Is he too young?

[Andrew12gauge]

My 9 year old recently passed hunter ed, he will turn 10 in October and be able to hunt big game here in Idaho. There are a few sheep hunts that open after his birthday that he would be eligible for. He has been in the woods hiking/backpacking/hunting with me from the time he could walk. All he wants is for me to put him in for sheep, should I do it or is he just too young?


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[mt100gr.]

What are his odds of drawing? I'd say roll the dice!

 

[Maverick1]

It kind of depends on the hunter. And on the mentor. If he is mature for his age, sure, go for it. Just remember, he may not care about killing something, filling a tag, pulling a trigger, or even hiking for hours on end. He probably just wants to spend some time in the woods with his Dad. Take yourself out of "hunter mode" and put it into "Dad mode". Have fun, enjoy the hunt, and put the kid first!

 

[Timberline001]

Do it! Hes got it! It’s crazy what kids that age can do if that’s what they want to do. I wouldn’t apply for the crazy hard to access church hunts obviously but I’m sure you know what to avoid.

My 9 year old recently passed hunter ed, he will turn 10 in October and be able to hunt big game here in Idaho. There are a few sheep hunts that open after his birthday that he would be eligible for. He has been in the woods hiking/backpacking/hunting with me from the time he could walk. All he wants is for me to put him in for sheep, should I do it or is he just too young?


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[Legend]

My 9 year old recently passed hunter ed, he will turn 10 in October and be able to hunt big game here in Idaho. There are a few sheep hunts that open after his birthday that he would be eligible for. He has been in the woods hiking/backpacking/hunting with me from the time he could walk. All he wants is for me to put him in for sheep, should I do it or is he just too young?


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I have always felt that a ewe would be the perfect beginner hunt. Put him/her in for a ewe tag.

Just make sure you are making the call on young ram vs ewe before they shoot.

 

[Marine4life]

Put him in. Those are opportunities you will never get back even if you do draw and he doesn’t get a sheep.


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[DawnPatrol]

Is it OIL? What are the odds?

I’m gonna put my son in as soon as he’s old enough, but that’s just because the odds are he’ll never draw, and I figure hunting once when he’s 11 is better than never hunting sheep.

If you have a good chance of drawing when he’s a bit older you might wait. But you know your kid and what he’s capable of best.

Good luck!

 

[JMundy84]

I drew my OIAL moose tag for Idaho when I was 16 I'm turning 40 this year and have great memories of hunting with my dad that year but looking back at it now i think i would have preferred to do that hunt as an adult

 

[Andrew12gauge]

I have always felt that a ewe would be the perfect beginner hunt. Put him/her in for a ewe tag.

Just make sure you are making the call on young ram vs ewe before they shoot.

No ewe tags here in Idaho


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[Andrew12gauge]

What are his odds of drawing? I'd say roll the dice!

Realistically about 1/20


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[CodyAK]

+1 for putting him in.

 

[MuleyFever]

There was a 13 year old girl with a sheep slam. Your boy should be able to handle one.

 

[180ls1]

Realistically about 1/20


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Do it. I just mentored a youth hunter on his first turkey. Day before his 8th birthday. Dad did a good job helping the kid practice. You would need to do the same and even more.

 

[Allen Smith]

Only you can answer this. I wish they would take away the age restrictions. I have a 11 year old that would love to hunt out west with me. He has hunted whitetail in Wisconsin since hey dropped the age restriction. Here in Mn he has hunted everything he is can too. Big game age is 10 here now. Hunting might be one of the only things he has patience for. Physically I know he would be fine as long as his pack was light enough.

 

[HiMtnHntr]

I applied my boys for sheep as soon as they were eligible. No guarantee they’ll ever draw.

 

[Wildwillalaska]

Put him in!!! at least in my personal opinion, 10yo is not too young and not too young to harvest a 10yo ram. First year in the draws and Harper drew a tag I’ve tried to draw for longer than she’s been around.

 

[Andrew12gauge]

Put him in!!! at least in my personal opinion, 10yo is not too young and not too young to harvest a 10yo ram. First year in the draws and Harper drew a tag I’ve tried to draw for longer than she’s been around.

That is awesome


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[CMF]

I'd have hesitation if it were a OIL tag. Otherwise just make sure you're ready to do the hunt cause you might actually get it. Both my boys drew NM elk tags at 10 and 11 yo their first year applying. I wasn't really expecting them to draw, but they did.

 

[cbeard64]

It’s a hard question. Personally I believe that it’s best to start young folks out by not focusing on the “prestige”/“trophy” type hunts like sheep, mountain goat, LE draw elk, etc. The experience of the outdoors should be the focus for young hunters. My thinking is that very young hunters simply do not focus on or care about the nuances of the different types of hunts. A corollary to that is they also cannot fully appreciate all the aspects of what makes those hunts special.

That said, the super limited availability of sheep tags is a huge factor, making it almost a given that one should take every opportunity you can to try and draw a sheep tag. So despite what I said above, if I lived in Idaho I would probably start putting my kids in for sheep tags as soon as I could also.

 

[bowhuntercam]

Go for it!