Asking the THF to decide is like asking them about Doctoring, law questions, marriage counselling, or what is the best beer. Parenting is making your own decisions.

I never said I was afraid of a neighbor shooting a deer. I clearly stated that it is a possibility. So if I am afraid that he'll get hung in a fence does that make me "that fence"?

What are the odds of the deer hanging around a property of a few hundred acres for 2-3 years? Not great I imagine, 2,000 acres, eh, maybe a bit better.

Asking the THF to decide is like asking them about Doctoring, law questions, marriage counselling, or what is the best beer. Parenting is making your own decisions.

Gots to love it when someone asks for opinions and somes don't like the responses.

Set up your home place just like you would want a lease you were on set up. Describe what you are looking for age and horn wise and what your expectations are and why. After he is given what is expected to be harvested, let him decide what, when, and where. Our kids do not make enough decisions on their own any more. Hunting is not a guaranteed endeavor and we should all be prepared to be elated at times and to also suffer heartache at times. You are dealing with an uncontrollable force, Mother Nature. Provide the framework and let him make his own decisions within the framework. Cameras, and I have them also, tend to take the surprises out of what is going to show up where you hunt. This leads to everyone wanting to kill the biggest on camera and to do it as soon as possible before someone else has a chance and to heck with next year, especially for the younger or inexperienced hunter. I like to hunt or have the chance to hunt the entire season. Used to, pre-camera age, you hunted the first couple of weekends just to see what was around. Now days, that has changed. I like to hunt for the opportunity to be out there and make it last as long as possible, but I guess that comes with age.

Most of the responses here is what I told him prior to this post. No, not actually letting members decide. He asked me for my opinion so I gave it. He is letting him walk and going to focus on a cull for him.

I don't know fi this has been brought up or not, but many of you are bringing some serious high level thought to a "kid's first buck" opportunity.

Let the kid hunt, keep his enthusiasm in hunting and let him learn with time.

Lets take the devils advocate here:

Dad listens to the forum and says to kid, that deer isn't old enough and we need to let it walk a couple more years before we can shoot it. IN a couple years something happens (lease is transferred, family moves, neighbor shoots the deer, literally a million possible here) and that deer is gone, and the kids interest in hunting has faded since all dad lets him shoot are "boring doe" and ultimately the kid never gets really interested in hunting again?

You could then have another anti-hunter or person ambivalent to hunting who votes for public lands to go away and gun rights to cease when instead you could have given a kid an opportunity to shoot a deer that got his blood pumping but many of us on here feel is "too young" and the kid is "too young".

Hogwash, this is supposed to be a fun activity. If you can not have fun doing it, then get out. If you can not let your kids have fun learning how to do it, then get out. Many of us have to realize everyone enjoys this for different reasons. It isn't all abut the age and antlers, for many its about priceless memories that can not be made unless we are out there doing them with our kids.