[luvarkansas]

I don't think Marian is anti hunting or bashing Arkansas. I think she was just concerned about the safety issues involved in putting guns in the hands of 6 year old kids.

[RTTNFAM]

Originally Posted by luvarkansas

I don't think Marian is anti hunting or bashing Arkansas. I think she was just concerned about the safety issues involved in putting guns in the hands of 6 year old kids.

I absolutely agree! She was just asking what everyone thought about the subject of young children being able to hunt, not hunting in general.

[weaverar]

What would be the correct age to start hunting? I grew up in a family of bird hunters in the northeast. My brothers and I were not allowed to carry a gun until we were 11 years old. Then we could only load one shot at a time for our first hunting season. We were allowed to go out to the duck blind or walk through the woods behind a parent at a very early age though. What did I learn as a girl in the wild? I have an awesome repect for nature, god's creations, and an ability to procure food for myself if needed.

Do I think that children should hunt? That depends on the people that are teaching that child about hunting and safety with firearms. I know people that take their children out and do stupid things like climb out of the deer tree stand with a loaded gun. Should these people be teaching their children about hunting? NO. Should people keep a loaded rifle in their house and teach this to their children? No.My husband had a cousin that lost a child because of this type of stupidity.

A gun is an inanimate object. It is the person that owns the gun that can causes problems.

Hunting is a way for people to procure food. It can also be a time for parents to bond with their children and to teach them respect for the world around them. With the current economy trends you may wish that you were taught how to hunt for your food.

[Bail_Khan]

When I was six I don't think I was ready to be operating a rifle capable of killing a deer on my own. You might take a 6 year old hunting with you, personally I wouldn't, six year olds tend to be kind of noisy.

[Towhee]

The 6 year old that I referred to is a little girl. Her picture was in the paper with the deer that she 'presumedly' had shot herself. The next in age were 8 year olds, both boys and girls. All were pictured with 'their' deer. It was a few days ago, but in looking for the edition I have not found it, although I know I still have it. I think all of the deer were bucks.
Thank you, luvarkansas and RTTNFAM. You are both quite right.

[Bail_Khan]

It sounds like it is being done mostly for the sake of getting in the newspaper. I don't think this is really a common practice in the real world.

[weaverar]

Originally Posted by Bail_Khan

It sounds like it is being done mostly for the sake of getting in the newspaper. I don't think this is really a common practice in the real world.

I am not sure what world you are in but some people pride themselves in 1 - teaching their children 2 - spending time with their children 3 - giving their children goals.
I agree tht the age is on the very young side as stated in my previous post (11/18) but I don't think that gender should matter if the child enjoys the event. As a young girl I hunted and fished. I also snow skied and was swiming the first season after starting to walk. There were rules to be followed and dire consequences if they were not followed for all of the sports that I participated in as a child.
I had my picture in the paper as a teenager doing downhill racing. I didn't race to get my picture in the paper. I raced because I liked the challenge and the feeling that comes from being a part of a winning team.
Some of my most favorite memories of my dad, who is now gone, are when we were fishing and hunting. He worked hard and played hard and loved to spend time with his daughter doing the things that we both enjoyed. No, we didn't need the meat but we ate everythng that we killed. Also, if you couldn't clean it you couldn't shoot it or catch it.

[Stormcrow73]

Originally Posted by Bail_Khan

It sounds like it is being done mostly for the sake of getting in the newspaper. I don't think this is really a common practice in the real world.

Having known some people who like to take their little one's hunting like this, it's sometimes used as a means to get more deer tags so you can kill more.

I don't know many children who are 6-9 who can handle a deer rifle. Quite a few children could handle a .22 or a .410 shotgun and easily go squirrel or rabbit hunting. I was 5 when I shot my first .22 and it bruised my shoulder because I wasn't strong enough to handle the recoil. And that's just a tiny little .22! I guess there are some 6 year olds in this world who could shoot a 12 gage or a .270 and possibly come close to hitting something but the number who won't get knocked on their butts is few and far between. Let's face facts, the little ones aren't really doing the shooting here. People who want to take their children hunting, that's fine and admirable, but until they can handle the type of firearm needed to take down a deer on their own, they should stay out of the deer woods and stick to squirrels, rabbits, and maybe doves and ducks.

[Towhee]

I am wondering also...who is taking the pictures that are published? And where are they when they are taken? The deer are to be checked in at a checking station, so I presume the pics are taken there, and since they are all similar, I presume it is the newspaper's photographer taking them???

[RTTNFAM]

Originally Posted by Stormcrow73

Having known some people who like to take their little one's hunting like this, it's sometimes used as a means to get more deer tags so you can kill more.

I don't know many children who are 6-9 who can handle a deer rifle. Quite a few children could handle a .22 or a .410 shotgun and easily go squirrel or rabbit hunting. I was 5 when I shot my first .22 and it bruised my shoulder because I wasn't strong enough to handle the recoil. And that's just a tiny little .22! I guess there are some 6 year olds in this world who could shoot a 12 gage or a .270 and possibly come close to hitting something but the number who won't get knocked on their butts is few and far between. Let's face facts, the little ones aren't really doing the shooting here. People who want to take their children hunting, that's fine and admirable, but until they can handle the type of firearm needed to take down a deer on their own, they should stay out of the deer woods and stick to squirrels, rabbits, and maybe doves and ducks.

EXACTLY!!

Originally Posted by Marianinark

I am wondering also...who is taking the pictures that are published? And where are they when they are taken? The deer are to be checked in at a checking station, so I presume the pics are taken there, and since they are all similar, I presume it is the newspaper's photographer taking them???

I know in my small town most people take their own photos and hand them into the newspaper.