Raising a Hunter in Mississippi: How to Introduce Your Child to Hunting
Like most things in life, there is not one proven recipe that is guaranteed to get a young person
interested in hunting one hundred percent of the time. Similarly, even the best efforts do not ensure
your kid will grow up to be a safe and ethical hunter. However, there are some steps you can take while raising your kids that most of the time will yield positive results in both areas. Mississippi happens to have regulations in place that create a great opportunity to raise passionate hunters that are also safe and ethical.
The Tag-Along Days
While Mississippi does not have a minimum age requirement for hunting, most parents implement some limits on their own. This is a good system because some kids are ready to hunt much sooner than others. Bring them along on some trips where the weather is favorable, the trips are of flexible duration and there are good odds of encounters. Use your early trips into the woods or field to teach your kids safety, ethics and hunting skills.
This is also a good time to get them started shooting an airgun or a kid’s compound bow. Again, the focus should be on safety and responsible use of the weapon. Of course, they will also start developing marksmanship skills.
During both the hunting outings and the shooting practice, do your best to test and gauge their
readiness to actually start hunting. Once they seem to have a handle on the safety and responsibility
involved with hunting, allow them to start fully participating.
Pre-Education Hunts
Until they are 12, youth hunters are not required to take hunter safety but must be in the presence of
an adult hunter. This is a great opportunity to further their training in the critical areas of safety and
ethics. Once they are 12, they will be required to pass a hunter education course to continue hunting. If you have done a good job of training them during their early hunting experiences, the course and test will just be a review for them.
After Hunter Education Hunts
Between the years of 12 and 15, youth hunters who have completed hunter safety can hunt solo, even though they do not need a license yet. Passing the course will make them eligible to hunt solo, but as their parent, guardian or mentor you should make the final decision on this. Make sure they have a full understanding of safety, ethics and the regulations before sending them off on their own. A critical part of this is not just explaining what to do in certain situations but also why you make each decision that you do.
Youth Hunt Opportunities
Mississippi offers youth hunting opportunities to kids 15 and under. These hunts generally come before the main season and offer better chances of success. Mississippi offers youth hunts for deer, waterfowl, turkeys and small game.
Youth hunts are a great chance to get your kid into the field on hunts where odds of success are better and there is not the added pressure to harvest your own animals. Even outside of youth-only seasons, do your best to make the early hunts focused on the youth hunter. In most cases, this will yield positive results.
Miscellaneous Tips
No matter where you are in the process, make sure to take some steps to create the best chance of the young hunter loving it. Pack them lots of snacks and make sure they are dressed for the elements. Be patient with questions and mistakes, both are part of the learning process. Make sure you enjoy the process. Before long your youth hunter will be off on their own doing their own hunts and you will find yourself longing for those days when they were tagging along by your side.
Thank you Jon Sutton of Outdoor Empire for wanting to be a guest on my hunting site. I'm happy to say that I have three grandsons, Stephen, Carl and Ethan who are hunters and took them to the Hunter Education classes. My great grandson, Ian who is 10, hunts with his Dad for experience. Grandson, Carl got a nice 5 point buck with my .270 while hunting together. Grandson, Stephen killed a very nice 8 point buck with his Dad. My grandson, Michael "Ethan" (shown above holding my .270) hunted with me and finally got a deer with his Grandfather. Ethan is now serving his country in the U. S. Air Force stationed in Africa. I'm so proud of all my grandsons and my three great grandsons. Thanks again for your contribution to our great outdoors and to my site.
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