Youngest age to start turkey hunting?

[Greg Massey]

I feel 5 is way to young to put a gun in a child's hands. We took my grandson hunting a few times at the age of 5 on the good weather days. When he was 7 we let him take his red rider BB gun but it was unloaded. He started shooting a 22 at 8 yr. Old. And this past deer season at the age of 9 killed his first buck 6 pt.

[Greybeard11]

I have 2 sons and they both were shooting Chipmunk rifles by age 2. They shot from a little kids picnic table, off a rest, with eye and ear protection. This was a great way to start and to teach them the correct way to handle firearms. The Chipmunk is a single shot that is cocked by pulling the bolt back, which they couldn't do. I  felt that this gave me more control over the whole process. They absolutely LOVED it. They both shot thousands of rounds a year. My oldest passed the Hunter Education course at 8 and started deer hunting that year. My youngest just wasn't ready that early and didn't take the course or hunt until he was 12. They are now 19 and 22 and I trust those boys more with a firearm than almost anyone I know. I learned from experience that everyone is different and progresses at a different rate. I will add one more thing....both my boys started deer hunting with a youth muzzleloader. I tried the 410 thing and just wasn't happy with it. I feel that a muzzleloader is the perfect beginners gun for kids. I started them out with 50 grains of powder and moved up as they were ready. Recoil was never an issue and the guns were super accurate. Some of the best days of my life!!!

[darn2ten]

I believe there are a lot of variables here. I started my son shooting a chipmunk .22 around age five. The first hunting we did was for squirrels. At age 7 I started him practicing with a youth 7mm-08 and he took his first deer at age 8. I had decided early on that I would not start him turkey hunting until I thought he was mature enough and could handle sitting still and being quiet. I hunt almost exclusively in the woods and timber and wanted him to learn the same way I did. That was what to look for, how to choose your set up, pick the right tree, when and when not to call, and so forth. Now if you were hunting out of a pop up blind I'm sure you could start them earlier, I just chose not to do it that way. Not saying there's anything wrong with it, I just wanted to pass on my style and figured that he needed to be a little older to understand and grasp everything I was trying to teach him and for me that was the spring just before he turned 11.

[beagler]

I started my daughter with a Red Ryder BB gun (age 7), then a Cricket 22 and next came the 20ga Mossberg 510 Mini (at age . She took her first bird here last week during the Pa Mentored Youth Day (age 9). How I have to find a small .243 for deer season, any recommendations?

[tha bugman]

I took my daughter when she was 2 year old out to see some and she even made them gobble with her toy flute.  She is 6 now and shot a coyote opening morning and has witnessed turkeys getting shot so she is coming along...my point is to not push her...she goes when she wants to...