Wisconsin wolves beware- hunters too!
8-Year-Olds May Be Allowed To Hunt In Wisconsin
Current Age Limit Is 12- Bill would allow 8-year-olds to hunt
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Legislators who fear young people are losing interest in Wisconsin's hunting tradition want to allow children as young as 8 years old to shoot deer.
Rep. Scott Gunderson's proposal would lower the hunting age from 12 to 8.
"It's important to get kids involved in hunting at a younger age. If they are not engaged in hunting by 12 or 13, they probably won't be," said Gunderson, R-Waterford.
But the idea of a lower hunting age horrifies Joe Slattery, whose 14-year-old son was accidentally shot and killed by a 12-year-old while deer hunting in Marinette County last year.
"This is a child safety issue," Slattery said. "Eight-year-olds don't have the coordination or attention span or physical ability to handle a gun. They are learning cursive writing and some of them believe in Santa Claus."
The state Assembly already approved Gunderson's bill on a 74-19 vote. The measure still needs approval from the state Senate and Gov. Jim Doyle to become law.
A child age 12 to 15 now can hunt with a parent or guardian. Under Gunderson's bill, parents or guardians could designate an adult mentor who must stay within arm's length of the 8- to 11-year-old child, and the two must share a weapon.
"All of the concentration must be on the youth," Gunderson said.
Eight-year-olds would not need to take a hunter safety course until they turn 12, he said.
The DNR is taking a neutral stance on the bill.
"The department is in favor of increasing hunter opportunity as long as we don't do it at the risk of compromising safety," DNR Chief Warden Randy Stark said.
The number of hunters has dropped 7 percent nationwide since 1991, Stark said, and it's expected to decline even more as baby boomers quit hunting.
According to the state Department of Natural Resources, 722,803 people bought hunting licenses in 2004, down from 773,239 in 2000.
Much of the decline occurred in 2002, when chronic wasting disease was discovered in the deer herd. The numbers have climbed in 2003 and 2004.
"The other big issue is parental rights. This allows them to make a decision whether a child can hunt at an earlier age," Gunderson said.
The Wisconsin chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics doesn't believe having 8-year-old hunters is safe, said Dr. Tim Corden, medical director of University of Wisconsin Hospital's pediatric critical care unit.
"Children obtain different skills at different ages," he said. "Their concentration and attention spans potentially pose a risk for them to be responsible and have a hunting weapon in that environment."
Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers
Current Age Limit Is 12- Bill would allow 8-year-olds to hunt
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Legislators who fear young people are losing interest in Wisconsin's hunting tradition want to allow children as young as 8 years old to shoot deer.
Rep. Scott Gunderson's proposal would lower the hunting age from 12 to 8.
"It's important to get kids involved in hunting at a younger age. If they are not engaged in hunting by 12 or 13, they probably won't be," said Gunderson, R-Waterford.
But the idea of a lower hunting age horrifies Joe Slattery, whose 14-year-old son was accidentally shot and killed by a 12-year-old while deer hunting in Marinette County last year.
"This is a child safety issue," Slattery said. "Eight-year-olds don't have the coordination or attention span or physical ability to handle a gun. They are learning cursive writing and some of them believe in Santa Claus."
The state Assembly already approved Gunderson's bill on a 74-19 vote. The measure still needs approval from the state Senate and Gov. Jim Doyle to become law.
A child age 12 to 15 now can hunt with a parent or guardian. Under Gunderson's bill, parents or guardians could designate an adult mentor who must stay within arm's length of the 8- to 11-year-old child, and the two must share a weapon.
"All of the concentration must be on the youth," Gunderson said.
Eight-year-olds would not need to take a hunter safety course until they turn 12, he said.
The DNR is taking a neutral stance on the bill.
"The department is in favor of increasing hunter opportunity as long as we don't do it at the risk of compromising safety," DNR Chief Warden Randy Stark said.
The number of hunters has dropped 7 percent nationwide since 1991, Stark said, and it's expected to decline even more as baby boomers quit hunting.
According to the state Department of Natural Resources, 722,803 people bought hunting licenses in 2004, down from 773,239 in 2000.
Much of the decline occurred in 2002, when chronic wasting disease was discovered in the deer herd. The numbers have climbed in 2003 and 2004.
"The other big issue is parental rights. This allows them to make a decision whether a child can hunt at an earlier age," Gunderson said.
The Wisconsin chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics doesn't believe having 8-year-old hunters is safe, said Dr. Tim Corden, medical director of University of Wisconsin Hospital's pediatric critical care unit.
"Children obtain different skills at different ages," he said. "Their concentration and attention spans potentially pose a risk for them to be responsible and have a hunting weapon in that environment."
Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers
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