughter why we kill "girl deer" but we still had a debate in the ground blind over whether or not I could shoot. She finally gave in lol

Get away from using the "girl/boy" terminology". Girls and boys are humans. Does and bucks are deer. It's not a "baby deer", it's a fawn. Deer, as with all animals, are here for human use and/or consumption. If a child comes to understand their existence as such, they're less likely to fall into a "Bambi" mindset.

You're hunting...practicing resource harvest and management, not playing a playground game, but keep things fun and interesting. Teach them the ecological and biological concepts on an age-appropriate level. If you expose them to what is normal at a young age so that they come to accept it as normal, they'll be in a much better position to fully understand why it is normal as they mature and develop cognitively.

As far as a particular age, there really isn't one. My opinion would simply be the sooner, the better, however that will vary parent to parent, child to child, circumstance to circumstance. Perhaps a better question to ask first would be are the parents ready to accept their responsibility to their child of teaching and explaining before exposing them to all the topics that will inevitably come to light.

Disclaimer: I have neither wife nor children, only my own experiences, perceptions, and opinions...and a degree that says I'm supposed to know something about this kind of stuff. That's still up for debate.

[pondman]

Jason,

This is a subject that I put a lot of thought into with my own son.

My son started hunting with me at 5. At age 6 he saw a deer die, cleaned, and processed. At age 7 he killed a deer.

Here is my thought process.
I believe that it is VITALLY important that a child realizes the consequences of their actions. When explaining the process I used the work KILL -- not harvest. Killing implies finality. Killing an animal is a final act. Children (and some adults) need to realize the huge responsibility that goes along with the act of killing. My son had to demonstrate he understood what was going on. I needed him to realize that the killing process, when done correctly, is a good thing. When done poorly can have long and painful consequences.

I also believe that the child should be able to maneuver the gun as it sits on a rest. The child needs to know they put the crosshairs in the proper place. It is their responsibility to deliver a killing shot.

As for the act of shooting, I started my son on a 22. Moved him up to 223 and now he shots a 7mm-08. He had to demonstrate the ability to hit a target (clay target sitting on berm) from a rest before he would be allowed to hunt.

Right or wrong this is the way I did it. I do not think you can put an age on it. The one thing that I was insistent on with my son was that he understood his actions and the consequences of his actions. An animal died because of his actions. It is his responsibility to deliver the killing shot and make full use of the animal when the shot is delivered. My son is very proud of himself when I tell him that he provided supper for the night.

Pond

[Dux Be Us]

When the kid wants ta go...take em. Y'all have fun

[DanP]

I did explain to my daughter why we kill "girl deer" but we still had a debate in the ground blind over whether or not I could shoot. She finally gave in lol

Get away from using the "girl/boy" terminology". Girls and boys are humans. Does and bucks are deer. It's not a "baby deer", it's a fawn. Deer, as with all animals, are here for human use and/or consumption. If a child comes to understand their existence as such, they're less likely to fall into a "Bambi" mindset.

You're hunting...practicing resource harvest and management, not playing a playground game, but keep things fun and interesting. Teach them the ecological and biological concepts on an age-appropriate level. If you expose them to what is normal at a young age so that they come to accept it as normal, they'll be in a much better position to fully understand why it is normal as they mature and develop cognitively.

As far as a particular age, there really isn't one. My opinion would simply be the sooner, the better, however that will vary parent to parent, child to child, circumstance to circumstance. Perhaps a better question to ask first would be are the parents ready to accept their responsibility to their child of teaching and explaining before exposing them to all the topics that will inevitably come to light.

Disclaimer: I have neither wife nor children, only my own experiences, perceptions, and opinions...and a degree that says I'm supposed to know something about this kind of stuff. That's still up for debate.

Her words not mine, but I agree with the point you're trying to make which is exactly what I explained plus a lot more prior to the hunt.

[jdbuckshot]

my little girl comes to the skinning shed at least once a week. she is 2 years old.

I say start them early.

[turkeyman]

I agree with y'all on starting them young and teaching them the right way to use a gun and about Gods creations. I think my wife is thinking this is her last little one and she wants to hold on to that innocents as long as she can and I understand that. He has been around alot of dead deer and loves it.


Y'all keep it coming

[matador1]

Davis was 4 the first time he saw me kill something, a hog. We had talked a lot about it and he didn't seemed phased. Anna Morgan was 9 and the first thing she saw die she killed it. Both different experiences at differnet levesl of maturity. Both love to hunt!

[ol'man]

I did explain to my daughter why we kill "girl deer" but we still had a debate in the ground blind over whether or not I could shoot. She finally gave in lol

Get away from using the "girl/boy" terminology". Girls and boys are humans. Does and bucks are deer. It's not a "baby deer", it's a fawn. Deer, as with all animals, are here for human use and/or consumption. If a child comes to understand their existence as such, they're less likely to fall into a "Bambi" mindset.

You're hunting...practicing resource harvest and management, not playing a playground game, but keep things fun and interesting. Teach them the ecological and biological concepts on an age-appropriate level. If you expose them to what is normal at a young age so that they come to accept it as normal, they'll be in a much better position to fully understand why it is normal as they mature and develop cognitively.

As far as a particular age, there really isn't one. My opinion would simply be the sooner, the better, however that will vary parent to parent, child to child, circumstance to circumstance. Perhaps a better question to ask first would be are the parents ready to accept their responsibility to their child of teaching and explaining before exposing them to all the topics that will inevitably come to light.

Disclaimer: I have neither wife nor children, only my own experiences, perceptions, and opinions...and a degree that says I'm supposed to know something about this kind of stuff. That's still up for debate.

+1