Hunting At Any Age…What Do You Think?

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I was just recently told that in Wisconsin a new bill will mean there is no longer an age limit on hunting. This means even a Toddler could hunt.

Although I do have my own thoughts and opinions about hunting, I want to make it clear at the beginning of this post that this post is NOT about hunting itself, it is about the age one is allowed to hunt.

By this bill passing and allowing this there is, of course, the safety concern. But as an animal advocate my mind also went to what this is going to teach children about the value of an animal’s life.

As some of you know, I work around children and I am a big fan of Red Rovers, an organization that helps teachers teach children empathy for animals. If we want animals to be treated better, more laws passed to protect them, & more resources to rescue and shelter them, then we have to teach children to care about them. They are ours and animals future.

Allowing a child to hunt, to kill an animal, or watch their parents kill an animal at such a young age to me seems like it would be sending mixed messages. To me it seems like allowing this is teaching children at such a young age that animals don’t matter, that they are here for us to kill.

I am really hoping some of you will jump in with some comments and let me know what you think about this. I am still trying to digest it and would love to hear others thoughts.

So please tell me…what do you think about this?

My daughters fawn friendPinterest

18 thoughts on “Hunting At Any Age…What Do You Think?”

  1. Mary McNeil

    Every year little kids (and some not so little) find a gun and play around with it and kill someone or themselves. Why does anyone think this is a good idea ? Little kids aren’t allowed to drive. (Yet)

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  4. IreneDesign2011

    I find it annoying, that there are so many weapons out among people in US and then read about all the shootings. No one and specially not kids should be allowed to come close to any weapon. We need to teach kids respect for all life, first of all.

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  6. HorseWhisperer

    I don’t think this is what we need right now. I believe that with all the shootings children shouldn’t be allowed to hunt. Teaching them that killing a living thing is fine isn’t going to work out.
    You said it was a bill. So, it hasn’t been passed as a law yet?

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  7. Pete Githens

    Why do you assume hunters things “animals don’t matter”? It is quite the opposite in my experience. I have hunted since I was 9 years old. Every hunter I know, myself included love and respect the animals we hunt. While that may seem contradictory, nobody works harder at conservation than hunters. None of us go out and just randomly shoot every animal that comes by. The myth that hunters just shoot things and leave them lay in the woods for fun or simply trohpy hunt is just that. A myth. While we certainly hope for a memento of our days afield (e.g. antlers, hide, etc.) the primary reason for hunting is the primordial predatory instinct we all possess. Happily, this also provides a supply of fresh, organic, healthy meat for myself and my family.

    I have learned more about wildlife and nature in 40+ years afield than I could have ever learned in school or from a National Geographic documentary. I can identify every animal or bird and most insects native to the regions I hunt, can tell you their lifecycle, and what needs to happen to preserve them. I know dozens of folks who dislike hunting that can’t tell a duck from a goose and don’t understand the need to conserve land. I know dozens of people who protest violently on social media when a picture of a dead lion or giraffe is posted by a hunter but who don’t understand the natural ramifications of dumping fertilizer and weed killer all over their lawn. Such actions do far more harm to true endangered and threatened species than the loss of one member of a species in a far away land.

    Hunting is a natural, wholesome activity that families can share together. With few exceptions, hunters are not all Elmer Fudd drinking, burping, and shooting in all directions out in the woods for their own amusement. Being a successful hunter takes a lot of dedication, a strong work ethic, and an intimate familiarity with nature.

    If people want to find a point of blame for the violence and disrespect we have for one another I’d suggest looking closer to home. Things like video games, anonymous social media, and other factors have led to a complete loss of respect among our young people. They don’t respect each other, or their elders.

    There should be no age limit for hunting or any other family activity. Kids are forced into far too many other activities at a young age. They ought to have the chance to get outdoors and enjoy the wonders of being part of nature as well.

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    1. Animals Are Feeling Beings Too Post author

      Thank you for your comment. You have made some good points. It is not hunting itself that I am concerned with in this post (although I could never do it), it is the age limit. I disagree and do think there should be an age limit. Children are learning from us when they are young. Things can be very confusing for them, which is a normal part of learning. Their brains are still developing. A child “killing” an animal at such a young age could be very confusing…meaning they may see/learn animals as something just to kill. I am not saying that is how adult hunters see things (as you pointed out from your comment) I am saying to a child they aren’t ready for “killing” anything. We tell them not to hit, not to be mean, to use gentle touches, etc. But what is it doing to their minds at such a young age to teach them all of that, but to then hand them a gun to kill an animal. Will they grow up to respect animal life?

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  8. Kathy

    First I think this is wrong because the Bible says that we should “bring children up in the way that they should go.” Hunting is inherently a fallen activity, it is part of our corrupted nature. In Genesis, were we to have depended upon the Father and not fallen, creation would have lived together in peace with the Father as our leader. This view is dependent upon the creation being not “red in tooth and claw” at this time, which, because Genesis tells us God said “it was good” I believe we can lean in this direction, that it is likely or at least implicitly if not explicitly implied that the creation was peaceful. Especially in conjunction with other studies that tell us what has happened to the creation and to us was not part of God’s ideal will; given we know from scripture there “is no evil” in God; we can extrapolate that if creation was not fallen at the time we were brought on the scene, all creation was peaceful, and any evil that is committed by creation or humans does not come from God. Plus Genesis leads us to understand that we were placed over the creation as stewards, and in God’s Image we were to steward creation. When we fell, we took all else we were over with us into exile from the fullness of God’s presence and the fullness of his protection from evil.

    All this said, our corrupted nature, not from God, bringing up a child in the way they should go just would not reflect a Godly upbringing were it to include teaching children to hunt.

    Besides this, children should not be taught to kill anything. “Thou shalt not kill” I believe means we were not intended to kill other people or animals, killing animals is part of God’s permissive will. God likens it to murdering a man – “to kill an ox is to kill a man.” Given we live in a country where we have other choices for food, we should not hunt and kill. Children should be taught to put on love above all (bring up a child in the way they should go), to include creation in that which our faith informs us we are to love, care for and nurture, provide for, as God provides for, loves and longs to nurture us.

    Lastly, God wants peace on earth. Christ’s work on the cross we are told was to “destroy the devil’s work.” There is an element of the atonement that covers our sin, for certain; but the main impact of Christ’s work is about redemption. We should, as believers, be living and teaching within this framework – and to be reconcilers of the creation with God, ambassadors to Christ, emulating him and be bringing about “his kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.”

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    1. Animals Are Feeling Beings Too Post author

      Thank you so much for your comment. One thing I always think about is how most people see it as “normal” the way animals are treated and used. I know in my heart this is not what God intended for HIS creatures and it breaks my heart. I work with children and really feel strongly about the fact that children are our future and need to learn to respect all of creation.

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