As of Sept. 1, the legal age for hunting waterfowl and some game birds in Alberta has dropped from 12 to 10-years-old.
That means hunters will be seeing some younger faces out in the fields this season, and Cynthia Pawliuk, president of the Beaver River Fish and Game Association, said just like anything there are pluses and minuses to the decision.
“Teaching children not necessarily just hunting, but outdoor education itself, is extremely important. We rely on the environment a lot. Children should learn what animals are out there and what the outdoors is all about,” she expressed.
With that in mind, it’s important parents not only consider the age of their child, but also their maturity, noted president of the Alberta Conservation Association, Todd Zimmerling.
“I think it’s an opportunity to allow kids to get involved in hunting at an earlier age. I think it’s still incumbent upon the parent or guardian to make sure they feel that their child is mature enough, and that applies whether they’re 12, 16, or whatever the age, is they have to make sure the person is mature enough to be doing it,” Zimmerling stressed. “This opens up an opportunity for families to get their kids out and enjoying an outdoor activity like hunting and harvesting wild game at an earlier age.”
However, he added, maturity is more than just their ability to understand the importance of gun safety.
“It’s also the maturity of being able to handle the fact that they’re going to harvest an animal, or at least that’s what they’re attempting to do, and that can be something that can be traumatic for your first experience sometimes,” Zimmerling explained.
He continued, “Are they old enough to take the life of an animal and understand what that means and have the respect required and all of those other aspects too?”
According to Zimmerling, when it comes to requirements, unlike the minimum age, those haven’t changed.
Any youth interested in taking up the sport is still required to obtain their hunter education course through the Alberta Hunter Education Instructors Association.
Pawliuk said it’s no easy task.
“This isn’t an easy program to apprehend… The book is an inch thick, so it’s a matter of the kids learning the different species out there, which I think is good for them to learn.”
Young hunters must also be within care and control of an adult.
“They have to be supervised, it’s not like we’re sending children out into the forest with a gun with no training or supervision. They’re still right there with their adult supervision, so nothing has really changed there,” expressed Zimmerling.
Pawliuk believes by decreasing the age requirement for waterfowl hunting, the province is encouraging families to spend more time outdoors, which is never a bad thing.
“If you ever go out into the middle of the bush and just sit there and listen, the amount of things that you learn and see is just fascinating and a lot of children love being in the outdoors. It’s so refreshing, it’s therapeutic, it gives you a little time for a mental break from the busy ways of life,” stated Pawliuk. “It’s good for kids to learn what outdoor education is all about.”
Zimmerling agreed.
“There are other jurisdictions throughout the United States that have lower ages and the age limit isn’t really an issue. It comes down to the maturity of the individual. I think it’s an opportunity to get kids involved at a younger age, and if we’re talking about trying to ensure we have younger generations participating in this activity, there’s a lot of other things starting to come up at that age. If we get them involved in hunting and other outdoor activities, maybe that will be something that sticks with them.”
Something to always keep in mind, regardless of age or hunting preference, is knowing the different species and licensing required.
“Duck hunting is quite difficult, and it’s the same with geese, you have to know your birds and your animals, you can’t just go out and shoot any duck that you want, and there’s limits on species,” Pawliuk explained.
Safety should always be a top priority when it comes to the sport.
“Children are holding a firearm, they have to be able to control that firearm with the guidance of an adult,” said Pawliuk, adding parents should allow their children to decide if hunting is for them.
“A child will know whether they’re ready or not to pursue the outdoors in a hunting manner.”
