I have an 8-year-old that I want to take hunting. What is a good age to start a child out shooting?
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The age of your child is not as important as the size, i.e. his/her weight. We have found that a child needs to weigh at least 92 pounds. Any smaller and they can not hold up the gun for any length of time. It will only take one bad mount and receiving a lot of recoil and your child’s first trip hunting is not a good one. There is no muscle mass on the shoulder if the weight is not there and the gun will slip out of the shoulder pocket and it will hurt.
They would never admit it to you, but you can see it in their face and the way they rub their shoulder. We have many fathers who want their children to enjoy hunting like they do. That is wonderful, but let the kids grow into the recoil and, therefore, they will grow into the love of the hunt.
So fathers, please let your child go with you and learn how much fun hunting is. Until they weigh 92 lbs., let them bring their BB guns along and “shoot” birds with them. This way they can see how hunting “works” – by watching for the birds and being aware of other hunters and instill safety into their hunt.
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