Hunting and Shooting Sports Safety Resources for Young People
- Two laws, in effect since the 2006 hunting season, lower the hunting age and create an apprentice hunter program.
- The age for hunting game is 10 years old, and for deer, bear and elk with a firearm on private land the age is 12.
- Youth hunters must be supervised in the field by a licensed adult hunter who must maintain unaided visual and verbal contact with the younger hunter at all times.
- The apprentice hunter program allows individuals to hunt without the required hunter education course if accompanied and closely monitored by a licensed hunter age 21 or older who is mentoring them in the sport. An apprentice hunter may participate in the program for two license years before being required to take a hunter safety course.
- These laws allow parents to determine whether their children are ready to hunt.
- Michigan rules for young hunters (up to 16 years of age)
- A Parent's Guide to Recreational Shooting for Youngsters includes a Firearms Responsibility Contract for parents and kids to sign.
- Bow Hunting Safety—this site includes topic pages on treestand safety, first aid, and survival.
- Online Hunter Education course from the International Hunter Education Association (IHEA) includes instruction on hunting and outdoor safety and hunter responsibility.
Firearm and shooting sports safety:
- The Ten Commandments of Firearm Safety. All hunters who handle firearms should be intimately familiar with these rules.
- Watch this video about the basics of shooting sports safety, from USA Shooting.
- More hunters die from drowning and hypothermia each year than from gunshot wounds, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
- Hunting Near Water—part of the IHEA online hunter safety course. Advance through the content by clicking on "next."
- If you live in Michigan, marine and hunting safety classes are offered in many locations. Select Class Type = “Marine” from the drop-down menu near the top of the page.
- Treestand Safety: What goes up, must come down! Features video instruction on safety equipment and practices.
- Turkey hunting safety
- Make sure young deer hunters know safety precautions
- Hunter orange requirements—these are each state's requirements; however, the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh recommends head-to-toe fluorescent orange clothing.
- Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh hunting safety tips
- Questions and Answers on Chronic Wasting Disease for Hunters
- Be sure you are in good physical condition to meet the rigors of hunting.
- Bear safety while Hunting
Michigan hunting and shooting sports resources:
- If you live in Michigan, find a safety class near you for hunter, bow, bowhunter, marine/boating, trapper, snowmobile or ORV safety.
- In Michigan, you can take an online hunter safety course to partly fulfill the requirements to get your hunter safety certificate. After taking the online course, you are required to attend either a home study class or the field portion of a regular class and take the student examination in order to receive your certificate. You will need to pre-register for a home study class or the field portion of a regular class before taking this online course. Upon passing the online Pre-Certification Exam, you will be eligible to complete the skills/field portion of instruction and take a written examination without attending a classroom course. The requirements are similar for bowhunter safety education. Visit the DNR's safety class page for more details.
- Michigan 4-H Shooting Sports: Kids ages nine and up learn safety and shooting techniques for a variety of shooting sports: shotguns, rifles, air guns, muzzle loading, archery and hunting. Kids also learn respect for the natural environment.
- The Michigan Youth Hunting Education Challenge (MYHEC) is a program for young sports-women and -men, who have completed the Basic State Hunter Safety Course and desire to enhance their ethics, safety skills, talents, techniques and knowledge of hunting and shooting.
Compiled by Kyla Boyse, R.N. Reviewed by faculty and staff at the University of Michigan
Updated October 2010
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