Age limit removed from small game hunting!!!

[cat_man]

But first the governor just has to sign the bill.


Last modified: Monday, March 06, 2006
Hunting bill awaits governor's signature
Young people under the age of 12 could hunt small game in Utah this fall if Gov. Jon M. Huntsman Jr. approves a bill passed during the recent legislative session.
House Bill 328 removes the minimum age to hunt small game and wild turkey in Utah. If the governor signs the bill, those under the age of 12, who have passed a Utah Hunter Education course, could buy a license beginning Aug. 1, 2006.
"This new rule would give young people a chance to get outdoors with their parents and experience the joy and thrill of hunting at an earlier age," says Lenny Rees, hunter education coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources.
Young hunters are safe
Before the bill was introduced, Rees surveyed the 11 Western states. He learned that Utah and Montana had the most restrictive regulations regarding when people can begin hunting.
"Eight of the states do not have a minimum age requirement, and Idaho allows young people to start hunting small game at the age of 10," he said. "Only Utah and Montana require hunters to wait until they're 12 years old."
In seven of the states that do not have a minimum age requirement (data was not available for Washington) Rees found only one documented accident involving a hunter under the age of 12 in the past five years.
"Other states have found that younger hunters are safe hunters," Rees said.
Young hunters must pass a hunter education course
If the governor signs the bill, hunters under the age of 12 would have to complete all of the state's Hunter Education course, including the shooting range portion of the course, before they could obtain a license.
After they obtained a license, they could not hunt unless they were accompanied by their parent or a person 21 years of age or older who had been approved by their parent to take them hunting.
"Accompanied means the adult would have to be close enough to the young hunter that they could talk with them without the use of electronic means," Rees said. "For example, the young hunter could not be so far away that the adult would need a walkie-talkie to communicate with him or her.
"The hunter education requirements have not changed and the standards have not been lowered," Rees said. "These young hunters would be required to pass all of the same requirements that hunters older than them must also pass. The responsibility to determine if their son or daughter was physically and mentally mature enough to hunt would be given to the parents of each child."
Age not lowered for big game hunting
House Bill 328 was sponsored by Rep. Curtis Oda (R-Clearfield) in the Utah House of Representatives and Sen. Tom Hatch (R-Panguitch) in the Utah Senate.
"We appreciate Rep. Oda and Sen. Hatch sponsoring this bill," said Jim Karpowitz, director of the DWR. "Both of these legislators are doing a lot to help Utah's wildlife and the DWR. We also appreciate the help of many of the sportsmen groups in the state, who got behind the bill and supported it."
Rep. Oda and Sen. Hatch also sponsored House Bill 329, which would have lowered the minimum age to hunt big game in Utah from 14 years old to 12 years old.
H.B. 329 passed the House of Representatives, but the legislative session ended before the Senate could vote on it.
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[Cowmilker]

That is cool. But What is the minimum required age for hunters safety? Is it still 10yrs (is that what it was)?
I have a six year old that can shoot his Crickett as good, if not better, than I can. It would be cool to take him with me on a rabbit hunt next year.
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[ruger]

From what I understand, as long as pass the hunter's safety course, they are good to go at any age.
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[addicted2fishin]

I'm not a big fan of it. Kids are just too excitable when they see the animal they are hunting for and just aren't nearly as capable of using sound judgment.
I'm also still not a fan of letting the 14 yr. olds hunt the big game. Sure, they can handle the gun, but too often I have seen them take aim when they shouldn't or take really stupid shots without knowing what is in the surrounding area.
Yes, I know there are a lot of adults that do this, but the young kids are far worse. They just don't have the maturity yet to think through the process of pointing the gun at the right time and in the right place.
Just my $.02 worth. I'm sure they are just trying to think of ways to increase revenues since small game tags have gone downhill in recent years. I think a big part of that is due to the extreme lack of pheasant hunting that was abundant when I was a young kid. They are trying to introduce the chukars and turkeys, but they have a long way to go on those to replace the number of pheasants they used to have around when there was more habitat for them.
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[Cowmilker]

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I think a big part of that is due to the extreme lack of pheasant hunting that was abundant when I was a young kid.



I thought you said you didn't like the idea of young kid's being able to hunt.

I don't see the problem if I am sitting on a hill in a chair with my son, pointing out rabbits for him to shoot at with his single shot .22. Teaching him to make clean safe shots.
(I read somewhere if you go out and sit on a high spot in an area where you know there are rabbits, they will eventualy start moving and then you can see them and shoot them, but I've tried it once and not had any luck.)
I can see an increased potential for danger (realizing that there is always potential for danger) when a younger kid is walking around prepareing to flush up birds, and gets tunnel vision and forgets about everything but swinging on the bird. Perhaps this is why there is the "comunication without electronics" rule, if a youngster is trained not to shoot if someone yells "don't shoot" this can REDUCE some of the danger.
I will probably not be taking my son out to Farmigton Bay with a shotgun on opening day until he gets a little older though, there would be to many distractions.
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[cat_man]

I think that this is a good thing. Adults should be responsible enough to not take any children regardless of their age that would not be able to responsibly handle a firearm, and train them how to hunt safely.

If the adult isn't responsible, neither will the child be, no matter what their age.
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