How young...

[oyster]

my youngest hunting partner turned three in March! he absolutely loves being in the woods. start 'em young!!

[saylean]

I've taken my gf's boy out since he was bout 4...not everytime, but he loves camping and "coyote hunting' (we havent seen a coyote yet, but he loves to call)....shed hunting etc...he is six now. He talks about having to 'keep his strength up for bear hunting' when we sneak ice cream from the freezer. Plan on getting his hunters ed in a few more years.

Pretty sure I started hunting bout 13 or so...far as I remember, the boots were two sizes too big and the gun was about as tall as i was.

[firedog]

My son bow hunted with me a little last year. He was 5 and is looking forward to this season, he wnats to know when he gets to take his bow with him. We hiked 3 miles last year when he was with me. Was the best day hunting I have ever had and he will remember it for a long time.

[CMG]

I would agree with others on here that it is a "Parent decision" and only you will know when they are ready.
I know both of my boy's 6yrs and 8Yrs are completely different when it comes to preparedness for hunting. neither of them have "actually" been hunting with me, but we have put a stalk on lots of does in the off season or while hiking. I started hiking with the boys when they were 3 Yrs old, started with easy 1/2 to 1 mile hikes then gradually worked them up. last year I took my (Then 5 Yrs old)  boy on a 14 mile round trip, carrying his own pack! Pretty proud of him, he walked all but the last 1/4 mile.
  My 8 year old has been wanting to go hunting with me for the last couple of years, and actually I think he is ready, his mom is not, but he is. One of the reasons I want to wait for my sons to hunt with me is making sure they fully understand what it is to harvest (PC) an animal. It's not just the "I want to do what dad does" or the thrill of the stalk, it is the work that comes after as well.. the packing.. the gutting...They have not had the experiences I had growing up on a farm and eating what you raise. I will probably start them off with bird hunting first, then small game and finally when they earn the respect of eating what you shoot, Big game. Ok couple of years, 10 or 11. 

[Wanttohuntmore]

In 2007 I took my then 3 yr old son archery elk hunting on the weekends, when the wife wouldn't give me a pass.  I was really surprised how well he did, not even much of a problem, other than maybe on a final stalk (I was more worried about him falling in a hole, etc).  He was quiet, could walk forever, and observant.  Now at almost 6, he still likes to hunt with me, can hike better than most adults, but also talks quite a bit more.  He's really curious about everything he sees, and brings up ideas on how or what we should be doing.  It's great.  But as you know with archery it's hard enough to stalk close alone, let alone with a 2nd party with you.  We coyote hunt in the off season and that helps his curiosity and keeps dad happy!

I was hunting big game with my dad when I was 7, saw him take a doe back in st.regis land.   I took up hunting at 9, got my first deer at 10, and started elk and bear at 13.  It's been an addiction since then.

[Pathfinder101]

Here is PathfinderJR, age 5 with the first deer he ever saw killed (and the first one he helped gut out).  I had taken him out several times during the regular season, and every time he saw a deer he wanted us to get down and belly crawl.  After the buck season was over, I had a doe tag that year, so we went out to tag our doe.  We spotted a herd of whitetail does and started to put a stalk on them, and he finally got to belly crawl.  When she hit the ground, he took off running through the wheat field like a shot towards her, and I had to run and catch him.   Gutting a deer, by the way, is a great anatomy lesson for a 5 year old

[Sumpnneedskillin]

I started my boys out around 10-ish.  I had them follow me around bird hunting.  We talked about techniques, listening and observing, how to out think quail etc.  Had them help find downed birds (don't have a dog) etc.  We then moved on to deer and turkey hunting.  As everyone has said be prepared to deal with twitching, fidgeting, noise etc.  I'm still working on the noise thing.  My two boys sound like a herd of elk moving.  The other thing is once they get bored or tired or totally lose interest don't keep hunting.  Head back to the rig.  If you want them to keep being interested don't make it "painful" for them.  I'm at the point now I'd rather see them score than me. 

[Pathfinder101]

Here's how I taught PathfinderJR to be quiet when he was that age.  Everytime we left on a hunt I would tell him he was starting with a dollar.  Everytime he made noise, I subtracted .10  Each year, I got a little stricter about what consitituted "noise".  When he was 5 it was just talking out loud.  By six, it was anything unneccessary in a whisper.  By the time he was 8, it included stepping on sticks that were "unavoidable".  Worked pretty well...

[monster10]

I've got to say, I have been reading this website for over a year now off and on and there are some pretty good posts.  My post revolves around my newfew who is 6 yrs old and wants to go out "deer hunting" with me and his dad.  How young is too young?  Does anyone have kids they bring out with them walking in the evening hunts? 

  The age is ?,when he can help you in you get hurt,or something goes wrong.Can he call for help? because if you go down what would he do..8-10 is about perfect.

[ML_Hunter]

Here's how I taught PathfinderJR to be quiet when he was that age.  Everytime we left on a hunt I would tell him he was starting with a dollar.  Everytime he made noise, I subtracted .10  Each year, I got a little stricter about what consitituted "noise".  When he was 5 it was just talking out loud.  By six, it was anything unneccessary in a whisper.  By the time he was 8, it included stepping on sticks that were "unavoidable".  Worked pretty well...

haha, that is how I teach my nephew to stay quiet!  Only I bribe him with treats and pizza. 
The other day his dad called me and said that the little one wanted to go hunting!  So i went to his place hopped in the truck and went for a little walk in the woods.  We saw a doe and fawn and his face lite up when he saw the "baby deer".  He wanted to go over and pet it which i thought was cute as heck!  Also made a good time to teach him about keeping distance with wildlife.  Hunting with a little one dosent really even have to include a hunt.  I am into wildlife and landscape photography and he enjoys coming out with me.  He just turned 3 last month and love the outdoors.  I got him a little .22 Cricket for his birthday and we went out shooting clay pigeons with his dad (of course only giving him one bullet at a time).  We would intentionally miss and tell him he was out shooting us.  His muzzle control was great and only touched the gun when his dad said it was ok.

[elkoholic]

I shot a doe a few years back with my little one on my back(archery)... wife was out of state and I wanted to go hunting...my kids have been around it their whole lives, my son has been holding leg's and helping drag since he was about 3yrs old.. they know where everything comes from at the dinner table.....

they are licking their chops right now waiting for our little pigs to get to market weight so we can have some tasty chops....

[boneaddict]

I don't think there is a too young in getting them into the woods or taking them along.  Putting a rifle in their hands and turning them lose is a different subject.  I have seen some folks inthe past posting on here and I have kinda thought they were a little overzealous.

[cohoho]

I think it is about maturity level and parent commitment to be with the kid to ensure he/she does the right thing and guide them along.  My oldest hunted since he was 10, he has taken quite a few different animals from Black Bears, Deer, Caribou, Moose and Bison.  I am comfortable with him hunting any big game.  Mind you he is 17 now, but prior to this I have always been beside him to ensure he does right and to talk him through shot placements, etc....  He doesn't hunt anymore since moving here but probably will when gets in his 20's as other things occupy his fall at this age now....  Releasing a kid under 16 IMO is not right, as they are still kids and can make a very bad judgement call for lack of maturity.  Heck - I know alot of 30 year olds I wouldn't trust them in the woods with a gun...

[Recurve-Elk]

Well I am seventeen now, and I can remember the first time my dad took me elk hunting with him.  I was 5 years old.  I didn't hunt or hold a bow.  I just hiked around with my dad, took naps, and watched everything he would do.  I can remember making a game out of trying to be as stealthy as possible walking through the wood.  I would try my absolute hardest to put each of my footsteps in exactly the same spot as where my dad put his.  ( I always walked right behind him )  I guess I figured, if my dad the "master hunter" knew what to do, I would just mimic him.    I remember falling asleep in a natural blind beside my dad on a cold morning.  I was so cold I just pulled my arms and legs inside my jacket and fell asleep.  I woke up to seeing an elk walk across our setup.  I don't think I can thank my dad enough for bringing me with him in those early years.  It has instilled so many memories, and good times.

So long story short.  Bring your kids with you as early as you want really.  Just make sure you think they are old enough to stomach a dead animal.  They don't have to be hunting, just hanging out with you.  Your kids will love you for this.  Now when they are old enough to pass hunters ed, and you feel they are safe enough, and strong enough to kill an animal, then you can let them hunt with you.  I didn't start hunting until I was 11 or 12 just because I couldn't pull 40lbs.  But those 6 or 7 years were some of the best years of my hunting lifestyle.  

Get them out there!  They don't have to hold a weapon, just get them out there as soon as they are ready!  But be ready for all of the complaints you can think of, "I'm tired"  "I'm cold"  "I need to go pee" "I'm hungry" "I can't hike anymore" just to name a few

[Gobble]

My son dropped his first deer on,  his first hunt, on his first day EVER of hunting at age 10. He shot a little WT buck. Talk about setting a precendence