OP
OP
WestKentucky
Member
Not much. Per the rapala crappie scale it weighs in at 4 pounds even.
7yr old wants Uncle WK to take him deer hunting
- Thread starter WestKentucky
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Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
yeah. You're going to want to avoid the temptation to put a magnum in that. sixgunner455
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That looks like quite the deal on a little shooter for a little shooter.
My boy wanted to hunt last year, at 13. Scrawny, skinny, bony little guy, just like I was at that age. He could not hold up and confidently manipulate any rifle I owned larger than a 10/22, except my 5.7# AR carbine. It has iron sights, and he couldn't hit anything with it. He shot a scoped .223 bolt carbine and did well with it, and did the same with a borrowed scoped AR, so ... I built him a 6.8 upper for my light AR lower, and he worked at it and shot it well enough to hunt with. He got his own set of electronic ear muffs, too.
We didn't see anything to shoot in three weekends of trying to find a javelina, but we had a good time anyway.
My teenaged daughter, on the other hand, has nearly stolen my .243 bolt action after hunting elk with it. She loves that rifle.
What you use has got to be adapted to the shooter. The important thing is to take them out, get them shooting, and having fun. The rest is all details.
Good luck with your nephew! That has got to be fun.
My boy wanted to hunt last year, at 13. Scrawny, skinny, bony little guy, just like I was at that age. He could not hold up and confidently manipulate any rifle I owned larger than a 10/22, except my 5.7# AR carbine. It has iron sights, and he couldn't hit anything with it. He shot a scoped .223 bolt carbine and did well with it, and did the same with a borrowed scoped AR, so ... I built him a 6.8 upper for my light AR lower, and he worked at it and shot it well enough to hunt with. He got his own set of electronic ear muffs, too.
We didn't see anything to shoot in three weekends of trying to find a javelina, but we had a good time anyway.
My teenaged daughter, on the other hand, has nearly stolen my .243 bolt action after hunting elk with it. She loves that rifle.
What you use has got to be adapted to the shooter. The important thing is to take them out, get them shooting, and having fun. The rest is all details.
Good luck with your nephew! That has got to be fun.
Nice solution found. Be safe and good luck to you, your nephew and his other uncle!
You guys are lucky. Even suggesting such a thing as having a seven years old boy hold a rifle and shoot at a deer would be almost unanimously condemned up here.
My dad waited until I was eleven before he took me hunting with his buddies, and until I was sixteen to let me carry a rifle on those hunts. Note that I had been shooting lots and lots of .22 LR since I was six and that I had become a capable shooter by the time I first aimed at a deer.
I just can't imagine my sister asking me to take her thirteen years old boy hunting. You are one lucky uncle.
You guys are lucky. Even suggesting such a thing as having a seven years old boy hold a rifle and shoot at a deer would be almost unanimously condemned up here.
My dad waited until I was eleven before he took me hunting with his buddies, and until I was sixteen to let me carry a rifle on those hunts. Note that I had been shooting lots and lots of .22 LR since I was six and that I had become a capable shooter by the time I first aimed at a deer.
I just can't imagine my sister asking me to take her thirteen years old boy hunting. You are one lucky uncle.
d2wing
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You have made a choice but I think a AR carbine with the adjustable stock is best all around.
Far less recoil, greater accuracy and range and I have shot deer up to 250 lbs with 55 gr soft points. The 44 will have more recoil less range, and less lethal, but it would work if he can shoot it. Good luck and I hope it works out.
Far less recoil, greater accuracy and range and I have shot deer up to 250 lbs with 55 gr soft points. The 44 will have more recoil less range, and less lethal, but it would work if he can shoot it. Good luck and I hope it works out.
Arkansas Paul
Member
Put a 240 grain Keith style bullet in front of about 9 grains of Unique and you'll have a good light shooting load there that will likely push 950+ fps.
That'll drop any whitetail there is.
That'll drop any whitetail there is.
jimherb
Member
Start with squirrels.
Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
That's a good idea but they'll be hard to fit in the chamber.
TenDriver
Member
WK, do you need some 44 Spl cases for this project? I just bought some today that should be here and I wouldn't mind sending a few your way if you need em.
I started my 12 year old son on a .270 Win with reduced recoil rounds and after he got over the initial noise, the recoil was lighter than a .243
The gun was a bit heavy for him to, but we solved that with shooting sticks; he was using a Remington Model 700 with a Nikon scope on it.
The other gun to have him use if it's legal in your state is an AR. I bought my daughter a Bushmaster superlight optics ready carbine. It has a carbon fiber receiver and weighs in at a little over 6 pounds. It has an adjustable stock to accommodate for smaller framed people and the recoil is almost non-existent. She was only 12 at the time, but she was able to punch the center out of the target at 50 yards and was holding 3 to 4 inch groups at 100 yards with a red dot scope on it. I would limit the shooting to 100 yards and under, but it would make a pretty good deer gun for a kid who's never shot one. All said that's the gun I would recommend...then I would look to a .270 caliber gun with reduced recoil rounds. The recoil is very very light and the point of impact is dead on at 200 yards with the regular powered ammunition. I was using the Remington Core Lokt reduced recoil rounds. I hope this helps....good hunting!
The gun was a bit heavy for him to, but we solved that with shooting sticks; he was using a Remington Model 700 with a Nikon scope on it.
The other gun to have him use if it's legal in your state is an AR. I bought my daughter a Bushmaster superlight optics ready carbine. It has a carbon fiber receiver and weighs in at a little over 6 pounds. It has an adjustable stock to accommodate for smaller framed people and the recoil is almost non-existent. She was only 12 at the time, but she was able to punch the center out of the target at 50 yards and was holding 3 to 4 inch groups at 100 yards with a red dot scope on it. I would limit the shooting to 100 yards and under, but it would make a pretty good deer gun for a kid who's never shot one. All said that's the gun I would recommend...then I would look to a .270 caliber gun with reduced recoil rounds. The recoil is very very light and the point of impact is dead on at 200 yards with the regular powered ammunition. I was using the Remington Core Lokt reduced recoil rounds. I hope this helps....good hunting!
Tactical Lever
Member
The .44 magnum handload with a 240 gr. bullet will only recoil about 1 ft./lb. more than the .223., and will be as accurate as you need. There is no reason that a .44 can not get MOA groups. Besides which, as its his first and with a limited amount of trigger time, I'm fairly sure his uncle will get him into a range where he should be able to print a 3/4" group...
I would argue that the light .44 loads are a lot more gun than any .223, as they are still carrying half again the momentum. We could compare the .223 with the 45-70 with the Remington 405 gr. factory load; its only a couple hundred foot/lbs. ahead of the .223. But in reality, one's a buffalo cartridge and one's for prairie poodles.
OP
OP
WestKentucky
Member
Tendriver I don't need the 44spl cases. I can load light in mag cases. If I need to fill up volume I can use cardboard. Thanks for the offer though.
OP
OP
WestKentucky
Member
Well fellas today was opening morning. My nephew was up at 4 am with my dad. He was decked out in orange and in the woods (20 ft behind my dad's house) and was hunting with grandad since we have new hunting neighbors and I wanted to guage those guys before having a 7 year old around. He got pretty good with his bb gun but we never stepped him up to a 22 because nothing fit. What did work was some one else shouldering the gun and him sighting it and pulling the trigger. Worked suprisingly well. With pictures he got good with shot placement, and on paper he was baseball sized at 50 yards, so he got to hunt. This morning the boy went into the woods a young kid, and left as a young hunter. Not 1, but 2 does, and when we got them to the barn to hang them and clean them he said "they are huge, I can't eat both of those in a whole lifetime" so he made a phone call to a distant cousin who struggles and gave away his second deer. Both shots were good but an inch or so back from where they should have been so we had a blood trail for a hundred yards. The deer were less than 10 yards apart. So this morning he got his first deer, tracked it, cleaned it, AND helped the needy all while following the laws and being a very ethical hunter. I couldn't be more proud.
Reloadron
Contributing Member
And thus a great day all around!
Ron
Ron
tnxdshooter
Member
Why shoot does for his first deer? I've never even killed a deer and would let a small buck or doe walk. I want the big daddy. Go big or go home. Granted he's 7 but letting him shoot two does is getting his hopes up.
CarJunkieLS1
Member
West Kentucky that is great to hear you got any pics of the successful hunt.
Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
What kind of crap is that? The last thing we need is to bring up another hunter into the cult of trophy and bragging rights.
Letting him shoot two does is showing him what hunting is all about: managing the population and putting good meat on the table.
If he's going to eventually grow up to obsess over antlers and only shoot the best and biggest animals in the forest, let him get to that sad state all on his own.
WK: VERY WELL DONE, and congratulations!
CarJunkieLS1
Member
I completely agree. I don't hunt for the trophy rack and bragging rights. I hunt for the sport of it and quite frankly deer meat tastes good. I'll shoot a good meat doe over having my freezer empty any day of the week. However, I will only shoot mature well sized does I am not a "blood thirsty shoot anything that walks kinda hunter" I know a few of those.
Given that you have no experience in the matter, you might take this opportunity to learn something about deer hunting. This forum is full of people that have vast amounts of experience, and you might learn something about the hunting culture of America by reading and learning rather than spouting silly nonsense like your post above.
Hunting isn't all about trophies. It is about many things to many people but may include:
- connection with nature
- putting food on the table
- teaching kids about life, death, and providing for family
- self reliance
- relaxation
- comraderie
- managing natural resources
- getting away from the rat race
If a man takes the time to teach a young kid all the things that go into hunting, takes the time to introduce him to it properly, helps the kid succeed and have a great memory...then who the heck are you to question how he does it?
OP
OP
WestKentucky
Member
He wanted to shoot a deer and that's what was in sight and in range. He is so excited you would think he just shot a new world record. Beside that though he has been taught to be respectful to all things and is in a strong Christian home. He understands already that killing for fun is wrong, so why worry about some odd shaped bones coming out of a deers head? The does taste pretty good, and in his eyes (and mine) those does are as much of a gift as a 180 inch behemoth is to others.
Nothing wrong with shooting does. No use putting extra pressure on a young hunter that it has to be a buck. More than once I have shot a big doe when a small, but, legal buck was standing there. More meat for the freezer. One time I put an arrow over a forkhorns back to get the big doe behind him. Sure did blow that bucks mind.
OP
OP
WestKentucky
Member
I'm trying to post pics but cant. I think it's something to do with them being on the memory card in my phone rather than the phones harddrive. I will have to pull out the laptop shortly and post a few pics.
OP
OP
WestKentucky
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