Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting You Guys

A woman I know is going to sign up and ask y'all some questions, she wants to take Her 10yr old son elk hunting, be gentle on her.

Remsen might have a hard time with that.

lol spell check.

Circumsized?

Not legal in most states for a 10 year old to elk hunt, FYI

Yeah, this isn't Texas.

Last I knew all the Rocky Mountain states were 12-14 years old minimum for big game.

A kid under 10 can take hunters ED in NM and take it under the age 10 if a parent takes the class with them.

Lots of kids under 10 kill cow elk every year in NM.

No minimum in wa, think the boy was 7 or 8 when he got his.

JFC we're already off to a bad start, with half the guys ready to tell this woman her son can't even hunt elk.

I know I wasn’t double digits when I started shooting BG. Feel bad for those kids who have to wait. My 5 year old totes his 22 this evening to call coyotes, betting we don’t wait 7 more years before he smokes a deer....

Legal age in Idaho is 10.

Yep, the Hunters Ed classes they do with the parents are a good thing. Took my girls to one they hosted at the Gorham Scout Ranch and we had a blast.

Just reread that and I kinda repeated myself.

Obviously you knew what I meant.

A kid can take Hunter Ed at 10 and under 10 with an adult.

Heck I read in a thread right here on the fire that a kid under about 13 shouldn’t be allowed a pocketknife. Probably shouldn’t be elk hunting before 35 or so.

It’s pretty amazing what a guy can learn on the fire.

Elk are not controlled game animal in TX. Choot'em

No chit? My youngest took her first cow elk when she was 12. She maybe, might have, could've also been carrying a knife at the time. May have even used said knife on the elk in question. Sure hope some Karen doesn't try to slap my hand for questionable parenting practices.

My son at 9 deer backpacking and hunting in Virginia:







He still remembers it. We didn't get one that time. But we both have awesome memories.

Any state that has an age limit is stupid.

Marine hawk all due respect your kid was ready and mature enough at 9 doesn't mean every kid is or that their parents did an adequate job of raising their kid either. That stupid law is there to.protect the rest of us from some kid who has had piss poor parenting and not mature enough to be handling a firearm. If a kids parents don't shoot or hunt some 3 day course going to give him all the smarts he needs? I say your right if every kid out there got the time and mentoring you gave yours. Fact of the matter is most don't get that and if they talk to their buddies at school about it they would get expelled. There is appalling lack of parenting these days.

I may have missed something, but I haven't heard of, seen, or read about, any instances of someone taking their 10-yr-old or younger kid(s) hunting where the parent wasn't a really experienced and eager hunter. That's when that happens. Really experienced hunters are the ones to whom the thought even occurs to take a 9-yr-old child of theirs hunting. Can you cite me a contrary example where something went wrong? There's too much government intrusion as it is. The world and country would be a better place if more parents were taking their young kids on challenging adventures in nature, including hunting.

There we go, legislate to the lowest common denominator because that always makes things better. Screw the kids who are able and have parents willing to get them into the outdoors before they hit the magic number.
How many parents who don’t hunt or shoot are going to buy their 8 year old a rifle and an elk tag and drop them off out somewhere to go hunting?

My daughter was 10 when she took her first buck. Her brother was 8-9. As Kid says the laws for younger hunters usually require a parent to be next to their young hunter.













I still think teaching and showing them young lights a small fire that’ll keep burning a bit as they grow up.

My boy is a Corporal in the Marine Corps now and my daughter is hammering through High School. They grow up quick, catch them while they are young or you might realize they are grown up before you know it!

I should have added the mother does hunt and is big-time into fishing has her own boat. I forgot about elk in Tx, i have a buddy that does hunts for them in west Tx, they took some nice bulls this yr.

Sounds like a great lady, deserving of some help.

Good dad!

I trained my sons early on with toy guns and BB and pellet guns about muzzle discipline and routinely engaging the safety after firing.

Here's my older son at age 9 shooting his .243. You can see at the end that, by that age, he instinctively engaged the safety immediately after firing. It was essentially muscle-memory by then.

https://i.imgur.com/He3mhUq.mp4

I really feel like I don't need the government to tell me that my well-trained young boys are precluded from lawful hunting just because there is some chance that someone else might be really stupid with their children. Government is supposed to pave and maintain roads, provide police and military, provide courts, and a few other things. Governmentn should not be given the mandate to prevent responsible young children from hunting with their responsible parents.

I think the correct response would have been

“ I‘ll help her out in anyway I can when she has questions “

In Idaho, a kid can hunt big game at 10 but must be with a licensed adult until age 12. I don't know how old the 'adult' has to be. It might be anyone 12 or older.

Have her PM the many guys on here that will be willing to help. You know who they are.

Last year both my grandsons, one 10 yr old, and the other 12 year old pulled youth cow tags in AZ. The 10 year old harvested a cow the first day with his mothers 7-08 shooting 120 TTSX. His brother saw elk but never was confident so never took the shot.
A great family experience and the 10 year old will be in both AZ and NM draw this year.

The 12 year old, now 13, is already in the system for AZ, NM, Utah, CA, NV, WY.

Nothing like hunting with your children and grandkids.

I agree wholeheartedly! In my Family of Many, we've been taking kids and grand kids out for years, and it's proven, very worthwhile, all the way around! Those children will open up, with their lives and what's going on in them, at hunting camp, more so than at home with all the distractions! Oh yeah, that was before cell phones! Leave them behind, or off in your pocket for emergencies only! New standing rule at hunt Camp!!!

I don't even own a gun, but my 10 year old has been killing the hell out of stuff.

Had to get me out of bed to come drag this doe back to the house when he was 9.


I make him and his sister do the butchering, I think its gross.


Somewhere he cabbaged on to a .410, at least I don't have to carry the turkeys for him.


Santa brought him a little Browning. He can tote squirrels all day long by himself.




I hope the woman's 10 year old kid kills the hell out of some elk.

Nicely done! That kid is a go-getter! It's great to have someone to look up to, huh?

I need to pick up one of those Browning 22's