Pig Man. Cotton Mesa Texas TV show with the little 6 year old shooter

[spectr17]

I finally got to watch some hunting shows and Pigman was one I've been hearing about so I tune in to the Cotton Mesa TX hog episode. Everything's fine until the big dude wheels out the lil 6 year old and says he's gonna be using what appears to be an adult size rifle. They don't show either shot he takes at a hog, probably because the little guy can't handle the rifle himself. Later when they find a hog they think is the one he shot at Dad is carrying the rifle.

Why do some dads insist on starting kids WAY to early with big guns? It's unsafe since the kid can't handle the weight and length of the rifle nor the recoil. It's a great way to develop a flinch in a new shooter too. I was tall for my age and wasn't allowed to carry a rifle other than a .22 until I was almost 10 years old. I can't imagine handing a small child a rifle and expect him to be able to control the muzzle like he should. In many states youth hunters can't hunt big game until they are 12 years old like here in CA. I'd say that's about the right age but each kid develops at their own pace. When a young hunter should be trusted with a firearm should be up to the parent to make the right call, and PLEASE, leave all the macho BS out. Make the safe decision.

Between the gun safety nonsense I've seen on 3 "Wild Within" TV shows already and this it's gonna drive me back to Oprah and The View.

 

[myfriendis410]

Oh, God: Not OPRAH!!!???

I'm completely with you. I brought my boy up with a single shot marlin bolt rifle .22 with iron sights at 8 years old. Completely autocratic with him regarding gun safety. He's in the marines now.

I have seen way too much of this stuff going on. Put a kid in a blind with a .270 so long he can't even put his head on the stock to see through the scope and let him shoot a whitetail. I think it shows a gross disrespect for the animal. I also think the kid needs to be old enough to feel something (other than recoil) when he kills an animal. It ain't a video game. It's literally life and death stuff.

 

[Redneck75]

I think I'll have to disagree with you boys on this one. The correct age for a kid to start hunting is whenever the kid and his parents agree that he's old enough. I too was in a state (Oregon) that required me to wait until I was 12 to start big-game hunting. I could have easily (and safely) hunted a few years before that. I was shooting a .30-06 well by the time I was 9 years old. Yeah, it knocked the hell out of me but I was good with it and enjoyed the shooting. That's the biggest thing in my opinion. If Dad is forcing Junior to shoot a gun that's too big for him, it's just not right...if Junior wants to do it, then I just don't see the problem as long as he's monitored to ensure safety. I certainly wasn't pushed into it and still wound up shooting rifles at a young age all on my own accord.

I agree that safety must be the highest priority. There's a big difference between sitting in a shooting house and Dad doing all the gun-handling until it's time for Junior to make the shot -vs- handing Junior a rifle and telling him to head out on the back 40 and enjoy. I think the biggest reason you see Dad carrying the gun until the moment of truth is because he's ensuring the safety of the situation.

 

[myfriendis410]

I think you're missing my point; a child under ten or so has no concept of actually killing something. They are pretty anal at that age and I don't see anything but time curing that. It's a big deal to pull the trigger on an animal and I think a couple of years of working up to it would be really important. Also; there's a HUGE difference between you at age nine and that six-year-old with a high powered rifle. The difference of three years (fifty percent of a six year old's life) can be really huge. Judgment is also suspect; just because they want to fly doesn't mean you should allow 'em on the roof with a cape.