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Gun story top story at Walworth County Today

Passive101

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http://www.walworthcountytoday.com/

0927_WCS_GUNS_Jason_t715.jpg

0927_WCS_GUNS_Tom.jpg


Burlington Conservation Club manager and instructor Tom Wondrash, left, helps Reed Mimller, 10, of Waterford, during a Kids Shoot event at the club last week. Under a new state law, children as young as 10 can hunt under the supervision of a mentor. Terry Mayer/staff.
BURLINGTON — Wisconsin may see more people sporting blaze orange this fall, including some as young as 10.
The Mentored Hunting Program, signed into law last month by Gov. Jim Doyle, allows individuals interested in experiencing hunting — including those ages 10 and older — to hunt for the first time this year under the supervision of a mentor in controlled conditions.
A 2008 study published by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Department of Rural Sociology reported the number of gun deer hunters in the state dropped from 645,047 to 600,787 between 2000 and 2007 — a decline of 7 percent.
Further declines are possible as a generation of hunters ages, so state conservation groups and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources are looking for ways to interest more people in the sport. One of the groups they’re targeting is youth.
Watch the slide show HERE.
Read the full story in the Sept. 27 e-edition of Walworth County Sunday, HERE.
 

Interceptor_Knight

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It is notable whenever discussing the change to add the 10 year old hunter mentoring program that the 12 year old minimum age to target shoot with adult supervision has been eliminated altogether with no current minimum age so long as they are under their parents' supervision or another designated adult. Hopefully any 10 year old hunters have been shooting for some time and afre both safe and proficient before going out to hunt with their parents. Also, this change does not effect the law that you must be 18 years old to hunt with a handgun. The only time a minor may possess a handgun is at the range with their parent or other designated adult.
 

Hillmann

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Interceptor_Knight wrote:
It is notable whenever discussing the change to add the 10 year old hunter mentoring program that the 12 year old minimum age to target shoot with adult supervision has been eliminated altogether with no current minimum age so long as they are under their parents' supervision or another designated adult. Hopefully any 10 year old hunters have been shooting for some time and afre both safe and proficient before going out to hunt with their parents. Also, this change does not effect the law that you must be 18 years old to hunt with a handgun. The only time a minor may possess a handgun is at the range with their parent or other designated adult.
I would like to see the minumum age for hunting (with and adult) removed all together. My son at a 6 handles a gun saffer than my inlaw at age 26.
 

JimE

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I think this mentor program is really a great idea, but it's just not for kids. This allows anyone who's never hunted before an opportunity to try it first without enrolling and going through a hunter's safety course. Many hunter safety classes have limited classes that fill up quick.I bet this may be a bigdeterence to some adults who are 'on the fence' about trying hunting and this program may give them the push they need.
 

Interceptor_Knight

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One step at a time. Not everyone is embracing 10 year olds hunting. The mentoring program needs to prove itself first. All it will take is a single 10 year old shooting someone and it will be the end of the program.
 

Hillmann

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Interceptor_Knight wrote:
One step at a time. Not everyone is embracing 10 year olds hunting. The mentoring program needs to prove itself first. All it will take is a single 10 year old shooting someone and it will be the end of the program.
I think part of it is that when this was passed almost everyones first thought was deer hunting with larger calibers. My first thought was small game, upland and ducks because of the faster pace, more chances to shoot and less recoil(.22 or 20GA) and like I said before I would trust my 6 year old more than my 26 year old brother inlaw just because with my son I tought him respect for the gun and if he dose something I thnk is dangerous I can take it away from him whareas with the inlaw will do whatever stupid thing he wants to do no mater what I say(I have a pellet hole in my shead to prove it)
 

JG

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I think this is great to teach kids how to use guns as a sport. I dont believe a kid should hunt to kill an animal until they are at least fourteen, but thats just me.

Now let me tell a true story of what guns can do for a kid. Years ago my Axx Hxxx boss transfered me from New England to Okla. My son was in the Army, my oldest daughter was just out of H.S. so she stayed back. My youngest daughter was only eleven and was a skater. She gotto Okla.and her grades went from A's and B's to C's and D's. I asked what was wrong but knew she was unhappy. She told me it was the school. The plaster was falling off the ceiling, the teacher played country western music in the classroon all day, there were roaches running up and down the walls and the kids just ran around the room talking all the time.:banghead:She said I cant consentrate on my work. Then one day she came home and told me of this little girl who was a year or two older than her that belong to a gun club at the local college. Shesaid she wanted to join and learn to target shoot. She needed something to do because her skating was gone so I let her do it. They shot 22 cal. target rifles. After just a few weeks and her next report card her grades went back up to A's and B's. We talked about this and she told me when shooting she had to shut off all that was goining on around her. She did this in school and this was the results:celebrateOh yes, the little girl whos introduced to shooting later became a vet of the first Iraq war.
 

JG

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One day when my youngest daughter who then twelveand Iwent to the Tulsa Boat show. As we entered the show there was a Daisy Air Rifle booth. It was set up with targets so the kids could shoot and win prizes. There were about five little cowboys hanging around with big belt buckles and cowboy boots. I told Heidi you need to shoot. She said no way, not in front of all those boys. I told you go shoot or I will beat the tar out you (just kidding). Finally she did. She shot a pattern about the size of a half dollar. The problem was it was an inch above the bulls eye. She said Dad the sights are off on this gun. I told her go tell the Daisy guy. He looked at the target and said"little girl come back in about thirty minutes and shoot again. We came back and this time her pattern was about the size of a silver dollar over the bulls eye. Laterthat afternoon they anounced the winners. In the eight to twelve so and so won. In the twelve to sixteen class Heidi xxxxxx won a Daisy pellet rifle. Talk about a proud Daddy:celebrateTEACH YOUR KIDS ABOUT GUNS, THEY WILL GROW UP TO BE BETTER PEOPLE!
 

Interceptor_Knight

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JimE wrote:
I think this mentor program is really a great idea, but it's just not for kids. This allows anyone who's never hunted before an opportunity to try it first without enrolling and going through a hunter's safety course. Many hunter safety classes have limited classes that fill up quick.I bet this may be a bigdeterence to some adults who are 'on the fence' about trying hunting and this program may give them the push they need.

Limited Hunters' Safety classes should be handled as a seperate issue. There is a program in place in WI so that the classroom portion can be done on line and only a practical demonstration in person. This reduces the time necessary to spend considerably.

I personally oppose allowing anyone to hunt without basic hunters' safety. It is such a small time and money committment that no one really has any basis to complain.
Any land owner and their children from age 12 on up could always hunt squirrels, rabbits, coyotes, woodchucks, starlings, etc on their own land without a small game license and hunters safety with a shotgun or rifle. This I have no problem with.
 

bnhcomputing

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As someone who repeatedly watched fellow Hunter Ed. Instructors speak out against this, I will weigh in.

The argument has always been that 10Yr-olds don't have the attention, physical ability, comprehension,or whatever and therefore shouldn't be allowed. The problem has been, up until now, that thestate has tried to intimidate the public into thinking that under 12 couldn't even handle a firearm. I have contended for many years now, thatonly applied to hunting and NOT target practice.

With this new law, we now have clarification that individuals of ANY AGE can indeed be taught about firearms and how to properly use them. In addition, the way "range" is defined, those with larger tracts of property can have a "range" right in their back yard. So now we (parents) can start teaching children at sixor seven about firearms.

By the time the child is ten, he or she should have logged hundreds of hours with various firearms. Hunter safety will be easier to teach (hopefully) because we shouldn't have so many awe struck students and gun safety should actually increase.

Just my $ .02 from somebody who lives it every day.
 

Hillmann

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bnhcomputing wrote:
As someone who repeatedly watched fellow Hunter Ed. Instructors speak out against this, I will weigh in.

The argument has always been that 10Yr-olds don't have the attention, physical ability, comprehension,or whatever and therefore shouldn't be allowed. The problem has been, up until now, that thestate has tried to intimidate the public into thinking that under 12 couldn't even handle a firearm. I have contended for many years now, thatonly applied to hunting and NOT target practice.

With this new law, we now have clarification that individuals of ANY AGE can indeed be taught about firearms and how to properly use them. In addition, the way "range" is defined, those with larger tracts of property can have a "range" right in their back yard. So now we (parents) can start teaching children at sixor seven about firearms.

By the time the child is ten, he or she should have logged hundreds of hours with various firearms. Hunter safety will be easier to teach (hopefully) because we shouldn't have so many awe struck students and gun safety should actually increase.

Just my $ .02 from somebody who lives it every day.
How many people actualy waited untill there kids were 12 before allowing them to use a gun?
 

Interceptor_Knight

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Hillmann wrote:
How many people actualy waited untill there kids were 12 before allowing them to use a gun?
I certainly hope nobody. I skipped right over BB guns with my kids and went right to .22 rifles. Some years back I had asked a DNR Warden about kids younger than 12 target shooting and the answer was to the effect that they would not be hassling anyone at a rifle range. Now we will never have to worry about that scenerio.:)
 

bnhcomputing

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Hillmann wrote:
How many people actualy waited untill there kids were 12 before allowing them to use a gun?


More than you think

City dweller cannot shoot in his/her back yard. Local Rod/Gun club has 12-yr-old rule because they don't want any gripe from LEO. So Iget literally 100's of students each year in Hunter Ed who had NEVER touched a firearm.

Now the Rod/Gun clubs can remove the restrictions and we can go forward.

Remember: perception is fact in many people's minds.
 

Hillmann

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bnhcomputing wrote:
Hillmann wrote:
How many people actualy waited untill there kids were 12 before allowing them to use a gun?


More than you think

City dweller cannot shoot in his/her back yard. Local Rod/Gun club has 12-yr-old rule because they don't want any gripe from LEO. So Iget literally 100's of students each year in Hunter Ed who had NEVER touched a firearm.

Now the Rod/Gun clubs can remove the restrictions and we can go forward.

Remember: perception is fact in many people's minds.

After asking that I realized living in a small town I am the minoarty and that most of the people here live in citys and find it harder to axcess an area to shoot and that most pay to use ranges(I have never been to one so I am guessing) would have rules about age.

Although I still stand by my idea that there should be no minumum age for hunting with an adult who has a valid lisence. Didn't Texas recently lower the minumum age to 5? Havent heard about any big problems with that. I think that there are a lot of kids at the age of 12 who shouldn't be handling guns, but that dosen't mean that dosen't mean we should raise the age it means that it should be the parents decision of weaher or not the child is mature enough the state should stay out of it. Just like everything else with an age limit, once the clock strikes midnightdo you all of a suddon become more mature and are now able to, drive, smoke, buy a riffle, drink, or buy a hand gun. I think the minumum age for anything is a bit of a joke.
 

Interceptor_Knight

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Hillmann wrote:
Just like everything else with an age limit, once the clock strikes midnightdo you all of a suddon become more mature and are now able to, drive, smoke, buy a riffle, drink, or buy a hand gun. I think the minumum age for anything is a bit of a joke.

It is simply a matter of convenience. The lazy man's easy way out. Nothing more or less. It is also to pacify the overly zealous.

You must first accept as fact that a very young person is inherently not responsible enough to handle either drugs (including alcohol) and firearms and society needs to be protected against their handling/consuming of them until they are mature enough to do so.

Instead of taking ALOT of time to develop, implement and maintain a relevent test for maturity and skill, the concept of a minimum age came forward. Any test would receive criticism of it not being developed or applied fairly. An age limit was accepted much more readily as there have been age limits for things like voting and holding of political offices for a relatively long time and these have been accepted by the populace as valid and good.

The reality is that individuals are mature long before the magic date but that the interests of the greater community/society over ride the interests of these individuals.
 
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