How old was your kid when they shot their first deer!... How young is to young too?...

It depends a lot on the kid on when he/she is ready!!! My grandson is 6 and I don't think he's ready yet but when he is, I'll take him out and teach him gun safety and to shoot!!!

Started teaching my grandson when he was about 3. Started with a Red Ryder and moved him up from there. This December, at the ripe old age of 4 3/4 he took his first deer. His Dad was there in the stand with him and other than putting the rifle up on the sand bags, B did the rest. He found his sight picture, took his breath and squeezed.
Seadog has hit the nail on the head. Each kid will be different. I took my first one the week after I turned 6. I'd been shooting for about 2 years by that time and Dad thought I was ready. I was.
Kid's attention spans at those young ages is pretty short. Range time with them seems to be more time spent setting up and taking down than actually shooting. Keep it fun and educational and they'll want to go back.

It's always great when you have a 'new' hunting buddy!

Both my daughters were shooting bob gun around 4-5
Took them to the range a bunch with a .22 around 6-7
Started shooting pigs first around 8-9
Killed their first deer at 9 & 11
I think the progression gave them a lot of confidence. Both have shoot numerous hogs and deer, and only the younger one has ever missed. They are both really good shots and know how to handle a gun.
Don't just throw a gun in their hands and say "shoot that deer", teach them right. It pays off later.

my girl hunted with me when she was 3 and tracked a buck with me that was wounded at 4 ....
she shot her first turkey at about 10 years old ....
223 bull barrel single shot new England arms youth rifle
she never wanted to kill a deer though till she hit college , then hunger set in and it was GAME ON after that
she is now 27 and takes a deer every year
don't know where she got it but boy howdy can she shoot

I've started my 5yr old son on the BB gun.

He's definitely not ready for the real deal.

Started taking them to the ranch at 3. BB guns at 5 progressing to .22lr by 8. 22-250 at 10 and deer down by 12. Not that it was a plan just how it worked out

I have three girls, my oldest shot her first buck at 9 years old. Now she is 18 and is a very good hunter. She is very selective and knows what needs to be taken out of the herd and what doesn't. All of them grew up on the farm with a fishin pole and bb/pellet guns. I guess God decided I didn't need any boys. During the winter time they follow me around calling coyotes. All of them have a high level of confidence in everything they do and I'm pretty sure it has to do with the way they were raised.

Whatever you do try to keep it fun for the kids. Nothing better than hunting with your own kid.

Both of my boys got Red Riders at age 5 and lots of practice. I bought a pellet rifle and scoped it then we did lots of back yard practice. I set up targets of varying size and we shoot till you miss. We then progress to 223 in a lead sled then to sand bags and finally to a 25-06 that I had in the safe just waiting on each of them. I took my boys hunting a lot early but they knew that until they were 9 they could not shoot, just my thing of stressing gun safety and they took the nearly worthless hunter safety course. My oldest, now 10, has shot 4 deer and 2 hogs thus far and has made good shots on all of them! The youngest, 8, turns 9 in August and is chomping at the bit until he gets his turn. That's how I like it.... Wanting to so bad that I think it will help to insure the desire is really theirs and not something I have imposed on them.

My son killed his first at 4, started deer and coyote hunting by my side at 2! Only time you will ever see him be quiet! He has probably killed 6 or 7 deer and 1 coyote so far and he is now 8. He is very worried about gun safety and even understands shooting mature deer instead of just shooting one to be shooting.

Started at 7 and last one is him at 16. I guess Josh has killed around a dozen or so now. Come along way in the last 9 years.

Started daughter at 9 (pic below) she killed her first deer. The next pic is her at 14 with her buck from this year.

shot my first deer at 7 and as soon as my boy can shoot a crossbow well he will be taking one also. If he chooses to

Any age once they understand gun safety and the maturity is there. My son has been target shooting since 6 and is now 8. I feel he's ready for next year, but each kiddo will be different. The look on his face the first time he saw deer while hunting with me is something I'll never forget and can't even imagine when he takes his first deer.

my 4 year old got a bb gun for Christmas...I will say he has surprised me on his shooting skills..not to bad...I shot my first deer at 7, so im thinking the same for him if he wants

My Son was 12. Killed a spike on public land close to DFW. I was very proud of him.

Took my kids with me when they were four and let them watch the deer/shot. Oldest boy hunted alone when he was 9 and killed his first doe that year. Youngest boy got his when he was 7 with both of us in a ground blind.
They shot BB guns at targets when they were 6 and graduated to .22's same year.
Both boys are safety conscious and have their own kids to train. Kayla (granddaughter) will hunt next year when she turns 6.

I started taking my son when he was 2. He is now 14 and counts the days for deer season.
I never pressured my son to shoot a deer. I figured he would let me know when he’s ready.
At the age of 11 he told me he was ready.
This is Ryan's first deer (Doe) at age 11.



The following year at age 12 he took his first buck.

My son shot his first when he was 9 I think. His son was 8 when he shot his first. Both started out with BB guns then graduated to 22 rifles. Now we need to get the grandson thru the hunter safety course.

No kids here yet, but I couldn't tell you how many BBs I shot when I was a kid. I loved going out back and shooting grasshoppers off the barbed wire with my bb gun. I also couldn't count how many turtles I shot with my grandfathers pump .22 at his buddies fishing lake. My dad always told me that if I could hit a quarter at 25 yards, I could hunt. Well, I shot my first doe at 5 years old, and at 6 I shot my first buck.

My son was 7 when he shot his first deer and my daughter was almost 10 when she shot hers. They have been shooting 22's since they were 5. My son had a doe lined up when he was 6, but couldn't pull the trigger. Now I can't get him out of the stand and he'd fill all his tags if I let him.

I started my oldest with a BB gun at 3 and work on popping balloons attached to my bow target in the yard. At four we spent time behind a 22 and at 5 we began shooting a .223 in the afternoons. By the time deer season opened he had shot 200+ rounds of .223 and could put 5 on a paper plate at 75 yds. He shot his first deer at 5 and this year at 6 he was able to get a really nice mature deer. I have stepped through the same process with my middle son who is now 5, but he is just not ready to shoot at deer even though he has had the same exposure. All kids are different and its important to not push them until they are absolutely ready to harvest an animal.

As stated previously, the age all depends on the kid. My daughter shot her first deer, a doe, at 8 and just shot her fifth at 12, which will be her first shoulder mount. Mine will not touch a gun unless I hand it to her first. I've never had an issue with her behavior around guns and been very fortunate she understood and respected them at an early age. I didn't do anything special other than talk about safety and she fortunately listened and got it. She is still a work in progress, but she learns something each time out.

My daughter is 7 and she can shoot a rascal pretty well, I have a little TC contender with a 22lR and,32-20 barrel. This spring we will move her to the TC with the 22 barrel then to the 32-20. She will be 8 when we take first crack at a whitetail.

I was 9 when I took my first "big game animal" a little 4 point, and a turkey, but I had been giving the squirrel, bird,and rabbit, and turtle population hell with my 22 and 22 mag for 2 years before. This is me circa 1986 with the mentioned deer and, Turkey.



Ed

Started at 6 last one he is 9