Tradin’-in The Binkie For A Turkey Gun
Let’s get real…just how young is too young to hunt? Would you think that hunting just months after your first birthday is a bit too early to begin this sport we so dearly cherish? Apparently some do not think so.
This spring in Minnesota a grandfather made application for his 1–year old granddaughter and guess what? She got drawn in the lottery for her first ever wild turkey hunt. The child hasn’t even lost her first baby tooth yet but she is now licensed and able to kill a crafty ol’ tom.
Sound ridiculous? You bet…but the scenario I just described actually happened this spring. It’s part of the Minnesota DNR’s revision of treating turkey hunting as any other small game animal. Previously turkey hunting was regulated along with other big game animals which meant a hunter would need to be at least 12 years old and pass hunter safety before setting real sights on way-laying a turkey.
Urging younger hunters to get into the woods hunting is a new concept that appears to be sweeping across the land. Prompted mostly by the National Wild Turkey Federation and many game departments…the thinking is if you don’t get a child introduced to hunting before the age of 14 they will never become active in the sport. That may be true…but I’ve gone on record before saying that this system has not been broke…so why are we fixing it now? If a father wants to introduce a youngster to hunting they have always been able to take them with…the child just could not pull the trigger until meeting certain sensible age requirements.
The grandfather who allegedly purchased the license for his granddaughter did not do so with any illegal intent in mind. In fact, his motivation was to prove a point that the change in law is ridiculous and laden with loopholes. Perhaps this grandfather will not hunt and fill the granddaughter’s tag…but how many other unscrupulous hunters will? You gotta believe that the system is ripe for corruption and abuse.
This year a whopping 826 youngsters under the age of 12 for the first time applied for a license and 485 of them actually got drawn. Some of these kids were 5 and 6 year olds who can’t possibly appreciate the magnitude of the experience and shouldn’t be pulling a trigger on a gun capable of shooting a turkey for another four or five more years. It’s asinine to think the Minnesota DNR, as well as many other state agencies around the country, are liberalizing their age requirements to encourage hunters at such a young age.
Hey, I’m the first one who is all for new hunter recruitment as I realize the future of our sport depends on new blood entering the field every year. But c’mon…there’s got to be a limit and some restrictions mandated by the state has not been all bad. I know too many overly zealous fathers who will do their sons and daughters more harm than good by teaching them to abuse the system.
What would I like to see? Quite honestly, every turkey tag that is filled by a kid less than 9 years old should be registered only by a conservation officer and not some apathetic gas station attendant in-between customers. I would like to see the officer gently listen to the youngster’s story of how they shot the bird and determine in their professional way if the story is legit. Perhaps give the kid a patch or something to reward them for their first turkey. The underlying emphasis here should be for the officer to more carefully scrutinize first and foremost if the bird was actually shot by the child…but then also to evaluate if the kid was put in a good, safe situation by the parent or if some actions need to be corrected for the future.
Again, having the officer contact with any youth tag that is filled is not my ideal situation for how this should be handled…but if the present situation is going to exist for future years there has to be some greater checks and balances.
Today was the opening day for turkey hunting in Minnesota. The headlines in the biggest newspaper of the state described how younger turkey hunters are being encouraged to be in the woods for the first time this year. To a non-hunting public this article probably made the changes look ludicrous and raised some great questions about our sport…and to this hunter, I can’t find much disagreement with that assessment.
My belief is that lowering the age restriction when a child can first hunt is only a bandaid approach toward solving the underlying predicament our sport faces with hunter attrition. Many children up to 9 or 10 years old still get tucked into bed each night with a teddy bear by their side…only to encouraged to rise hours before dawn to pull a trigger on a turkey weighing roughly 1/3 their own body weight? Makes no sense…at least not to me.
You know…the experts say that getting youth involved at such an early age is so critical. I say…what’s wrong with building a little anticipation and patience about participating in the fine sport of hunting? Hunting can be hard work, grueling physically, requiring tedious patience even before seeing any wildlife action. Why put a child through all of that when they are often not mentally ready for the commitment that is necessary to be a hunter? In all honesty, rushing our children into the sport of hunting may achieve larger numbers and greater license sales…but does it really groom their psyche in a healthy way to become passionate adults about the sport? I think not.
Excuse me now while I go work on my next great invention. It’s a camouflage baby pacifier that also doubles as a mouth-blown turkey call. If the DNR is going to allow kids still in diapers to be traipsing in the woods, I might as well find a way to capitalize on the opportunity it presents. Oh yea, …that gives me another great idea…I might as well develop some camouflage diapers, while I’m at it, that are charcoal activated to reduce body scent. You sure don’t want your best hunting bud—the one sitting next to you—to be scaring the game away because of a stinky, soiled diaper…now do you?
© 2006 Jim Braaten. All Rights Reserved. No Reproduction without Prior Permission.