Ok here it is. Been back and forth with my mother in law about the right age to start my kids into hunting. I have two 4 year olds and a six year old and I think the six year old is plenty old enough to start following me out into the woods. I own a 250 acre farm in Ohio. Trespassing has not been a problem and I’m not very worried about stray bullets or someone mistaking us for game. I follow the laws and we wear orange when required. Not sure if it’s really any of her business but don’t want to start any family trouble either. Let me know what you think. Thanks STW
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I definitely think there are many 6 year olds who are obedient enough and adventurous enough to start hunting.
The type of hunt you’re talking about has extremely low risk of injury and extremely high risk of getting the kid fired up about something other than video games and TikTok.
Mistake I made was giving my kids loud guns too early. It’s not the recoil that scares them, but the noise. It made them both develop a flinch and it’s taken a few years to untrain. Ruger is still working through it. If there’s ANY way you can swing getting a suppressor, it’ll help a lot.
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Yes I agree that the noise is worse than the recoil. I do have a suppressor for calibers up to .30 caliber. The problem with hunting Ohio is its straight wall cartridges only and as you know most are over .30 caliber. We are in the process of moving and I didn’t want to start the ATF paperwork until we get to where we will end up but it will be a priority when we get there.
Makes sense. I guess a Banish 45 will be in your future 
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Yes. I think that would be a good bet.
I think it depends on the child their responsibility level, patience, how well they listen.
Yes no doubt on that one. My six year old seems to be ready. She listens very well. She would not be carrying a gun her self yet. She is definitely not ready for that at this time.
I started my son at 8. We had the opportunity to go with some friends. I started him on a 300blk on an AR platform. He did great with it. The next year he struggled and i put him on a 243 savage as i discovered he was smashing the trigger on the 300. He has done great since then and is 12 now with 4 deer and a pig u der his belt.
We are also on private land
That’s awesome. I love to hunt hogs. We hunt in a straight wall cartridge only state so I bought a 350 legend for the kids. Suppressor is next to keep them from flinching.
I first took my son when he was 6 yrs old. He had been shooting with me before that but that was his first hunt. I took a small 5 point whitetail and he was sooo excited. Those antlers are on the wall in his room. It was a few years later when he was 10 and he took his first deer, a 4 point. He used some of the venison from that first deer of his in a cubscout cooking competition against 10 other cubscout packs and his pack won using the deer he had harvested himself. He couldn’t have been more proud (same for me). He is now 11yrs old and he has a deep love of hunting, the woods, and a very healthy respect for the responsibility of being around firearms.
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It doesn’t get any better then that!
Ken
I just realize that i responded to you via an email. I hope that you received the email. If not i will post here.
I dint come through yet Robert
I never got the opportunity as a kid and had to learn as an adult and its always something I feel like I missed out on growing up. I think as long as the kids understand the fundamentals of safety and the reality of shooting and taking life then any age you feel comfortable with should work just fine.
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That’s how I feel. I grew up in Pa. And we were not allowed to hunt until 12. I feel like I missed a few good years for sure. I think they allow kids to hunt younger there now but in the late 70’s 12 was it.
It is a lot of fun. We still don’t use a suppressor. I did work with him via dry firing and I also use spent casings or dummy rounds that i made to help him see the flinch as well.
Worked with him to breath twice and then squeeze the trigger like a soft boiled egg. That worked for him
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Sound like you did it right.
I started my son when he was 6. He got his first deer and he said “that was the best thing that ever happened in my life”. He is now 9 and we have squirrel and turkey hunted together as well. It’s been great. I started going with my Dad when I was 9 and I though it was to long to have to wait in that I had to be 12 to hunt back then. No regrets in starting my son early. My daughter shot a rifle at 6 but the sound and kick was to much so will see how it goes this fall if she wants to try again. It was a 6.5 with a suppressor but when your under 50 pounds even a little kick can be daunting I guess. I did have some family that though I was crazy having them hunt that early but with the way we were hunting it was very safe in my opinion. Sitting in a stand hunting on our private land.
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Same with us. I put up 360 blinds last year when I retired. Figured I could let them move around more and the won’t be seen. I have an older daughter to a previous marriage that loves to hunt with me. I started her off with 22,s then we went to .223. She killed her first deer with that 223. I hand loaded some heavy bullets and that deer only made it 30 yards. She now shoots a 308 and a 450 bushmaster like a pro. Bought a 350 legend last Nov and she killed a monster doe with it. 100 yard shot and it went about 40 yards. That gun is for my younger kids. You can’t argue with 8 felt pounds of recoil. Put a suppressor on and it’s even better yet.
Tell me how you like 350 legend have been looking at Cmmg revolution. Currently hunt a Henry x 45-70. With muzzle break and leupold 3hd 2-10