Hunting, Kids, and Age Limits: A Common Sense Approach
At what age should a child be allowed to hunt?
I know this topic has been covered on multiple blogs ( Kristine’s, NorCal’s, and Terry’s) , as well as by many news organizations in the past week. All of this coverage, of course, comes from the accidental shooting of a hiker by a 14 yr old boy north of Seattle, Washington on Aug. 2nd.
To be honest, at first I was just going to let this topic go. I had seen it covered on many different sites, as well as by many different bloggers, and rather than write about it for the 20th time, I thought I would just leave some of my thoughts in the comments sections of these blogs, and move on. But then I was reading an article over at MSNBC and one of the quotes in the article struck a nerve. The article overall was pretty fair and balanced-I was honestly surprised by that-but one of the quotes in article really got me. This quote is from a Mr. Frank Hebert, who had an encounter with someone shooting a rifle while hiking, about a year prior, in the same area where the accidental shooting took place. Mr. Hebert had this to say, while talking about his encounter last year, and the incident that happened a few weeks back.
The 14-year-old who shot Almli was an experienced hunter who had taken a safety class but still fired his gun when he shouldn’t have, he said.
I can honestly see some truth to this statement, because I definitely agree that the 14 yr. old should not have fired his weapon. That is pretty obvious, but what bothers me about this statement is the fact that Mr. Hebert would classify any 14 yr. old as “experienced” at anything.
While I believe this story is a complete tragedy, and my heart goes out to the families involved, I would hate to see a knee-jerk reaction based on such things as considering a 14 yr. old kid to be “experienced”. We have a tendency in this country to react immediately, with legislation and other things, to isolated incidents.
Did the kid make a horrifying mistake? Sure he did. Did he not act with sound judgement? Of course, I think that is obvious. Do I think their should have been adult supervision? Yes. Could an adult have made the same mistake? Of course they could have. It has already happened before, and that is my point. This isn’t just related to kids in the outdoors. This particular thing could have happened just as easily to an adult.
I just hope, that with all the progress that has been made in the last year-i.e. lowering age limits, enacting apprenticeship programs, etc.-in order to get kids in the outdoors, that such an isolated incident as this doesn’t reverse the positive steps we have made.
I hope that people approach this issue with some common sense, and weigh all the reasons why this particular event took place, before making a decision based just on age. Anyone could have made this mistake, and while I do think that adult supervision should be required under a certain age, I hope that all under-aged kids who hunt are not condemned, or prevented from having an opportunity to hunt, because of one child’s mistake.
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I read that same article, Arthur and that statement did not sit well with me either. This is a tough and tragic situation to wrap our heads around. I was going to write a post about the article but changed my mind when I realised that some experienced hunters in the community were likely going to do a much better job.
You make a very good point, Arthur, and I’m with you in hoping that this doesn’t set back youth hunting.
I also would like to see someone mention that responsibility belongs with more than just the hunter. Did the park authorities post the trail to let hunters know that hikers might be near and to let hikers know that it was hunting season and hunters may be in the area. Did the hikers wear clothing that made them easily identifiable? We’re all sharing the woods, and everyone has a responsibility for their own safety. Which, oddly enough, will I think be my focus for today’s Safety Friday post. Someone should say it.
Just as you pointed out, it can happen to anyone at any age and possibly to the most experienced. When is an accident, an unexpected and undesirable event, especially one resulting in damage or harm, just that. An accident.
I agree - 14 year olds can hardly be classified as “experienced” at anything.
I guess what bothers me most about this whole situation is that fact that there are a lot of people who will be affected by any unnecessary legislation that is created as a result of this accident. I do feel that some positive changes could come out of this but I’m afraid that we won’t see anything positive - just setbacks, I hope I’m wrong.
When should a child be allowed to hunt? I hunted from the time I was ten. So has my 12-year-old son. But my son never — never — hunts alone. I am always nearby, available to give him counsel and guidance. He will hunt deer for the first time this year in the Sierras. We will be in a national forest, where other hunt, hike and fish. He will not take a shot at a target that I have not verified with my own eyes and binoculars. What is an expereinced hunter? Well, I’m 48 now, and I still feel at times that my experience level is low. I never trust myself too far.