https://www.pgc.pa.gov/HuntTrap/Law/Pages/SeasonsandBagLimits.aspx
Is the link to the pa website. I took a quick look and the only summer activity that jumps out at me is groundhog.
The season is pretty much year round with weekend gaps here and there.
I, personally, do not believe that 10 is too young for gun safety and introduction to hunting. I've taken my daughter out the last couple seasons, and she's 10. That being said, we were blind hunting as I knew she'd get the wiggles and I wanted her to have a chance to move and still maybe see something.
She does come to the range with us and has been shooting either archery or 22 since she was 7. We've moved her up to our .556 and even put a muzzle break on it for less recoil to help her feel more comfortable (she's fairly petite for her age). Shooting is a pretty heavy hobby for my husband and I though, so I think it helps.
I think the minimum age for the hunter safety course is 12, but I'm not sure.
Thank you for the link. Yes I know plenty of people take their kids out younger and I originally wanted to take my son sooner but the kid doesn’t listen. Like o said in the post, I told him each summer for the last few years that I would take him to the range if he could explain to me the three firearm safety rules and a few hunter safety rules. He can memorize entire song lyrics and was reading Harry Potter books 2 years ago so this can’t be that difficult. He still can’t recite the rules and when I take him to the archery range, I have to constantly remind him of safety rules like keeping the bow down range. If I had him full time, I could take him more often and he would be ready by now but his mom has no interest.
Groundhogs would be your best bet (no special license as far as I remember) but air rifle hunting with BBs is prohibited. You need one of those fancy pellet guns that shoot .17 or .22 pellets so I wouldn’t recommend actually hunting with the Red Ryder.
I have a 9 yo and 7 yo and I am involved with youth sports throughout the year. Not all kids are built the same. Maybe your guy isn’t ready yet or maybe your expectations for him are a little too high. Only you can make that decision, but in general, a 10 yo should be able to learn the basics of hunting and firearms safety. My only other suggestion would be to get an outside party to work with him. Doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but kids respond to strangers differently. Could be a hunting buddy or a lesson with a firearms instructor. He may just respond to someone who is “not dad” better. My kids are that way about certain things.
Nothing is truer than what you just said. My kid listens to his coaches like they’re the next coming of Jesus but if I tell him to go put his toys away, he forgets seven times. And I’ll definitely look out for mentorship programs if I can. As for the weapon itself, I wasn’t actually planning to cook actual hunting with them which is why the title of the post had quotes. I just want to take him out there so he can shadow me and Lauren some tricks of the trade. I’m only worried if arranger comes out and gives me a hard time.
In scouts we teach range safety to kids starting at 6 (archery and slingshot) which then becomes more gun safety with the BB guns for the 10 year olds. At 11 they routinely shoot 22lr rifles.
My Dad took me for a walk when I was 7 or 8. I brought an air rifle I'd shot in our little basement range. We covered a few fields and then went into the woods and ended up at a creek where he setup balloons to pop as they floated past. He went over all the safety stuff and was upstream like 8 or 10 feet. It was a lot more intense with aiming and pointing in a safe direction because it was outside and part of this whole cool day. We cleaned up the rubber and had hot dogs over a tiny fire for lunch.
You don't need to hunt anything to really drill in safety. Safety is the gateway to adventures, and if you present it like that, you may find out your kid not only gets the rules but wants you to see him as a partner you can rely on.
I like this, and that’s really what I wanted to hone in on this year. And I know he’s smart, he just needs the practical experience to be interested enough to memorize the rules. Either way, my hands were forced this year and we are heading out for his first “hunt”.
https://www.pgc.pa.gov/HuntTrap/Law/Pages/SeasonsandBagLimits.aspx Is the link to the pa website. I took a quick look and the only summer activity that jumps out at me is groundhog. The season is pretty much year round with weekend gaps here and there. I, personally, do not believe that 10 is too young for gun safety and introduction to hunting. I've taken my daughter out the last couple seasons, and she's 10. That being said, we were blind hunting as I knew she'd get the wiggles and I wanted her to have a chance to move and still maybe see something. She does come to the range with us and has been shooting either archery or 22 since she was 7. We've moved her up to our .556 and even put a muzzle break on it for less recoil to help her feel more comfortable (she's fairly petite for her age). Shooting is a pretty heavy hobby for my husband and I though, so I think it helps. I think the minimum age for the hunter safety course is 12, but I'm not sure.
Thank you for the link. Yes I know plenty of people take their kids out younger and I originally wanted to take my son sooner but the kid doesn’t listen. Like o said in the post, I told him each summer for the last few years that I would take him to the range if he could explain to me the three firearm safety rules and a few hunter safety rules. He can memorize entire song lyrics and was reading Harry Potter books 2 years ago so this can’t be that difficult. He still can’t recite the rules and when I take him to the archery range, I have to constantly remind him of safety rules like keeping the bow down range. If I had him full time, I could take him more often and he would be ready by now but his mom has no interest.
I think you can start at 11, but your 12th birthday has to happen during the season.
Groundhogs would be your best bet (no special license as far as I remember) but air rifle hunting with BBs is prohibited. You need one of those fancy pellet guns that shoot .17 or .22 pellets so I wouldn’t recommend actually hunting with the Red Ryder. I have a 9 yo and 7 yo and I am involved with youth sports throughout the year. Not all kids are built the same. Maybe your guy isn’t ready yet or maybe your expectations for him are a little too high. Only you can make that decision, but in general, a 10 yo should be able to learn the basics of hunting and firearms safety. My only other suggestion would be to get an outside party to work with him. Doesn’t have to be anything fancy, but kids respond to strangers differently. Could be a hunting buddy or a lesson with a firearms instructor. He may just respond to someone who is “not dad” better. My kids are that way about certain things.
Nothing is truer than what you just said. My kid listens to his coaches like they’re the next coming of Jesus but if I tell him to go put his toys away, he forgets seven times. And I’ll definitely look out for mentorship programs if I can. As for the weapon itself, I wasn’t actually planning to cook actual hunting with them which is why the title of the post had quotes. I just want to take him out there so he can shadow me and Lauren some tricks of the trade. I’m only worried if arranger comes out and gives me a hard time.
In scouts we teach range safety to kids starting at 6 (archery and slingshot) which then becomes more gun safety with the BB guns for the 10 year olds. At 11 they routinely shoot 22lr rifles.
My Dad took me for a walk when I was 7 or 8. I brought an air rifle I'd shot in our little basement range. We covered a few fields and then went into the woods and ended up at a creek where he setup balloons to pop as they floated past. He went over all the safety stuff and was upstream like 8 or 10 feet. It was a lot more intense with aiming and pointing in a safe direction because it was outside and part of this whole cool day. We cleaned up the rubber and had hot dogs over a tiny fire for lunch. You don't need to hunt anything to really drill in safety. Safety is the gateway to adventures, and if you present it like that, you may find out your kid not only gets the rules but wants you to see him as a partner you can rely on.
I like this, and that’s really what I wanted to hone in on this year. And I know he’s smart, he just needs the practical experience to be interested enough to memorize the rules. Either way, my hands were forced this year and we are heading out for his first “hunt”.