The Michigan State Senate introduced a bill that is trying to remove the minimum hunting age. If the bill is passed then any child could hunt with a hunter who is over the age of 21. The current law in Michigan allows children over the age of 12 to hunt with a rifle as long as they are accompanied by an experienced hunter. The change to the law is estimated to increase state revenues from hunting licenses in the future by encouraging hunters to start at a younger age. The state is currently seeing around a 17% decrease in hunting license registration which is straining the states Department of Natural Resources and Environment budgets.
Opposition of the bill comes from people stating safety concerns for the children. I agree that with theses people that it might not be the best idea to let kids go hunting at such a young age without some sort of education program established. If a program was set up to teach the experienced hunters on safety concerns around hunting with children then I feel this bill would be great. I also think that kids should take some kind of safety training before they are allowed to use a gun or bow. If they are too young to understand the safety requirements of using a weapon then they should only be allowed to hunt, they should watch or shot with the aid of the experienced hunter. Without some sort of safety program for the hunters or the children, that they are required to take before hunting, I can't support this bill.
Others state that the bill should require not just a hunter over the age of 21 but the parents themselves should be required to be present. I don't think that this aspect is necessary. Not all parents know or have an interest in hunting and if the bill required parents then some kids who might have an interest in hunting are being left out. If we leave out some kids then we are defeating the purpose of the bill, to increase youth hunting numbers to offset the increase declining hunters. Parents don't always make the best teachers and with something as potential dangerous as hunting the most experienced person should be the one doing the teaching.
This is not the first time a state has purposed this bill. Pennsylvania passed a similar bill and as a result the number of hunting licenses in the state increased by over 11,000. This sounds like a great program and I personally would love to see it enacted as long as the safety concerns and education are addressed properly.