Predator Masters using UBB.threads ™ Infopop Corporation.
PM Gear Moon & Weather

Welcome to the Predator Masters Forums
Be sure to visit the main Predator Master website at





PM Gear
PM Gear
PM Gear
The Official Predator Masters Search Engine
Search Predator Masters

Topic Options
#3249816 - 08/05/20 09:27 PM Avg age to get started
Borkborknomnom Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 08/04/20
Posts: 48
Loc: Central mississippi
I'm new to the board...
I have 3 kids ...5,3,1 y.o.'s
I see kids starting to hunt as early as 5, but my girl (5) just cant get it done shooting an ar with a edtech sight... unless I basically do it for her...we shoot together every so often as long as she is happy doing it...just not ready to hunt yet IMO...I'm sure every kid is different...just wondering what is the avg age for a hunters kid to kill say a deer or a squirrel etc.
_________________________
COYOTES: Wack em and stack em... it’s only poaching if your hunting them on someone else’s land

Top
#3249854 - 08/06/20 10:57 AM Re: Avg age to get started [Re: Borkborknomnom]
SlickerThanSnot Offline
PM senior

Registered: 01/31/14
Posts: 5957
Loc: stuck in a fence
Originally Posted By: Borkborknomnom
I'm new to the board...
I have 3 kids ...5,3,1 y.o.'s
I see kids starting to hunt as early as 5, but my girl (5) just cant get it done shooting an ar with a edtech sight... unless I basically do it for her...we shoot together every so often as long as she is happy doing it...just not ready to hunt yet IMO...I'm sure every kid is different...just wondering what is the avg age for a hunters kid to kill say a deer or a squirrel etc.


imo an ar15 is a terrible rifle to start a 5 year old with. get her a gun she can feel comfortable with. a small 22rf of some sort for starters.
_________________________
skeptical is what i am when told there is a dead coyote in certain far off pictures.

Top
#3249882 - 08/06/20 03:59 PM Re: Avg age to get started [Re: Borkborknomnom]
Wyoming Winchester Offline
Seasoned Member

Registered: 07/25/13
Posts: 283
Loc: WY
My grandson killed his first at 2. Just a prairie dog but he is learning how to shoot. Take them shooting every chance you get. Rifles that fit will make it more fun. 22LR is easy light and inexpensive. I'd post Pic. but this forum and I don't have that ability.


Edited by Wyoming Winchester (08/06/20 04:00 PM)

Top
#3249913 - 08/06/20 09:45 PM Re: Avg age to get started [Re: Borkborknomnom]
Borkborknomnom Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 08/04/20
Posts: 48
Loc: Central mississippi
I've tried a cricket 22LR but getting her to get the concept of lining up the sights is the challange...she pulls the trigger it goes boom then big smiles and all she is interested in is the boom... I will try to be more patient!! I'm sure it's me not her!
_________________________
COYOTES: Wack em and stack em... it’s only poaching if your hunting them on someone else’s land

Top
#3249984 - 08/07/20 07:05 PM Re: Avg age to get started [Re: SlickerThanSnot]
Plant.One Offline
Die Hard Member with a vengeance

Registered: 02/12/15
Posts: 4996
Loc: Oakland County, MI
Originally Posted By: SlickerThanSnot


imo an ar15 is a terrible rifle to start a 5 year old with. get her a gun she can feel comfortable with. a small 22rf of some sort for starters.


i disagree...

other than being noisy, they're low recoil and the adjustable stocks make them much easier to shoot for small bodies.

buddy who hunts with us brought his daughters (6 and 9 at the time) up to my parents farm to learn to shoot. the 22lr was just to long for them (he didnt have a cricket) and even the older kiddo was struggling.

got out my 223, put the can on and closed the stock way up. she (the 9yr old) was popping balloons in no time. after a couple mags suddenly she started to "miss" again. several shots in a row.

we asked if everything was ok and she said "yea, i'm not aiming at the balloons (35 yds) i'm using the big target down where you and dad were shooting (100 yds)". little monster gave us a big old sh!t eating grin and put her head back down on the stock to finish off what turned out to be about a 4" group.... all this maybe 100 rounds after pulling the trigger for the very first time earlier that afternoon.

both my cousins daughters (now 13 & 15) had shot my ar before they were 6. the older one at like 4 yrs old. both loved them - same reason, the adjustable stock made it comfortable, and the scope made hitting stuff easy.

YMMV of course, but i've seen nothing but positive with them.
_________________________
All reloading info shared is based on my experiences in my guns. Follow safe reloading practice and work up loads from published minimum data.
This disclaimer will self destruct in 10 seconds.


Top
#3249996 - 08/07/20 10:44 PM Re: Avg age to get started [Re: Borkborknomnom]
Wyoming Winchester Offline
Seasoned Member

Registered: 07/25/13
Posts: 283
Loc: WY
Originally Posted By: Borkborknomnom
I've tried a cricket 22LR but getting her to get the concept of lining up the sights is the challange...she pulls the trigger it goes boom then big smiles and all she is interested in is the boom... I will try to be more patient!! I'm sure it's me not her!


Yep But they don't know anything except your both having fun. Sight picture comes later. Just get her use to the noise and recoil. Even stock placement in the shoulder is not a BIG deal. He gets to do everything but cock the rifle. {That's PAPA'S job}. point and pull.

Top
#3250093 - 08/09/20 07:06 PM Re: Avg age to get started [Re: Borkborknomnom]
Borkborknomnom Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 08/04/20
Posts: 48
Loc: Central mississippi
Hahahha gotcha...and I forgot to mention above the ar my kid is shooting is a 22 conversion!
_________________________
COYOTES: Wack em and stack em... it’s only poaching if your hunting them on someone else’s land

Top
#3250202 - 08/11/20 12:44 PM Re: Avg age to get started [Re: Plant.One]
vahunter Offline
Die Hard Member III

Registered: 01/20/07
Posts: 2207
Loc: Virginia
Originally Posted By: Plant.One
Originally Posted By: SlickerThanSnot


imo an ar15 is a terrible rifle to start a 5 year old with. get her a gun she can feel comfortable with. a small 22rf of some sort for starters.


i disagree...

other than being noisy, they're low recoil and the adjustable stocks make them much easier to shoot for small bodies.

buddy who hunts with us brought his daughters (6 and 9 at the time) up to my parents farm to learn to shoot. the 22lr was just to long for them (he didnt have a cricket) and even the older kiddo was struggling.

got out my 223, put the can on and closed the stock way up. she (the 9yr old) was popping balloons in no time. after a couple mags suddenly she started to "miss" again. several shots in a row.

we asked if everything was ok and she said "yea, i'm not aiming at the balloons (35 yds) i'm using the big target down where you and dad were shooting (100 yds)". little monster gave us a big old sh!t eating grin and put her head back down on the stock to finish off what turned out to be about a 4" group.... all this maybe 100 rounds after pulling the trigger for the very first time earlier that afternoon.

both my cousins daughters (now 13 & 15) had shot my ar before they were 6. the older one at like 4 yrs old. both loved them - same reason, the adjustable stock made it comfortable, and the scope made hitting stuff easy.

YMMV of course, but i've seen nothing but positive with them.


I built an AR in 6x45 for my grandkids to hunt with. Starting at age 7 they are now 15 and 13, the adjustable stock worked great for them plus they can shoot it pretty well. Plus they love the "cool" factor.
_________________________
Al Gore did not invent the internet but he did make up global warming.

Top
#3251123 - 08/26/20 12:25 PM Re: Avg age to get started [Re: vahunter]
22 Chuck Offline
Seasoned Member

Registered: 08/11/17
Posts: 244
Loc: Montmorency Co, MI
Whatever age make sure you protect their ears--

Top
#3253274 - 09/26/20 02:34 PM Re: Avg age to get started [Re: Borkborknomnom]
Danh20 Offline
Seasoned Member

Registered: 11/13/19
Posts: 103
Loc: NE
First time hunting I was two years old. My grandpa would carry me on his shoulders when I got tired. Got my first bb gun when I was four. Carried that pheasant hunting and shot at every rooster that would get kicked up. Got my first .22 when I was 7. The stock was too long, so my dad cut off 3 inches so it would fit. Next year I was given a single shot 410. Again the stock was too long, so he chopped that one too. I still have both of theses guns and my kids learned to shoot with these also. I now have a couple of grandsons that are almost two, and they will be next up to try out these "starter" guns. Never too early to start them on gun safety as long as you keep it FUN.

Top
#3256386 - 11/02/20 08:41 PM Re: Avg age to get started [Re: Borkborknomnom]
coryj Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 10/05/10
Posts: 49
Loc: Charlottesville, VA
All kids are different so there's no good answer for when to start them. Aside from the physical aspect of being able to shoot a gun there is the mental aspect of dealing with death. All my kids went in the woods with me and saw deer die before they pulled the trigger themselves.

My daughter who is now 12 started hunting when she was 9. My son is about to turn 8 next month and he started a week before he turned 6. My youngest is 5 at the moment and he'll be 30 before I let him have a gun. That boy is wide open.

The older two both started hunting with a cva wolf muzzleloader that I cut down the stock on. Small kids have a short LOP. 40 grains of pyrodex and a round ball is a fun plinking load. 60 grains of pyrodex and a 240 grain xtp has accounted for 9 deer between the two of them. All were pass throughs at distances to about 70 yards with the exception of a big bodied 6 point that was shot quartering to us, that bullet lodged behind the last rib under the hide.

They've both shot AR 15s in 223 and 6.5 grendel. Adjustable stocks help with LOP. My daughter plans to use the grendel in Virginia for rifle season this year. She's also shot a remington 700 in 243, but prefers the grendel.

Top



Moderator:  DesertRam 

© Predator Masters™, All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.