What age to introduce child to hunting death and field dressing? When and how?

[liferider]

My daughter at age 8

She has always tried to help and I have been helping her to learn since she was about 6 yrs old. When she turned 8 she shot her first deer and my friends son was there so I got them started and pulled it over the rearend and turned her loose. She's been shooting a Ruger 44 carbine since she was 7 using .44 specials. You have to load them one at a time and work the action to eject the brass. There's NO kick. So when she went hunting ( I still use this method and she is now 13) I load the gun with Winchester .44 mag hunting rounds. She has never caught on. The Ruger carbine is by far the BEST KIDS GUN ON THE MARKET PERIOD!!!!!!!!

 

[USAF_Vet]

My step kids, now 8 and 10, have been around my wife's family hunting. The boy likes guns and shooting .22s, but has limited interest in hunting. He has gone out in the yard with me once or twice this year when I was wrangling the gopher population in the yard, but that's about all. The girl loves animals, but doesn't want to actually see them die, but has no problems with them after they are dead. Her aunt (wife's sister) went squirrel hunting and my step daughter played with the guts as they were being dressed and processed. She pays with fish guts too. She's fascinated with fish eyes.

They both understand death as much as anyone can, having had pets and family members die, but hunting is a little different as we are deliberately causing death.

Heck, I've killed deer, turkey, squirrel, gopher, racoon and other game and varmint animals, as well as two legged predators in Iraq, and I still have mixed emotions after killing an animal. Can't expect the kiddo's not to.

On the other hand, my step daughter doesn't want to slaughter and eat our chickens, or the goats and hogs when I get them next year. She wants to show them in 4H, but doesn't want to be a party to butchering and eating them.

 

[RinkRat]

^^^ we all have our limits and if your child shows an interest in what you do than why not include them. It provides more quality time with our kids. They grow up fast and before you know it all you have are a bunch of memories left to sit and ponder. Hunting, fishing, and such is something that can carry over and we can still do together, into their adulthood and your elder years. Giving you both something you can still do together and once there are grand-kids they can join in too.

And USAF Vet .... Thank You For Your Service

It's because of people like you that we can type away on forums like this

 

[bnkrtstk]

I took my daughter at age 10, she shot her first buck that year. My 5yo son keeps asking if he is "big enough" to hunt, so we(my now 13yo daughter and me) are taking him small game hunting Saturday. Bear is also in season and I just happen to have a bear tag. Maybe we'll get lucky.