Should 10-Year-Olds Hunt?

A new bill has been introduced in the State which would allow children as young as 10 to hunt wildlife with a rifle, bow, or crossbow, as long as they are accompanied by and within “arm’s length” of an experienced mentor. This is a follow-on to the bill included in the state budget in 2021 which lowered the hunting age for deer and bear to 12. In the sponsors’ justification, they point out that the number of hunters has been declining in New York and this would boost this number back up.

Young child learning to shoot rifle.
Young child learning to shoot rifle.

In the previous bill, the 12-year-olds would have to have a hunter’s license, but the new bill allows 10-year-olds to hunt without having a license or even attending a hunters’ education course. The DEC claims that all other states allow children 12 years old or younger to hunt big game, and New York should too. Ten-year old children are highly impressionable, easily indoctrinated and desensitized, so this bill should result in a whole new crop of hunters, so the DEC hopes.

In New York, there is a 10-year average of 14 firearm hunting accidents with 1-3 fatalities annually. While the number of accidents and fatalities of hunters has decreased in recent years, attributed to hunter education courses, the 10-year-olds aren’t required to attend such courses, and their inexperience and weaker stature holding heavy rifles or crossbows are likely to result in accidents and fatalities to humans at some day in the future. They are also likely to result in wounding the animals rather than outright killing, resulting in a prolonged, painful, lingering death.

What is conveniently overlooked by the DEC and the bill’s sponsors is the “collateral damage,” the deer-car collisions. Most such collisions occur during peak hunting season as deer flee in fear across roads. In New York, there were over 35,000 such collisions with 1,500 injuries and 9 fatalities in 2023, and many millions of dollars lost in damages. Increasing the number of hunters by adding 10-year-old children can only increase this problem.

Between danger to hikers and birdwatchers walking innocently through the woods, increased danger of deer-collisions, the inevitable hunting accidents, and the additional cruelty to wildlife that are only wounded, growing the number of hunters by adding mentally and emotionally immature 10-year-olds to the mix of lethal firearm-wielding individuals seems contrary to social responsibility.

What you can do:
• Contact your local state senator and representative, let them know you strongly oppose Bill S1153/A2312 which would lower the hunting age to 10 years of age and urge them to vote against it.
• Ask the Governor not to add it to the upcoming Budget.
Go to pluralpolicy.com/open/ to find the Governor’s and your legislators’ contact information.

New York State Humane Association Humane Review, Vol.XLV, Spring 2025.