cjanak
Member
1) In theory, youths should, on average, make weaker hunting safety judgments than adults because they generally possess less experience and they do not yet posses a fully developed prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain that is critical for judgment and suppression of impulses (the prefrontal cortex takes at least 20 years to fully develop).
2) In practice, statistics show that youth hunters (ages 10-19) have significantly higher hunting accident rates than other age groupings;
Given those facts, perhaps mandatory hunter education should be supplemented with stricter hunting regulations for minors? For example, perhaps States should raise the age at which a minor must no longer be accompanied by an adult for certain types of hunting?
I understand many folks want to make it easier for kids to hunt in order to keep the hunting tradition alive and strong in this country. But consider that a few high profile poor judgments by young hunters will do a lot of damage to this cause.
PS: My point is not that kids can’t be responsible hunters or that adults are always responsible hunters. Of course, some kids are very responsible and some adults are complete idiots. Rather, my point is that statistics show kids are not as responsible as adults (on average) and therefore we might consider supplementing hunter education programs to further address that fact, not just for public safety reasons but also for the benefit of the sport/tradition of hunting.
2) In practice, statistics show that youth hunters (ages 10-19) have significantly higher hunting accident rates than other age groupings;
Given those facts, perhaps mandatory hunter education should be supplemented with stricter hunting regulations for minors? For example, perhaps States should raise the age at which a minor must no longer be accompanied by an adult for certain types of hunting?
I understand many folks want to make it easier for kids to hunt in order to keep the hunting tradition alive and strong in this country. But consider that a few high profile poor judgments by young hunters will do a lot of damage to this cause.
PS: My point is not that kids can’t be responsible hunters or that adults are always responsible hunters. Of course, some kids are very responsible and some adults are complete idiots. Rather, my point is that statistics show kids are not as responsible as adults (on average) and therefore we might consider supplementing hunter education programs to further address that fact, not just for public safety reasons but also for the benefit of the sport/tradition of hunting.