Guest column: Minimum hunting age for archery and firearms should be reduced to 12 in New York

[HuntingNY-News]

Guest column: Minimum hunting age for archery and firearms should be reduced to 12 in New York15 August 2010, 6:44 amStephen WowelkoBy Stephen Wowelko In July of 2008, Governor David Paterson signed into law a bill that created a special “junior hunter” mentoring program that enabled sportsmen and sportswomen who were 14 years old to hunt big game in New...Source: Outdoors Blog

[Doc]

Whenever anyone talks about lowering hunting ages, they always leave out the discussion of whether they are talking about dropping the age while including an adult accompanyment requirement, or not. To me that makes a huge difference between whether I support such moves or not. I am not in favor of turning 12 year olds loose without close parental, or specifically designated adult, supervision. So, does anyone know whether the people behind the bills talked about in this article are proposing these changes with or without adult supervision?

Also, he talks about pushing a lowering of ages in bowhunting without going for the whole thing ...... bow and gun. Frankly I do think that the two different weapons should have different critera for youth safety and minimum ages.

Doc

[erussell]

Not sure I want 12 yr olds running around the woods with guns or not either. But when I was 12 I was running around the woods with a gun, started out with a bb gun then went to a 22 when my Dad got tired of me begging him to take it out. I personally would not have allowed me to take a gun out in the woods but things were done differently back then I guess, just like we never had to wear seat belts either. Todays kids are so strapped into the car they are almost part of the car. Hunting is being lost on the younger kids now because they get more interested in video games and tv before they can even go hunting so I think we need to get to them younger and get them interested before there minds are gummed up with TV. My brother started taking my nephew duck hunting when he was 8. Now he can't wait till he can get in the woods and hunt deer too. 

[Doc]

Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Those video games are quite the attraction. I think in most cases it's a losing battle. If the electronic gadgets don't get them, it's only a matter of time before the girls do.

[Doewhacker]

I think most kids would be fine as long as they are with an adult, but then it depends on the adult for proper teaching. My brother and I started at a young age, but again we have a good Father that taught us well, not every kid will. I would guess most kids that are fresh out of training courses are safer than a good percentage of adults, simply due to the fact that they just learned it.

Aren't there states in the south that allow kids to hunt with an adult at about 6 years old? I think my boy could squeeze the trigger on one with me there to help and he is almost 7.

[Doc]

When accompanied by a responsible, trained, adult, with parental consent, I can't really see where there should be any age restriction. If the kid can pick up the gun, and hold it steady enough and live through the recoil, with the "arm's reach" guidance of a qualified adult, why not let them hunt. The trick is being very careful how to define that "responsible trained adult".

Doc

[sits in trees]

other states have done it with good success, of course adult supervision is a must with very specific guidelines on proximity distance of adult to 12 yr old in the field. one rule i think i would like to see is that a child can not handle a loaded firearm until seated/on post. the idea of little fidgiting fingers near a rifles safety while stomping thru the woods raises concern with me...

[burmjohn]

I'm 100% for it if its supervised, meaning actually sitting with an adult in a blind / stand.

[fasteddie]

I'm 100% for it if its supervised, meaning actually sitting with an adult in a blind / stand.

Yeah , that would be okay . I woun't want to see too young of a person turned loose to hunt . Yes , some have more sense than a few adults but .......they are still kids . I see kids nowadays as getting bored too easily . I would be afraid that getting them started in hunting too early that they might get bored and not want to go out in a couple of years .

As for the mention of some states allow 6 year olds to hunt with a supervising adult , I have seen hunting shows where 8 year olds are sitting with Daddy in a house blind . The kid is just about sitting on Dad's lap and Dad is doing almost everything except pulling the trigger . That's not right !

[Doc]

One other thing that I would like to see required of an accompanying adult is that they have taken the hunter training safety course. That makes sure that the adult knows the safety rules so that they can enforce them.

Doc

[sits in trees]

One other thing that I would like to see required of an accompanying adult is that they have taken the hunter training safety course. That makes sure that the adult knows the safety rules so that they can enforce them.

Doc

in NY the adult ( for 14 yr olds during big game) has to be a licensed hunter and a parent or guardian of the child unless a mentor form is filled out and kept on the childs person and signed by a parent or guardian of the child...i think a licensed hunter only makes sense and would be a good thing and who knows might even force some parents into hunting by their very own kids....