kids hunting and guns

[dalegribble]

i started my sons shooting around 8 years old. i bought them a daisy single shot 22 rifle to start with. i taught them gun safety and how to shoot. when they got older they got larger guns that fired multiple rounds. i did my job and they did theirs and all was good.

i have been watching some hunting shows and lately they have been advocating getting kids started hunting, which is good. what i see tho disturbs me. these kids don't carry their own guns, the guns are set up for them to shoot and when the time comes to shoot the parent/hunter pulls back the hammer (mostly t/c single shots) and when the adult tells him then the kid pulls the trigger. these kids have very poor shooting form, mostly just pulling the trigger and not hardly holding the rifle. i'm not even sure the kids shot hits the animal but with the miracle of photography the deer always goes down and the adult congrats the kid for a super shot.

now i think kids should learn how to shoot and hunt but it is my opinion that if the gun needs to be set in a rest and you only let the kid pull the trigger then that is neither hunting or shooting. if the kid isn't old enough to carry his own gun and draw down on his own game then that means you don't trust the kid and if you don't trust the kid to carry his own gun and draw down on his own game then the kid should stay home until you can trust them to do that. i think it is wrong to stick a kid in a blind, put the gun in a rest and not let the kid do anything but pull the trigger. maybe 8 year olds are too young to take hunting, maybe they need better instruction, maybe they just need more trust but if your trying to promote kids and huinting at least portray them as responsible hunters or don't promote them at all. IMHO

 

[deanadell]

i have been watching some hunting shows

The key phrase here is "hunting shows". Over the years I have found that most of these have turned into "Killing Shows" instead of "Hunting SHows". Its all about how many kills shots they can squeeze in between commercial breaks. Can't run the risk of Junior muffing the shot and wasting a whole morning of video tape.......

 

[rem870hunter]

i started at around 8. was taught never ,ever play with guns. they are not toys. except the toy type. was allowed to have cap guns. just as long as i never pointed it at anyone or anything that was not to be shot. told me if i wanted to see his/our guns i was allowed to. all i had to do was ask him. no problem at all. started plinking with the .22 rifle and a bb gun. was hunting at age 11. until i was 14 dad and i stayed with 20 yards of each other. i knew what to do where to aim tomake sure it had antlers. if i wasn't sure don't shoot, if there was someone on the other side of the deer, don't shoot. carried a single shot 12 ga. until i was 13,then carried a 12 ga. 870. the 870 was bought for me when i was 5. dad wasn't sure if i was going to be a righty or lefty. in case i was a lefty he had an ithaca 37. still never shot it. my first deer was in 2002. dad was not right with me, but was 60 yards away in a stand just i like was. verbally helped me dress it. and that is one mess i will never forget.