Been waiting to take my son since he was born. He showed a lot of patience this summer fishing and following instructions. So, I felt that he was at a point he could go with dad and it not be an issue. Better than I could have imagined. I really didn’t get much sleep making sure we had everything ready. It was even better than I imagined. Best hunt I’ve had to date. Didn’t care about species, mounts, how I was shooting, nothing. Only that he had the best experience possible. We don’t have much water like many but the pond has enough that he said on the way home duck hunting is the best thing ever. I Can’t wait till he can start shooting. For you older dads, what age did your kid(s) start shooting a shotgun and wing shooting? He likes the single shot 22 off the bench, but because of situational awareness required when wing shooting I’m not sure when to introduce him. I’ve seen adults swing right into people and close calls that it’s got me wondering. I was thinking in 2-3 years. He’s 5, and I shot my first deer around his age, but didn’t get into wing shooting till high school. Bird hunting has never been the thing in my family, and it’s now become what I enjoy doing the most.

Started my girls shooting in the blind when they were 7years old

Those pictures are awesome. Among my favorite I have seen on here. Pure greatness!
My son was 7 when he shot his first deer. Started him about the same time with a 410. Was 10 before I turned him loose with a 20 gauge to bird hunt with the men and make his own decisions. We went through a period where I supervised what he did pretty close. He was probably ready before then but I had to be sure. He thought he was ready at 7, but he was not there yet.

Thank you Smokey, it was something I’ll always cherish. I bird hunt with a very small group and we’ve been hunting together for a while now, which dulled how much more dynamic bird hunting is versus deer hunting out of a blind. Having my boy out there It him me how much more situational awareness and communication is involved with bird hunting. It really got me thinking when he could be ready. My bird hunting buddies have kids +/- 1.5 years from my son. I mentioned this evening that in a couple years we could do a hunt where dads only supervised. Have a setup like 5 stand and they rotate after 3 shells. Get them in a habit of not swinging into someone else or shooting over them. Shooting clays is one thing but the adrenaline gets pumping and people get tunnel vision on a bird. A guy got nailed by his young son 2 years back on the field adjacent to us. Luckily it wasn’t life threatening but we heard him loud and clear on the other side of field with some thick brush between us.

Great memories being made! A big thumbs up to Ya!!

Congrats on getting out with your kid. I started taking my son hunting with me when he was 7, and he would shoot a pellet gun after the hunt for fun. 9 years old he stated hunting shooting a single shot 20ga on hunts with me. When it comes to what is the right age to starting shooting, I will tell you it is less about age, and more about being able to physically hold the gun properly. When I first got my son his single shot 20ga, he could not physically hold it up correctly. I will also tell you when they get physically ready, it goes quick. 8 years old, he did not have the strength to hold it correctly, 9 years hold he did, 10 years old he out grew it, he called it a pee shooter, and moved up to a Berretta 12 auto smoking the birds... Few pic..


My daughter shooting same single shot 20ga..They need to be able to hold it correctly, with confidence, not arching their back to keep it up which is a sign they are not ready yet.



My son 10 years old shooting his 12ga youth opener...This was his second season shooting, he could ID ducks way before he starting shooting.



I will also tell you, at that age, it is more about them wanting to be with Dad than hunting and shooting. This is pic with my son before he started shooting, I use to do long walk-in hunts, he had to physically be able to make the walk. He enjoyed just going and watching, and carrying the ducks.



Enjoy your time with your kids, they grow up fast.

Good job on taking the young man with you.

I started taking my now 13 year old grandson duck and goose hunting when he was 3 years old. I believe he was around 7 when he first started shooting. Even then we kept it to a bare minimum because he was struggling mounting the shotgun and needed more time to physically handle the shotgun safely. I let time, growth size and maturity to determine when he and I felt comfortable to start shooting and that's going to vary from kid to kid regardless of age. Don't rush it.

I don't have any kids, that I know of - haha
But a couple of my buddies are taking their 4-year old sons out for the season opener with us.

They won't be shooting, but we did order a bunch of toy shotguns on Amazon.
To teach them gun safety - no bird is worth a person's life or injury.
The biggest lesson we are teaching the kids this year is be safe, have fun, make memories.

So they will be joining all of us for the opener, they even got all the kids Chene waders and jackets to join the group.

My opinion on starting kids out with shotguns is a little different than Guys. I had two small girls though, I would not start a kid out with a single shot or pump action youth gun, the youth guns are very light and will kick pretty hard causing them to get scared of the recoil.

I’m my opinion it’s better to start them with a .410, 28, or 20 gauge semi auto, all those have a lot less recoil.

A youth model Remington 20 gauge 870 is a terrible gun to start a small kid with, that thing kicks harder than any 12 gauge.

Started when I was 9, dad wasn’t a big hunter at the time, some pheasant hunts with family or friends here and there. We took a Hunter’s Safety course together after I turned 9, that fall I started pheasant hunting with a Rossi single shot .410 for a year or two before moving to 20ga pump (when the youth stocks would fit me properly) and getting into Dove and Turkey hunting.

From the kid’s perspective, comfortability with both the fit of the shotgun and having enough practice shooting are the biggest things in being able to safely and confidently handle a weapon in an environment with other hunters and distractions.
I’m a fan of starting with an empty gun in the field for a while. Spending the year before they’re using a live weapon to teach the importance of muzzle control and everything in the hunt up to the actual shot.

It helped me to learn proficiency shooting the weapon, and comfortability with handling the weapon on a hunt, separately. So when the two were put together for the first time it felt more natural and was safer for myself and others.

For both my kids, it was less about recoil and more about having the strength to hold the gun correctly. Absolutely the heavier the gun will mean less recoil, and nothing wrong with waiting till they can hold a heavier gun, but a light gun they will be able to hold sooner. I put a "Limbsaver recoil pad" on their gun, recoil was not an issue, also shot light loads. I had 410 single shot my daughter started shooting before she started shooting the 20g single shot Ryan started on.

Taught my boy with a cut down single shot .410. It fit him and was light enough for him to handle when he was small. It worked well. He learned good fundamentals and a motion mount from the start.with one shot it didn’t take long to figure out to be “on it” before shooting. With the gun broke open I could see it was safe. After learning to center up with a .410 he held his own with the men when he got big enough to handle a 20.

What I would recommending starting a kid on is a BB gun shooting still targets. Get a cardboard box, draw a target on it, let the kid shoot that. Teach the kid to shoot with both eyes open, eyes focus on the target, not the barrel of the gun. It is ok to see the barrel in their peripheral vision, but both eyes need to be focused on the target. They need to be taught the difference between focusing both eyes on the target, locked on, while at the same time seeing the barrel in their peripheral vision.

You can advance this by tying a string onto the box, pull it and let them shoot a moving target.

Thank for the advice, especially the strength piece. Awesome photos!

Strong genes. That kid looks just like you.
For my daughter: practice began at 8; hunters safety course, and first dove hunt at 9. Waterfowl followed that same year. She started practice with the same bolt action JC Higgins .410 my siblings and I started with. So by the time her first hunt came around, she proved to be SAFE and ready for the pump action Ithaca .20 gauge with a shortened stock. (also mine as a child) Although you can find #4 shot for a .410, putting the hammer on a duck with a .20 gauge will prevent possible loss of that very first duck. And, ensures better odds. Crawl before you can walk; walk before you can run!

That's awesome Mike!

Like Guy's son, mine doesn't hunt much any more. I think we put them on such good hunts early on that they have no respect for the struggle LOL.

Both my kids still like to shoot sporting clay, they just don’t care to hunt. My daughter actually never cared to hunt.

Good stuff.

Awesome pics! Love seeing the kids hunting!