This weekend was "Youth" only firearm hunting weekend here in Texas for our future hunters ages 16 and younger.
It's purpose is to give the young hunters the opportunity to bag a deer before all hell breaks loose this coming weekend.
It was also the last weekend of archery season.
Hunter orange is REQUIRED for hunting deer with a firearm on public lands. It's not required for archery hunters. Not a good combo here, so I wear my orange before taking one step during daylight on this weekend.
Now, the real reason for this posting is because of my experience this past weekend in the public area I've been archery hunting.
The routine was the usual, hit the woods at 5:30 to get set up well before day break. Right at daylight I hear a couple of ATV's buzzing down the highline right of way, about 75yds from where I had set up to hunt for the day. Along with the ATV's I hear several people shouting at the top of thier lungs. It sounded like a small army was coming, complete with tanks and artillery.
After about 20 minutes things settled down,,,, but not for long. 15 minutes later, here comes the ATV's,, and all the shouting, again.
This went on for another hour. I'd had enough! Cussing to myself, I climbed down from the tree I was in and headed out of the woods. The highline right of way was on my route back to my truck.
Upon walking into the opening of the highline, there sat a youngster with a shotgun resting in his lap. Whistling, I walked up to him.
"How are you doing young man" I ask.
In a somewhat scared tone he said "OK".
Trying to calm him I said "Nice shotgun you have there", "You must be 7 or 8 years old, huh" I ask.
"I'm 8".
"Where's your dad" I ask.
He looked and pointed up the highline, "Over there, I think".
"You know how to shoot that shotgun if you see a deer" I ask.
With a puzzled look he said "I think so".
"Well you be careful and make sure its a deer before you shoot and good luck" I said and headed up the highline towards my trail.
Whistling my way over the ridge, there sat good ol dad, on a ATV, with a rifle laying across his lap.
"How you doing" I said.
"Be better if I had a deer" he replied without looking up.
"I thought this was youth weekend" I stated.
"It is, I'm just here to help them get a deer. This is the only weekend they get to hunt" he said.
"Them" I ask. "Yeah, my 8 and 9 year old boys. Ones over that ridge" he pointed "and the other is down in that bottom" he said pointing in the opposite direction.
Already being a little PO'd from the mornings events, I figured I'd best make an exit before I said something like "If you really wanted to help your boys you would have them here with you and made sure they knew what they are doing before you put them out, alone, in a public hunting area with a gun in thier hands".
"Have a nice day" I said as I turned and headed to my trail.
"Watch out for my brother and his 3 kids. Thier covering the next few ridges" he said as I walked away.
The bad thing is that this has become a common practice during this youth weekend.
Maybe I'm looking at this wrong, but this is the sort of thing that really chaps my hide. These parents taking advantage of something that should be for thier children.
I brought both my boys hunting with me throughout the entire season. Not just for one weekend. And I would have never left them alone in the woods at that age.
Sorry for the ranting, I'll shut up now!

Well Nutoy, that doesn't sound like what the conservation officials had in mind when the instituted the youth season. That guy had absolutely NO right carrying a weapon, and "helping" from the ATV???? Really leaves a bad taste. Hindsight's 20-20, but maybe you should have reported these knuckleheads.

Our MO youth firearms deer season is this coming weekend. Youth and accompanying adults, as well as archers ARE required to wear orange vest & hat during this "season". Youth are required to be in the "immediate presence" of a hunter safety certified adult.

I plan to take my 11 y.o. nephew out this weekend. Was hoping to get him a few hours yesterday to shoot some targets and maybe a squirrel or three, but it didn't work out. Now we'll have to waste opening morning going through the "crash course". Spent Saturday working up (down?) some reduced loads for a 260Rem Encore rifle barrel, and got the "bantam" stock delivered on Friday. Loads are excellent, almost no noticable recoil, 120 NBT at 2300 fps muzzle velocity should be good to 200 yards. Disappointed that I didn't get to work with him yesterday.

Regards, Bill

I'd called the Game Warden. Not only was that illegal for the dad to have the gun. Every hunter in the area was at risk with an inexperienced hunter and a firearm. He was supposed to be with his 8 year old son. The son cannot take the Hunter's Education course until he is 12 and cannot hunt without an adult (the dad doesn't sound like he qualifies as an adult) until he has that certificate. Also, this is NOT the only time the youngsters can hunt. They can hunt throughout the regular season and the special youth weekend at the end of the season. Another note. You can still bow hunt throughout the regular rifle season if you want in Texas.

I would have called the game warden too.

Yep! Try to get a name and or license plate number then call the game warden. That is absolute total crap to leave a kid that age by himself with a loaded gun. My nephew's son at age six shot his first buck(a spike) while sitting in his dad's lap. He is ten now and will have his dad right by his side again and until his dad is sure he is capable to hunt by himself a few years down the road. Obviously these two fathers have no ideal of what hunting courteouscy is all about or even what not to do to be a successful hunter.